The RACCOON Adventures of a SAHM (Stay at Home Mom)

WHAT a CRAZY 24 hours! (lots of detail-maybe too much....oh well we need this documented!)

It all started Wednesday night. I was being a good mom. I was downstairs reading a story to the girls before bedtime. (We wanted to finished Junie B Jones is (almost) a Flower Girl. We were on Chapter 8 out of 9. I love those stories) I heard a sound. Um-that is not a normal sound. There is something-somewhere~an animal or what.....scratching.....something.

We got Jimmy downstairs and the search began.

Conclusion: Jimmy climbed on the roof, shined a light down he three holes of the chimney and discovered a RACCOON. The kids got upset & scared but it was exciting but "Ashley said a little prayer so its okay." (Charlie held about 3 stuffed animals for comfort). We concluded the raccoon couldn't get in the house and we would call animal control in the morning and figure out what to do then.

So Jimmy & I both updated our Facebook status.....lots of feedback came from our friends.

Everyone slept fine. Woke up Thursday-I went to aerobics @ the church. Jimmy goes to work. Get kids up and fed and Ashley off to school-business as usual. This morning I needed to go into Ashley's class to volunteer. Charlie to morning preschool. Sarah (who didn't have school due to Kindergarten testing) went to go read to Great Grandma B.

Ashley's teacher heard of our drama----she recommended to call animal control-totally against what FB friends said.

10am I made the call to Animal Control. Ashley @ dispatch was helpful. A phone conversation with her lead to many suggestions and she was pleasant to talk to. Then she put me on hold. She asked a nice officer to come out after he completed a peacock rescue.

I climbed up on the roof to make sure the raccoon was still in there. I had a light on my head, camera, cell phone and tape measure. Essentials! I didn't fall off and no raccoon came flying out at me. I measured the chimney tops so covers could be made. Here are my pictures.

The one at the bottom of the picture was the lucky hole. That hole vented the hot water heater and the heater. It went to the bottom of the basement and had a little clean out door inside our laundry room (behind the brick fireplace downstairs). The other two are for the fire places.

See the shinny eyes----that's the raccoon! Its still there. (and again-it didn't fly out & get me-which was honestly my fear).

So we waited for the Davis County Animal Control to come.

The officer arrived. I showed Officer N.F. some things. He did some 'research too'. He opened the little green door where we knew the raccoon was.
The Good News-He could see the raccoon.
The Bad News:

BABIES!
FIVE!

Officer N.F. thought he could open the door, poke mom with some 'medicine', then get her out and babies out.

NOT SO EASY.
When he tried to poke mom. She left her babies & climbed up a foot or two. So not knowing if she would crawl out, he called for back-up.

The TOOLS.




Officer B was at the bottom, while Officer N.F. was at the top-trying to get mom to go up or down. Babies were taken out & put in a box/cage thing.

It had stopped raining so I took the kids outside so we could watch & have room to play . Here are the kids watching with Officer N.F. on the roof. (We didn't see him up there......He is not suppose to go on roofs)

Mom raccoon was not cooperating. Officer N.F. almost had her to the top of the chimney. He tried to get the noose around his neck but it slipped off. He was close a few times.

Oh-while all this was happening, I had to text & call & facebook post.......it was exciting!

I went down into the laundry room & they said I could see the babies. Officer N.F. gave me a glove and told me to hold the baby. EWW! It squirmed.....ya little critter-you are not welcome here.....

FINALLY-they were able to poke mom & she came down. SpEcIaL medicine!

Both officers came out & showed the kids the babies.

Don't you LOVE the pink gloves Officer B (a female) had!

The babies were about a MONTH OLD! WHAT!
My kids didn't want to touch the baby, but B (a boy I babysit during the day) would.

Sophie was interested from a distance.

Here is the proud mom 'sleeping'

EWW!
EWW!

Check out those teeth.

EWW!

Well done Davis County Animal Control! THANKS!

My nerves FINALLY settled after a CRAZY afternoon! AHH!

The covers for the chimney still need to be put on. Friday.

OH-Officer N.F. had some leftover peacock feathers in his truck (from his earlier call) & left them for the kids. Nice huh! A souvenir!

What was your favorite part of my adventure?