Fireworks and Baby Bandits on Independance Day

First, to everyone, Happy Independance Day!


We had a wonderful day today, with mimimum drama and lots of fun. We started the day
going to Church, where Father Jack gave another amazing sermon. Jeff was with the Choir, and played his trumpet to "America the Beautiful" at the end of Mass. While I love the song, I do find it sad that of all the beautiful hymns that are sung during the year, it is this one honoring America that gets the most participation. Don't get me wrong, honoring America is a GOOD thing, especially in these politically correct times, but I'd like to hear songs praising God get as much enthusiasm. Jeff's trumpet playing was beautiful enough to distract me from my normal thoughts about the appropriateness of patriotic song at Church.

Later we went swimming at the YMCA, and Jeff, who didn't want to come, decided to join us after all. :) That means he's not TOO mad at me! When we finished swimming, we came home and Chris grilled some burgers while I fixed the potato salad. We had a great dinner, ate some Peach ice cream, and then watched Grease. I know it is bass ackward, but Chris loves Grease, and I, well, don't. But after seeing the high school perform the musical, I enjoyed watching the movie for the first time since I can't remember. Jessie even asked me to tape it for her.

At 9:30, we packed the kids into the car and drove to Kings Island and watched a beautiful fireworks show from the parking lot. They really do go all out for the holiday. The only down side was that it took an hour to get home instead of the normal 15 minutes.
But hey, they were playing great tunes on the radio, and Chris was entertaining the cars around us with his mad car grooving skills, not to mention his wicked vocals!
"She's a bad mamma jamma..." When is the last time YOU heard that song??
Oh, and memo to me, don't even act embarrassed, or Chris will shake his groove thing even more just to see if I will slither under the seat!! I have to delete some stuff off my phone so that next time I can get him on video. Not that it would deter him any!

This all leads up to the title of todays post..baby bandits

When we arrived home from the fireworks show, we saw the cat, Cocoa, having a fit by the back door. She was making futile attempts at catching a big fat moth on the wrong side of the glass door. When Chris went to check on her , he saw a raccoon on the porch.
Then another. And another..In all , there were five baby raccoons in the corner of the deck by the door.

They discovered that the hummingbird feeder had leaked its nectar onto the deck boards. Imagine five little black masked bandits, not stealing tomatos, not rummaging in the garbage can, but furiously licking the deck for all they were worth. I mean, didn't their mother tell them they could get SPLINTERS that way??

They were incredibly cute, but, since I know that deck boards lead to bird feeders, then to tomato plants, and so on, I decided to flip on the lights to scatter the little stinkers.

Instead of fleeing, one of the raccoons came over to the window, sat up, and kept touching the window , as if to say, "Can I have some more, please?". Cocoa, the curious, and apparently not the ferocious, put her nose to the window, and baby bandit returned the gesture. It looked like some sort of rated G Disney Romance.

Our next move was to open the door. The sound soon scattered the five, who ran over the side of the deck and under the shrubs. We had no sooner closed the door, when we saw their little masked faces peering over the side, in between the railing posts, looking like a little row of prisoners behind bars. Luckily, we didn't encounter Mamma Raccoon, who was probably busy hanging from my Critter proof Bird Feeder. Go ahead, you can laugh at that.
I dont think they have invented a bird feeder that a raccoon cannot vanquish! I know she goes out there, because I have opened the door at night , only to hear the sound of her falling from the feeder. I never see her, I just see the feeder swaying back and forth, or the resulting damage to the cat whisker plants that surround the feeder.

Did you know that raccons will occupy the empty nests of groundhogs? At least the raccons won't eat my petunias!


I did promise to post my recipe, and pictures of my pitiful adopted garden, but I enjoyed the day too much to take time for either. Hopefully I will get to those tomorrow!