Caution advised

It's been raining and rainy so I haven't set the trap the last couple of nights, just turned the camera on. Besides, I haven't seen a raccoon or possum for about a week. Could they be gone? Frightened by the mere sight of my well-baited trap?

Probably not. Especially since I was just reviewing the last three nights' photos and found something I've not seen before. There, business end toward the camera where it cannot possibly be missed, is the tail of a skunk. Raised.

Perhaps he was merely leaving his opinion of the whole set-up. I hadn't set the trap. Was he complaining? Warning me that I might have a very nasty surprise one morning?

I am warned.

The doll bed and the raccoon, although not together

Update on the doll bed project: My neighbor has loaned me her Dremel with its various attachments. So far, I've blasted far enough through a steel wire brush to feel guilty so I've bought a replacement and I've totally demolished three not-as-tough brushes. Totally. GONE. Down to the nubbins. The upside is, I think a little steel wool and I'll have it clear enough to stain. We're not going to tote up the hours.

On to the great raccoon hunt.

Tired of not getting my quarry on grapes, I upped my game to include a slice (a slice--mind you!) of deli turkey. The trophy cam was in place so I could see what had transgressed and it was a sorry sight indeed.

First of all, the outdoor cats paid no attention to the extra-good aroma emanating from the trap. They were more involved with their standard cat food dinner, so I think, this is good. I can't smell it; they can't smell it. The raccoon is better than all of us and I'll have the little varmint in the morning.

I am sooo naive.

An hour into this adventure last night, the turkey is gone and the trap is not sprung. But, I have photos, right? I'll look after choir practice.

Home from choir, I traipse outside to get the SD card and there, in the trap, are two of my fav cats, Sammy and Countess. Two. Huddled together. There was not any turkey left in the trap from the raid by the (as yet) mystery animal. I spring S and C from the confines and collect the SD card. 39 photos on it in an hour where they should be half a dozen, max.

A careful reading of the card shows the turkey thief to be Socks, a lightweight in the cat division. I put the card back.

Before going to bed, I find Duchess, wily old female cat, in, you guessed it, the trap. By now, I've had it with them. There is only grapes and apples for bait. What was she thinking?

This morning, there are 44 more photos to review. What ever has gone on in the night?

Lots of traffic by my animals, the neighbors' and a raccoon. Except he couldn't get into the alluring trap of grapes and apples because Sammy had chosen to sit in the trap's entry. IN THE ENTRY. Was he protecting the raccoon from a countryside-fate?

Tonight, there are grapes and sweet potato peelings in the trap because my neighbor said she thought the raccoon would like them. We will, actually, see.

Seeing what I'm missing with my new toy

Just to get you up-to-date on the doll bed before I start the fun with my latest gadget, days 3 and 4 have had to do with hand sanding. I'm using aluminum oxide paper which is like sanding with not-so-finely ground black pepper, and I've taken the ridges off at least two of my fingers. I'll go over the bed with some finer paper and steel wool and then that baby is getting painted!

But back to my new toy: a Bushnell trophy camera! Tired of knowing the wildlife was about, but not being able to readily trap it (although I do have a fairly good track (trap?) record), I thought this would make a good addition to my arsenal. So to speak.

I didn't buy a very expensive one, I'm not hunting deer for the meat locker after all, but it does do amazing things: takes video or still, color photos with enough light, it's infra-red and motion detecting. With the current SD card and resolution, it'll take over 4000 shots! What fun would that be? I look at it every morning.

First of all, I set it up in the small house we use for storage. I know there is a cat who lodges there and enters through displaced floor boards. Come to find out, she has lots of company during the evening hours: over a three night period, there were two other cats--one of which is my neighbor's--one or two raccoons and a possum! A possum! Haven't seen one in ages and there it is, rooting around the floor boards.

That fun being over, I set it up outside the patio where I know raccoons have trod, especially since I came nose to nose with one last week when I opened the back door to feed the outside cats. Rocky Raccoon was either going up or down the pillar, but went up with the advent of me. Eventually I caught him eating the cats' breakfast and I chased him from the yard.

But I knew he'd been back (dirty water is a giveaway) and so I set the trap and the camera.

Night one, he sniffed around it. Night two, I mis-set it and he wandered in and ate the grapes. It's all on digital film, but tonight is night three and I've done a much better job of setting the trap.

I hope tomorrow morning to see Rocky R in person behind bars and then be able to view him later!