uh oh

[contentlove]

So, I've spent a bunch of time at home recently, even more than usual, because I'm working on music for SB and generally feeling like sticking to the bench, even if it's really slow (which I mention because sometimes the whole skipping-social-engagements/shows feels, I dunno, not exactly futile but more like I'm trying to appease some I-know-not-

Comments

[contentlove]

Scaring the raccoons is a pretty good idea; if it turns out it's raccoons up there. Over the years I've heard some pretty weird raccoon invasion stories. My two favorites:

The people who (claimed that they) had a whole tribe of raccoons move into the attic of their very urban home. They started trapping them one by one and releasing them far far away. After about 3 removals, the whole tribe moved out of the attics. Folks involved believe they were good and spooked that their fellows were disappearing. Maybe that's true.

The farmer's son from east Texas who told me that his father's method of getting the coons to go away was to catch one, string it up on a whipping post, and whip it. Said that when you did that, they screamed in an awful almost-human-like way, and it scared all the other raccoons, spooked 'em, and kept them off the property. I dunno, he had a big twinkle in his eye when he was telling me this story, but it might have been true.

Think I'll start with a cowbell and a bright light in the middle of the night if I hear them again. Last time I went up in the attic after a critter, I found one mouse. A very small mouse. He stood on his hind legs and chittered at me angrily when I shined my light on him. I went back down and he went...someplace else.

[alobar]

My mother, who had more bravery than I do had a problem with some animals getting into the garbage can on the porch. We had just moved out of NY City, so my parents assumed it was a stray dog. My mother caught site of the critter. It was a young raccoon. She took her wooden spoon, went out, grabbed the startled raccoon by the scruff of the neck, sat down on top of the garbage pail, and spanked the raccoon with her wooden spoon.

The raccoon was very upset, but my mother was not bitten or scratched. The raccoons left her garbage pail alone after that.

Never spank a raccoon

[strangevibe]

I was pretty sure this phrase "spanked the raccoon" was going to be a zero google hits, full of win statistically improbable phrase but I WAS WRONG.
Exhibit a:
http://www.funnyordie.com/photos/captions/1074439?page=page_11
(Somebody linked to it and quothed - you just know somebody is spanking the raccoon to this pic)
Exhibit b:
From the info on a youtube video of a pet coon demonstrating wet cheeto eating technique:
If you are thinking about trying to make a pet from a raccoon you need to be aware of several factors.
First and formost they are nocturnal so forget ever getting another good nights sleep, ever...
Second, they are not a dog or a cat they are more closly related to bears and they do not take to discipline or training well, in other words never strike or spank a Raccoon if you do he will turn on you.

Adult raccons are not cuddly, Riff Raff likes to be petted on occasion but mostly he likes to play and the rougher the better.

The best way to train a raccoon is by deception you have to make him think it was his idea all along and that you had nothing to do with it :o)

Re: Never spank a raccoon

[strangevibe]

Possible candidate for totem animal?