Raccoons! We moved into a new old house 2 years ago now, and this Spring (last May) the neighbourhood raccoon had 5 babies (Wiki suggests that's the max!). They frequent our backyard, probably because as the neighbourhood changes there are fewer yards and more built-up spaces; our neighbour has quite a backyard garden (built up over 50 years of living there!) that at her age she is less than keen on protecting; and we have (courtesy of the old owners) both a chaotic stand of plum trees and a salt water pool. I have found more than one plum at the bottom of the pool and something (the paw prints all around the pool deck) tell me the raccoons were involved.
The babies were all adorably unfrightened of humans - we wouldn't approach them but they would run up to us. Two scared me while in the pool at night as from my perspective they popped out of nowhere; another one, well, my husband and I were in the hammock at dusk, then he was like oh, Onyx (our cat) is nuzzling me...but Onyx is an indoor cat...it was one of the babies! But mom kept them in check as she would hiss and growl and herd all 5 of them (eventually, always a straggler or two) away until the yard emptied of humans.
They have yet to go for a swim. However when then pool is covered with a thin plastic cover (called a solar cover, to keep water warm) the babies would march out onto it and splish splash adorably. Then they got too large for it to hold their weight well and were quite upset!
I'm kind of sad that we will likely never see them as a troupe of 6 again! Circle of life. Lately I've seen footprints in the snow in the yard, but only one set.
Your story of moving into an abandoned house and getting attention from all the animals who had taken over reminded me of an delightful children’s book which must be 70-some years old now, called Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson. Rabbits were the main dramatis personae, not raccoons, but the theme about “new folks a’ comin’” was the same. How can we live with the beautiful animals around us so that we all can get what we need?
Happy New Year, Amy! So nice to find your art in my inbox this morning!
I have two raccoon stories. Years ago, friends had moved into a new home on the outer edge of a city. Lots of woods around them. One night we were visiting, and they were excited to show us the five or six raccoons that congregated on their deck each evening. The raccoons would stand on their hind legs and watch through the window.
About a month later, the friends came home from work to find raccoons. In their kitchen. They’d left the sliding glass door to the deck slightly ajar, and it was all the invitation the raccoons needed. They obliterated a bag of flour and scattered it everywhere.
One day at school, students were drawing with charcoal. I had them go outside to shake off the excess. The next morning there were dozens of raccoon paw prints in graphite all over the deck.
Raccoons! We moved into a new old house 2 years ago now, and this Spring (last May) the neighbourhood raccoon had 5 babies (Wiki suggests that's the max!). They frequent our backyard, probably because as the neighbourhood changes there are fewer yards and more built-up spaces; our neighbour has quite a backyard garden (built up over 50 years of living there!) that at her age she is less than keen on protecting; and we have (courtesy of the old owners) both a chaotic stand of plum trees and a salt water pool. I have found more than one plum at the bottom of the pool and something (the paw prints all around the pool deck) tell me the raccoons were involved.
The babies were all adorably unfrightened of humans - we wouldn't approach them but they would run up to us. Two scared me while in the pool at night as from my perspective they popped out of nowhere; another one, well, my husband and I were in the hammock at dusk, then he was like oh, Onyx (our cat) is nuzzling me...but Onyx is an indoor cat...it was one of the babies! But mom kept them in check as she would hiss and growl and herd all 5 of them (eventually, always a straggler or two) away until the yard emptied of humans.
They have yet to go for a swim. However when then pool is covered with a thin plastic cover (called a solar cover, to keep water warm) the babies would march out onto it and splish splash adorably. Then they got too large for it to hold their weight well and were quite upset!
I'm kind of sad that we will likely never see them as a troupe of 6 again! Circle of life. Lately I've seen footprints in the snow in the yard, but only one set.
Your story of moving into an abandoned house and getting attention from all the animals who had taken over reminded me of an delightful children’s book which must be 70-some years old now, called Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson. Rabbits were the main dramatis personae, not raccoons, but the theme about “new folks a’ comin’” was the same. How can we live with the beautiful animals around us so that we all can get what we need?
Happy New Year, Amy! So nice to find your art in my inbox this morning!
I have two raccoon stories. Years ago, friends had moved into a new home on the outer edge of a city. Lots of woods around them. One night we were visiting, and they were excited to show us the five or six raccoons that congregated on their deck each evening. The raccoons would stand on their hind legs and watch through the window.
About a month later, the friends came home from work to find raccoons. In their kitchen. They’d left the sliding glass door to the deck slightly ajar, and it was all the invitation the raccoons needed. They obliterated a bag of flour and scattered it everywhere.
One day at school, students were drawing with charcoal. I had them go outside to shake off the excess. The next morning there were dozens of raccoon paw prints in graphite all over the deck.