When John and the girls and I go visiting we always like a good project or activity. Sitting around and visiting is fine after dinner when you are stuffed and worn out from the day and the kids are in bed, but up until that point we like to do something!
That said, we aren’t picky. For instance, we went to see Tyler and helped build a dog kennel. We went to Michigan a few weeks ago and went snowshoeing and skiing. So this weekend when we took Storm back to Michigan and an escapee dog at the vet clinic chewed through two doors and part of a wall it wasn’t a problem… for us. We had a fun time running to get supplies and helping start to put things back together, then we left after the easy part was done. Other peoples’ projects are the best!
After we had called it quits on the repairs, a raccoon was spotted in a tree in the front yard and real fun began.
First up was to assess whether or not the raccoon seemed to be ill. Uncle Jim, as the vet, thought a diagnosis would best be accomplished with the reaction to a small rock from a slingshot.
Then we found out that John is not a very good shot, Uncle Jim is pretty decent, and all I can hit is a barn.
Had Marcia been there she would have showed us all up. Rumor has it she has been using Good and Plenty’s in a wrist rocket at thirty yards to scare away hawks that are snacking on the songbirds at her feeders. Not only is that the best use of a Good and Plenty I’ve ever heard of, but it’s also some pretty good aim!
After a few pebbles connected with the raccoon, the official diagnosis was that he had woken up during the last few days of warm weather and when it started getting chilly, climbed up the first tree he came to in order to fall back asleep. Since the aim of the slingshooters was too poor to bother the coon overly much and the tree was a fairly inappropriate place for a raccoon to sleep away the rest of the winter in, John was sent up the tree.
He was really upset by that…
… just kidding. Did you see that grin? John loves climbing trees, any excuse will do.
Did you know that law enforcement officers frown on climbing the trees along Madison’s State Street? John does.
Much shaking and poking later…
…the coon was out of the tree and John took a rest… 
…while the ground crew went to work.
Uncle Jim, while good at aerial diagnosis of raccoons, is not the best coon herder. 
It started out looking like a professional job, until the raccoon made a break for the garage.
I, the picture taker/Clara holder, was not near enough to see the part where the raccoon tried to burrow in under a bunch of boxes and Uncle Jim took matters into his own hands. Ever since the coon was on the ground and Clara said “meow” I’d been holding her our of the way of the “kitty.” But when they came out of the garage I was all eyes!
A live, feisty, barking raccoon held at arms length made for a very quick trip across the yard where the coon was released back into the woods. 
Released with form that can only be explained by years of playing bean bag toss on the fourth of July.
Tonight the raccoon is hopefully snuggled up somewhere more appropriate for the rest of the winter, and if he is very smart thanking his lucky stars he lives in Marcia’s back yard and not in mine.
The moral of my story: We’d love to tackle a project with you if we ever visit, but you don’t need to worry about what it might be, we are very easily entertained!
Behind the Willows 