Plan C is a winner

A nice warm muggy day here after lots – almost 3 inches – of rain yesterday and maybe more today. We’ve been up since early taking care of Plan C. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Plan B – after the raccoon escaped from the trap and truck was:

1. reset cage on porch. 

2. secure back side of cage so raccoon could not escape that way. 

3. wait up until we heard trap door shut. 

4. go out pick up cage with raccoon and take to garage and secure trap door side of cage. 

5. leave in garage until morning then take to forest to let go.

Well all went well until step 4. Then it all went to crap! Picture this. We are sitting quietly in den watching TV when we hear the trap door go snap. We cheer – raccoon is in cage. We turn on lights on porch and Bill goes out to pick up cage. So far so good. OH NO! When he picked up the cage the rotten raccoon jumps out the trap door side of the cage and lands right on Bill’s slippered feet. SH!T – Raccoon is running around porch with Bill in hot pursuit. “Get me something to hit him with.” So I look around and find a broom. With a plastic handle. Lots of good that will do. Bill bats at the raccoon who is now climbing the railing and the top part of the screen. Crap he’s going to tear that screen too. We’re both yelling at each other and the raccoon that now is panicked and running in circles and climbing the walls. Bill bats with the broom stick at him a couple more times and finally the raccoon finds his hole in the screen and he is gone. (Why didn’t I buy a nice broom with a sturdy wooden handle when we were at the broom makers?)We are standing there with the empty cage and a broom handle. Thank goodness he didn’t charge either one of us.

So much for Plan B. On to Plan C – which started with going into town to Rural King (a farmers supply store) and buying a bigger much stronger cage. The only problem with that was we were in the convertible and there isn’t much room in it. So we had to put the top down and put the cage in the back seat which stopped us from going grocery or anything else shopping. So on home we went. Set the cage on the screen porch with yummies inside it and waited. Hooray – this morning the raccoon was trapped in the cage. He couldn’t get out. 

But…of course…we didn’t think about him being very unhappy trapped. So unhappy that he pooped which went right through the wire cage. He also started to tear up the carpet under the cage. Bill went out and picked up the cage and not so sweet raccoon and carried him out to the truck. 

We got dressed and headed up the road into the state forest and let him loose. 

Good riddance. 

BUT we are putting the cage back on the porch tonight cause we think he has a family. With Plan C we’ve got it figured out. And tonight we will put a board under the cage too.

On the way to the forest this morning we saw bunnies, turkeys and deer as the sun was rising through the trees.

And miracle of miracle the upstairs bathroom is completely done – well almost. I still have to do some sanding and finish the painting of the walls and trim. Just waiting for a cooler day to do that. And I also found a little of the hall paint so I think I can just patch and repaint the hole not the whole wall. I hope.

And we got the driveway where it was sliding down the hill reinforced, cemented and filled with rocks. Really moving along here.

Today it is supposed to be in the mid 90s so I’m looking forward to watching the race from California and being even more lazy. I did get the second coat of polyurethane on both sides of the second barn quilt. 

Should be ready to put up in a couple of days.