Thursday, January 1, 2009

The Coontina is open on New Year's Day!

I woke up around 4:30 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep so I went to get a glass of water in the kitchen. It's a habit to do a "coon check" every time I'm near the back door, so I looked out the back door window and this time....


I could not believe it. There was Freddie. All wound up in a tight ball of fur completely passed out on the glider at 4:40 in the morning. He had his tail covered up with fur, and his ears looked more cat than raccoon the way they were sitting up on his head but I knew it wasn't that gray cat who often does the same thing because 1.) that fur coat looked expensive for a cat and 2.) Freddie's gotten bigger.  It really was FREDDIE!!!!! And the only thing to do now was to wake him up and get him something to eat.

Here is a pained expression of a raccoon wanting to sleep in but enduring me anyway and since he's used to the flash on the camera, he now knows to look away from it. Doesn't make for compelling photos though.

Freddie unspiraled himself, let out a big yawn and then did a biggggggggggg stretch....

Maybe some scratching needed to be done too.

Then some thinking about what he wanted to do so early in the morning. But he decided to get his stiff little self off the glider to chomp on some cat food. He really wasn't that hungry. He didn't even finish what I gave him. He did like the water bowl though.When he was finished eating the dry cat food (which took two hands to eat, probably because he was so sleepy), he washed his hands in the water dish and then  ambled off.


Brian was telling me how he had seen a lot of critter catchers in the neighborhood and it saddened me to think that Freddie and his family might have been picked up and taken out of the neighborhood. So I was really surprised to see Freddie this morning. And Freddie looks great. Bigger. Chubbier. The possum that shows up usually around the same day as Freddie showed up last night too, also looking pretty big and chubby.

My new sister-in-law decided that each member of the family would draw names for Christmas this year and would then have to buy just one gift for that one person. She drew my name and although the earrings she sent were beautiful (and from Tiffany's!), I am the only woman on earth who does not have pierced ears. I'm treating Freddie's visit this morning as a late Christmas present, and the one I had hoped for! :-)

I have some feather pillows I have to throw out because they're old and have been replaced but I'm going to put them out for Freddie tonight. Brian told me a story about an old girlfriend who was bipolar and most of the time she'd be fine but then she'd have an episode and find it mandatory to do something like string bagels from trees at midnight. And now he lives across the hallway from a woman who has decided to go green by never using her electricity and when he comes home at night, he will sometimes see her moving around her apartment in the dark via flashlight. Good grief. Plumping up feather pillows for a visiting raccoon is on that same list of c r a z y, I know that. But really, this is just too much sweetness to ignore.

11 comments:

shara said...

Ahh- I am glad that Freddie is still in the 'hood!

Country Girl said...

Crazy is as crazy does.

And life is like a box of chocolates.

And I say he's cute. I'd give him my old pillows, too. Amen.

abb said...

So glad he's back! Wish you could keep him "safe". Unreasonable I know...

Hope your 2009 is just wonderful!

Mental P Mama said...

I am so happy to see him!!! The pillows are a must;)

Q said...

Dear Maria,
I am so happy Freddie is back...yes, too darling not to have feather pillows. Not crazy just the right way to treat a friend!
Maybe Tivols can fix those earings with a clip....
Have a Happy happy New Year!
Sherry

45+ and Aspiring said...

Raccoons are cute as long as they are at a distance! A friend of mine startled one on her back porch (her dog--half the raccoon's size--was going nuts) and it grabbed her finger! Razor sharp teeth--she needed 2 surgeries--and rabies shots!

We used to have one that slept at the top of a tree outside our kitchen window. Sweet.

I love your blog. I found you from Gran. I just read through all the turtle blogs--wow! What a great story. I see your illustrator, have you done picture books?

45+ and Aspiring said...

"I see your illustrator" sounds like either I have X-ray vision or am a pervert of some sort. I meant to say, "I see that you're an illustrator. . . " :)

Maria said...

Thank you everybody for your kind comments and reassuring me that I haven't crossed the line to total crazy yet. That Freddie is so darn cute and I should treat him as the VIC ("very important 'coon") that he is. Freddie's getting his feather pillows.

45 and Aspiring: I sure would like to scratch his ears but I have no intention of ever making contact with the little guy. He's still young and socially awkward (every stray animal who happens to be on the deck at the same time just pushes him out of the way once they figure him out). He's fun to watch but I'm pretty much hiding behind a screen door when he gets close. Also, I move very, very slow. I would love to get a picture of him all rolled in a ball fast asleep but for the exact reason you state, I don't want to startle him. I crack the door gently, wait a couple minutes for him to get himself together and then I take his picture. I'm always careful, move slowly and never threaten him. Also, no danger in a barking, lungeing dog because a dog is one animal I don't have living with me right now (although I love them!).

Nope. Haven't done a picture book yet. I keep meaning to...I even wrote a story to illustrate years ago but haven't gotten it mocked up in a 32 page or less format yet. Also, I'm a very pokey artist and once those publishers give you the go-ahead, you have to jump real high until you're done. Thanks for reminding me though. I should really find that story and at least submit it.

And ha ha ha about your second comment. Glad you cleared that up.

the7msn said...

I've never known a raccoon to have his own chaise...ok, I've never known a raccoon. But I'm certainly glad to have met Freddie...and Michael Ray and Cathy Jean. I've got a turtle out here that shows up every now and then...
http://www.the7msnranch.com/search?q=turtle+steve

I had no idea about the pigs being good luck on new year's thing - thanks for telling me. Next new year's, I may have to just stay out in the barn and sleep by her side!

Tami Weingartner said...

Oh Freddie...so glad he could stop by.

Naiyana said...

This is toooo cute!!!