2 lucky coins, an opossum and a raccoon
Sam, Hap and Eli getting some good coaching from Jeremy McCann during a D2 game. They got to “play up” because the next division up had a team short on players. It was a great experience for them! Very hot, and second game in the heat, but they did fine. I think they actually won even though technically the team had to forfeit due to the roster change.
Ben (on the right) is climbing all the way up to the top! He is so brave! I don’t think I could do this. It’s a local climbing gym where a friend was having his birthday. I may need to try for my birthday. I always do something that I’m nervous about doing on my birthday. It’s a tradition…Maybe Ben will coach me?
The boys and I had a pretty productive Sunday. Ben and I sold 9 dozen eggs – took some work. People were really not in a buying mood. We had to work our sign spinning pretty hard. They must not realize eggs are in demand in the East Coast area due to avian influenza killing off 46 million birds. Oh well. I didn’t price-gouge 😉 Then we fixed a broken sprinkler timer, and finally cleared the trails of massive spring overgrowth. Sam had the machete, Ben his favorite clippers and me a weird golf-club like machete thing.
Just as we drove home from picking Dave up at the ferry (he’s been in Connecticut), Dave goes “There’s a raccoon in the coop!” I could not believe it. Truly. We drove up JUST as the marauder was in attacking our birds. A few feathers were lost, but all the birds were ok. Seriously a miracle. I went back out with the staple gun and repaired the fence. Mommy was already a little tired and cranky from end-of-school insanity, but this did me in! Thankful I still have a flock, what with the bird flu and all!!!! I was not pleased that my friends the coyotes were back, literally howling as I stapled. JERKS! No licking your lips over chicken dinner!!! I will howl back at you. I have before. You just wait…
Oh – the lucky coin bit. We hide things for kids to find on Halloween. It’s always fun to find them later…I actually found two coins and a dead opossum. Is that lucky?
The boys and I were out clearing trails of spring over growth and I found this in a pile of hair. Ick! It smelled a bit, but then I got past that and the biologist in me got super interested. There were wormies crawling around decomposing the carcass, and I found the whole skull and jaw bones. Even a paw! All were connected by what was left of the backbone. I carried it off to hang it all from a stump so I could find it later (would also be a super cool Halloween decoration, right?). Then I found SCAT! Wow! The picture was complete. Here are my artifacts on a mossy log. Dave is disgusted. I should probably not mention I actually did think about cleaning it up and bringing it in to my little “artifact shelf” in our entryway. I Googled the jaw bone and think it’s an opossum.
OH MY GRACIOUS! This is waaaaay too much happening! Those chickens must have been thankful to have you come home in the nick of time! Was the raccoon IN the coop, as in where the perches are? Yikes, and yikes! Having done the game, the climbing wall, clearing trails, finding a carcass and identifying it, I assume you’ve crashed for the night. On your birthday, it might be pretty exciting to put you to bed early the night before, and not let you out until noon on June 17! I means, that would be a once-in-a-lifetime event right there!
Yes, eggs are expensive here on the east coast. Ben is very brave to climb that wall! Go Ben! I won’t comment on the yucky stuff you found. Poppop can’t wait to see you all! Have lots of fun with him.
Hi Grammie!
Ben came out into the woods to see my great find, then over dinner he started talking about it. I actually felt slightly nauseous. I rarely get that way. I think I get it – it’s gross!!!!!
Love,
Alli
Yes! I thought for sure Dave meant the raccoon was in the garden area where they have recess, but he was IN their little run! They were all standing at the door – usually they would be having happy hour up on their perches before turning in for the night. I don’t know why they didn’t fly up there anyway to get away from the raccoon. However, I do remember they can climb quite easily. Dave found where he got in – a section of chicken wire which had rotted (or been chewed) away from the base of the run and he slithered through, leaving a little tuft of grey hair. He went out the same way. Cat burglar!!!!!