Thursday, December 11, 2008

There Goes The Orange One...

I have a very funny story to share from this past weekend. And I am imagining we are sitting in my living room, chit chatting, knitting the time away over hot cocoa, as I tell you the hilarious tale...

So, it all started last Friday night. My pal Lindsey took Andrew to "Celebrate The Seasons" at school. I hate those things. There are too many people, I have panic attacks in those kinds of crowds, and I am not that understanding of a Mom that I will put myself in a situation that has 20 kids fighting over the last cookie available to decorate. Thankfully though, Lindsey is sweet and can handle those situations, and our boys get along (most of the time, lol)... so it was an outing match made in heaven.

After the event, all the L's (Lindsey Lucas Logan and Laurelle) and Andrew, came back to our house. The kids played, our husbands bonded over a computer program, and eventually, Lindsey and I were just a little bit tipsy, giggling over our old yearbooks on my kitchen floor. All the while, Lucas was snuggling Rusty (our new kitten). The L's recently lost their cat, Tortellini, and Lucas is quite obviously ready for a new little one to love.

Fast forward to a conversation on Saturday with Lindsey. Yes, indeed they are ready to get a new kitten but oh my stars... it is $125 to adopt a kitten from the Humane Society or PetSmart!! Who can afford that? I offered to go back out to the farm house where Rusty was rescued to catch another kitten. I called up my Mom and she called the old lady that lives on the farm (lol, I like that name it sounds like a book title!). We headed over to catch a kitten at around 4:45pm. Not exactly good kitten catching time. It was nearly dark and very cold. We looked like giant black shadows, menacing and mean, trying to grab them up. So, we decided to try again in the morning.

Bright and early (a rip ol' 8:30am) we set out to the farm house again. It was Lindsey, my Mom and I, all bundled up to brace against the cold and catch us a kitten. And not one, but we were on the hunt for TWO. The L's decided that they would like siblings if they could be caught. Two kitties are always better then one. Try as we might, we just couldn't get our hands on a single one.

The cats aren't just under the porch of the farm house, but in the big barn next to the house as well. The old lady that lives in the house has a bit of dementia and is a hoarder. The barn was packed with old garage sale junk. Piles upon piles of junk with little rows for walking among the big tractors and farming equipment. It took about two hours, but we finally found the corner of the barn where all the little guys were hiding. My Mom was the first to climb the junk and get back in the corner, which had her basically standing on said pile of junk. There were boards and old storm windows leaning against the wall... Mom started to rattle them....

HEY... there goes the white one...

there goes the orange one...

HEY... there is the black one... get it...

We chased them around again only to have them find their way back to the junk pile corner. And this time, I decided to scale the junk heap and rattle the boards. I had to step on an old metal lawn chair, down between some apple crates, over something in a cardboard box and up on to things that were I-don't-know-whats. I rattled the boards....

there goes the orange one...

there goes the black one...

oh... the black one with white...











OMG.... IT'S A RACCCCOOOOOOONNNN!!!

From out behind the boards, suddenly climbed a HUGE raccoon. I took off running. I jumped off the junk pile (totally bashed and bruised my knee) and screaming the whole way out. Lindsey and Mom though I said "it's a rat" and both not liking the idea of rats, took off running too. We ran from the barn laughing so hard we nearly peed our pants. I swear, this raccoon was bigger then my Mom's English Bull Dog and she's 56pounds. Once assured that their were no rats, Mom and Lindsey went back into the barn to see the raccoon climbing the rafters and sneaking into the attic of the barn. I, on the other hand, refuse to set foot in the barn ever again!

It was just like something out of a movie. The way that the raccoon climbed out slowly... it taking just a few second for it to dawn on me what had climbed out... the way it turned to look at me... and my sudden scream, turn, and run. LOL!! OH how I wish we had a camera, lol... we would have won America's Funniest Home Videos for sure.

Alas, we never got our hands on the kittens. Though the son of the old lady that lives in the farm house says he'll set up the humane trap and call us if he can catch them.

7 comments:

Holly said...

Kind of makes you wish they just went to the SPCA, huh?

Whatcha knitting? It looks like the Robin's Egg Hat. I have been meaning to make one for a while.

Kristen said...

Kerry, That is a great story! Too bad you couldn't catch the kittens! Do you think she would have taken all three if you could have caught them? ha ha Can't leave one little kitten alone with the RACCOON! :) Hope he manages to snag them. I needed that laugh this morning! Thanks!
Kristen

Kerry said...

Actually Kristen, he wouldn't be alone!! There are several generations of kittens/cats. Right now there looks to be 3 mothers and 1 tabby tom cat daddy. There are kittens that are about 9months, 6 months, 3-2months, and 6-7 weeks old. There are 3 of the 6-7 week old ones. We were hoping for 2 of them. If we catch the 3rd, you'll be sure to get him to a good home.

HOLLY!! Would you not give away my present making secrets?!? I was trying to keep the project low key. Remember there are snoopers in the family!!

Kerry said...

Oh and how crazy that the kittens are chillin' with the coon in the corner!!

Pretty Things said...

That is hilarious! At least it wasn't a skunk! We've trapped two skunks in a humane trap (meant to catch a rabbit that was eating my garden, but nooooo).

And you can use DPNs to knit? You are indeed multi-talented!

LLYYNN - Lynn Davis said...

That is a hilarious story. I hope you are unhurt! It's a cooincidence that we just caught our marauding teenaged racoon in a humane trap this week and the friendly animal control person took him over the river and through the woods. (S)he had been making a nest in part of the attic and making a lot of racket and scary noises. One afternoon I was looking out the window of the upstairs bedroom and a little masked face popped up as if to say 'Hi, whatcha doin' in there' and then it disappeared. Your story made me laugh and laugh.

Jennifer said...

Oh my goodness!!! Kerry, that was hillarious!!!!