For lack of anything better to do (and sprung from a desire not to leave the couch), we turned our attention to Momma Cat. She was looking intently through the sliding door, up into a tree. We followed her gaze and saw a big fat racoon in a nest.
After watching it for a while, I felt confident in insisting that there were two. Another 15 minutes later, I was proved right. They hunkered down and slept all day. The power came back on, but we checked on them every now and then.
"Do you think they ate the garlic I threw out into the snow yesterday?" I asked Mike.
"You did what?" he said.
"Nevermind... think they'd like an apple? What do racoons eat?"
(I decided against feeding them, having learned a lesson from the bird feeder that quickly created a squirrel problem on our deck.)
I was excited, hoping they were permanent residents of the tall tree and that I could watch them every day. Surely, if they returned, they should get names, I told Mike.
They were still sleeping when it got dark. We went out for dinner and couldn't see whether they were there or not we we returned.
They didn't come back the next morning and haven't been back since. I'm disappointed, but it made me realize how thankful I am that I live in a place where seeing wild animals, even for just one day is possible. One of my favorite things about my four years in Boston was seeing geese, rats and squirrels in the Public Garden. I love the surprise of seeing an animal I don't expect to encounter.
2 comments:
I saw more wildlife in the Public Gardens than I did practically from living my whole life in the woods. Most notably, a hawk clutching the dangling corpse of a squirrel... and also a skunk.
Do you know hog badger? this little animal with dog shape and hognose, which are curious about everything even a cough when you chase it, it will pause to run away and observe what is happening, very funny! it's also not easy to encounter them nowadays at my hometown.
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