I live in a zoo

I got up on Tuesday at 8, which is a huge deal because I had nowhere to be until 1 p.m. Chevy and I went out to play ball in the backyard and my precious puppy made a discovery... there in the raccoon cage, curled up in a ball, was a dirty, nasty, sharp tooth, hairless tailed POSSUM! Yuck, yuck, yuck!

So I called S fives times in a row until he answered the phone and I started screaming "there is a possum in the cage and it hissed at me!!!!" I forgot to tell you that, the ugly nasty trespasser HISSED at ME! Well, S just laughed at me and said he had to go. Next I called Mr. Drew from TruTech (he laughed at me too) and then said he would be by to pick up the nasty little varmit in a bit. He did and now its gone.

Later in the afternoon after my little buddy and I (I hang out with/tutor a little guy 3 days a week to get my "kid fix" and make some extra cash) had finished all the work we had to do, I went to get one of his toys out of the car and heard a weird noise. Later, I went out to shut the garage door and heard fluttering, I assumed a bird was in the garage and left the door open. I went out about an hour later to see if the bird was gone, OHHHHH NO the bird was still there. My sidekick and I followed the flapping noise to the laundry sorter (washer/dryer in garage) and there on top of my most favorite t-shirt and S's boxers I found a young bird STUCK/INJURED in my bottom of the laundry sorter.

So me and my little buddy "N" devised a plan. He picked up the towel and handed it to me. I threw it over the sorter and wheeled it outside and pulled off the towel. N followed me and screamed at the bird to get out and I pushed him out of the laundry sorter. We saved the little from the washing machine and S's underwear!

So, anytime you have a helpless, dirty, or unwanted animal at your house and need to get rid of it just go ahead and stick it in my attic, garage, or backyard and we'll take care of it.

Happy Friday.

P.S. I got cable and internet today so I think you should celebrate!

Random Fun and Raccoon Ridiculousness!

One sunny, unbearably hot, and humid day Christin decided to celebrate summer.

On Thursday she had a party with her most favorite group of Knoxville girls, The Dessert Group. They had a walking progressive dinner through the neighborhood where Christin, Jen, and Al all live.

Tiff made a "Poor Man's Edible Arrangement". Isn't it lovely?

First, they had appetizers at C's and prepared to walk down the street and around the curve to Al's for dinner. The girls ate chicken salad and fruit from a pot and they talked about all things baby (Al's pregnant and Paige has a 2 month old).

Finally, they arrived at Jen's to eat dessert and have someone with a car drive them home.

On Saturday, Christy and C. drove to Pigeon Forge to meet up with some super fun Sig Kaps to celebrate Jane Anne marrying B.

Everyone was very excited because Adriel decided to come into town to celebrate all the way from GA. We miss her lots and think she should move back home!

And finally, the bachelorette herself! Yay 8/28/10!

While C was gone S went to the lake with M, John and Juliet.

On Sunday, they found a little baby raccoon in the cage from TruTeach that ate crackers and bread until Mr. Drew could come pick him up on Monday.

On Monday everyone celebrated Jen's birthday with lunch at Newk's and then the unbelievable

happened, S and Christin signed up for cable and internet service (which they have been without for 7 weeks) that will be hooked up on Friday, lets hope!

The End.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch!

Okay, Okay I know! I got overly excited about the trembling raccoon in the cage on Saturday!

My new friend Drew from TruTech came back on Monday to pick up Rascal. Drew didn't crawl up in the attic to check everything out but, he did set another trap just in case Rascal had friends over to stay with him. He said would be back on Wednesday to check the attic and spray for raccoon germs. I was nervous about him not checking the attic but I didn't want him to think I was neurotic and hateful so I let him leave against my better judgement...BIG MISTAKE. Everything was fine until last night (Tuesday) I took Chevy out before I went to bed and he started to chase Peter CottonTail through our yard while I still had ahold of his leash!!!! S came out to help me when he heard my cries while being pulled through the yard on a rabbit hunt and immediately froze, he said "shhhh, do you hear that" I didn't hear a thing because, I am deaf, need hearing aides and was being dragged through the yard by a 95 lb. beast. Sure enough as soon as I regained control over myself and horse like dog we call a pet I heard it. It was them, the raccoons were scurrying and talking and doing whatever else raccoons do. It was painfully obvious that there was more than one raccoon, lots of chattering and lots of scurrying. Drew was already coming back today so I waited until this morning to call him and and give him bad news about the visitors. He said that Rascal was positively a boy raccoon and if there were babies and a mother raccoon upstairs then we just caught a raccoon that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Apparently, female raccoons will not allow their babies to be around male raccoons. Poor Rascal, he didn't mean to visit our backyard during raccoon catching season.

This time I was not worried about seeming neurotic or hateful, I politely requested that Drew climb into the attic find the darn raccoons. He did. We now have "eviction paste" in the attic to make mother raccoon and her babies evacuate the Hunt residence. Below is what Drew brought with him when he climbed down out of the attic this afternoon.

Yeh, so cute. Just wait til its destroying your attic.

Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I will hear this little guy's mother and siblings exiting my house and we can repair the hole they made as their doorway.

I did learn 2 very important lessons from the raccoons:

1. Don't count your raccoons before they hatch.

2. Never name a wild animal that you hope will later be taken away in a cage and destroyed, you'll just be sad when it actually happens.

On a happier note, Chevy and Elliot (Claire's dog) met this weekend

I think they are going to be best friends if Chevy learns that if he falls and lands on Elliot or tackles him, he will squish him!

Night!

I should be happy, right?

Just remember, I type like I talk. Lots of run-ons and probably many misspelled words and unpunctuated sentences. Forgive me.

Every time I leave my house something exciting happens. I went with some of my best girls to Market Square tonight to celebrate biscuits. I didn't eat any biscuits or see any biscuits but everyone else there was very excited about something called a "Biscuit Festival". I'm not sure where it happened because I did not see any sign of a biscuit, not one crumb...not a pat of butter, a drop of jelly, or any sign of a honey bear anywhere! We went to see Leanne Morgan at The Square Room. I had never seen/heard her before, she is a very southern, very funny, local comedian. http://www.leannemorgan.com/ She lives in Farragut with her family and tells funny stories about being a wife and a mom. We were by far the youngest people there but I think we were probably having the best time. Leanne has been on Paula Deen and Dr. Phil (maybe some other things, but those are the ones I know about). If you have a chance to see her GO!

Something very exciting happened while I was out. WE CAUGHT A RACCOON!!!!! Yes, that's right, I won't hear scratching in my sleep for much longer, we have a prisoner.I realize I should be very excited about this. I realize that this could be a wonderful sign...Drew my good buddy who came from TruTech to catch my little friend said that if we didn't catch a raccoon this weekend that it could a family of raccoons, in which case they would not be caught by traps but be evicted with "eviction paste" and simply run away. I didn't want the raccoons to just leave my house, because everything I have read says if they aren't caught they could come back. So you see I should be ecstatic about having a raccoon in a cage in my backyard until the end of the weekend.
Here's the thing...I LOVE animals! Ever since Sarah and I ventured to Athens, TN to bring home Chevy Hunt I have been in love with animals. I never really cared about them before. I had pets: Kelly the Calico Cat was MY cat from the time we brought her home from the pet store when I was 7 until I was 23 when my parents had to put her to sleep before vacation (that is a story in itself, remind me to tell you sometime); next there was Major, our Collie, who loved everyone he met and everyone he met loved him; Sadie is my parents current dog, a cockapoo, that understands almost everything we say and attempts to follow my mom everywhere she goes. Chevy is different, he is totally my responsibility, my job, my "child". He loves to hang out with Seth and won't let anyone near me he doesn't know, he is my protector and one of my best friends.

I received a text/photo from Seth while I was out to inform me that we had a prisoner in our backyard and we all cheered and got very excited about the unwanted visitor. When I got home I ran in the house, threw down my purse and darted outside to have a talk with this rodent. I told him/her all about how upset I was about him being there and how glad I was he was going to be gone, then I saw him shaking. He wasn't mean or hateful, he didn't bear his teeth or growl at me he just looked terrified. Then I cried. I apologized (yes, out loud to a raccoon) and felt very sad about the fate of our unwanted visitor. After all, he just needed a place to stay. Don't worry I'm not joining PETA or anything I just feel bad for little Rascal .

Drew will be back Monday to check for baby raccoons and to take everything he finds away. I think I'll tell him its OK if he lets Rascal live. I can't control what he does with him, but he did want to know if he found something what I wanted him to do. I honestly wanted all animals found in my attic destroyed upon sight, now I don't know.

O.K. so I wrote a book tonight, SORRY! I have one last piece of good news to share with you. Seth put the ceiling back together tonight!!!!! My husband is as handy as a pocket on a shirt, not only can he take apart the ceiling but he can put it back together AND look so cute at the same time.

Mexican, Carrie Bradshaw, and Raccoons

Last night was my first night of summer. I have been filling in for a summer assessment team member for a few days and hadn't really had a break, so I was very excited to kick off my summer by having dinner and going to a movie (Sex and the City 2) with Juliet. We went to my new MOST favorite mexican restaurant, Soccer Taco! We had a great time at dinner and then moved on to the movies. I had seen SATC2 on Sunday with a girl from work and her friends and to be honest I wasn't impressed, the movie was overly dramatic at times, slow and somewhat boring. I was really excited about the clothes and all the fun things Carrie and the girls might wear, so I was willing to see it again to examine the wardrobe and ignore the plot. I must tell you it is much better the second time. Anyway, we had a lovely girls night out and then I came home to find this...

Yes, that's the insulation from the attic and 2 holes in the ceiling in the sun-room. I asked Seth what in the world he is doing and he replied "there is something up there, I'm trying to get it out!!!!" Yep! We have a creature or 20 in the attic. To make a long a story longer we started banging on the overhang of the house with brooms at 11:30p.m. (I'm sure Joan and Campbell, the neighbors love us even more now) and the creatures started scampering and chatting to each other. I ran away covering my ears and screaming. It was raccoons, I don't like raccoons, they are mean, dirty and they carry many disgusting diseases that can be transferred to humans. We spent the next 3 hours walking around the house, banging on the ceiling with brooms in the dark listening to the little creatures chatter and run. I went to the bed at 3 a.m. with my 95 lb. puppy as protection.

This morning I phoned a place called TruTech and they sent a very kind young man named Drew and his truck loaded with traps and repellants to my house.

We now have these in our backyard...

Apparently raccoons LOVE marshmallows!

This weekend our homework is to check the traps and call him if we catch something. He will then come and pick it up. We do believe that there is a family of raccoons up there, in which case the traps won't work and Drew will then come back on Monday with something called "eviction paste" that will make the mother raccoon escort her babies one by one out of my home. We then will patch the hole they created in our house and pray she doesn't come back and find a new way in. I am rooting for the traps that will take this nasty animal go away from here and that Drew will send her and her family to raccoon heaven so she never comes to visit us again.

I'll let you know how it all works out.