The Return

Disclaimer: This entry is not about food!

Let me set the scene:

Returning from a late night trek to Chesterfield, Bryan and Jennifer climb into bed. The time is approximately 12:15 am, and they are both tired and somewhat irritated (okay, mostly Jennifer is irritated). Laying with her head at the foot of the bed so as to be in better reach of the fan, Jennifer notices a large shadow moving downward on the outside of her mini blind-cloaked window.

Immediately she begins replaying the previous few nights in her head. Several times during the past week she has awoken to find the dog, normally a sound sleeper, with his nose pressed up to the fan placed in the screened window. Similarly, the cat had seemingly developed a new fascination with the general window area.

Certain she was exaggerating the movement of a large branch or plant of some kind, she ignored it and closed her eyes. For a second. Opening them again she saw the shadow moving upward, quickly at first, and then stopping.

She panicked, screaming "There is something outside the window!" to which her husband sleepily replied "what is it."

She yelled at him to turn on the light, which only made seeing that much harder, so she yelled at him to turn off the light! They then raised the blind to find:



THE RETURN OF THE RACCOON!

So Jennifer SCREAMED like someone was murdering her and let down the mini blind. She jumped back in bed and tried to pretend it was not there. Bryan watched it scurry up out of sight, likely to the roof, and then returned to bed beside his trembling wife. A brief conversation transpired between the couple about whether it was possible that the raccoon could get through the screen and the window fan, but they both agreed that was impossible, so they tried to go back to sleep.

About 15 minutes later the dog was back at the window. Not a casual walk-by either. He was standing on his hind legs, something he is rarely capable of doing, with his nose pressed against the fan.

Jennifer sprang from the bed again and raised the blind to find:


He was back. This time she knew it was serious. The raccoon had been up against the thin screen, likely plotting his entry by way of the small gaps around the window fan. The decision was made that the fan had to go. But when to remove it? The raccoon was daring them to give him an opening.After a staring contest of about three minutes the raccoon began his slow assent, presumably back to the roof to await his next opportunity.

Together Bryan and Jennifer opened the window just enough to dislodge the fan and slammed it shut.

Safe. For now.