Nuzzing*

Wildlife Adventures. There are times when living in the "country" can be an exciting undertaking.

Last night about 11 o'clock, I was hard at work on the manuscript (we're over 71,000 words now, thank you) when Little Bit stuck her head in the study and said, "Mom, McCartney is freaking out." So, I drag myself out of the chair and out to the deck to determine the source of the dog's anxiety. He's definitely agitated about something - running back and forth from the top corner of the deck down to the ground and back again, his attention riveted to something I can't see, barking his fool head off. I looked around, even moved the potted plant to see if there was a bug or something that he was trying to corner. Nope, nothing. So I go cautiously down the stairs - one at a time - and look around on the ground. Nothing there either. Then my attention is drawn to that corner of the deck that he's so furiously barking and whining at, and I see it. A rather small, furry ringed tail. Sir Barksalot has cornered himself a raccoon in the underpinnings of the deck.

Now, I don't know about you, but I've heard tell a raccoon can tear up a dog, and I didn't want to be a witness to that, so I went back up the steps lickety-split, grabbed the dog by the collar and dragged him inside. Once he was tucked safely away in his kennel-pen in the garage (still agitated as all get-out, of course), I did the only logical thing I could think of.

I shut off all the outside lights and came back to work on the book.

Well, for the love of Mike, what else was I supposed to do? That poor raccoon was probably petrified with fear - my dog is not a small dog, after all - and more than likely once he realized that the dog was shut up in the garage and everyone else was going to leave him alone, he high-tailed it the heck off my deck and back into the woods behind the house.

I'm still trying to figure out how the little bugger got up under the deck in the first place. Yes, I know they can climb, I'm not a blithering idiot. But there aren't any good sitting spots on the support beams in the decking floor - it's all flush. The little guy had to be wrapped around the post, clinging for dear life and wondering what possessed him to try to climb the thing in the first place. I don't know what he was doing - all I could see of him was the end of his tail.

Like I said, living in the country ... it's an endless source of entertainment.

July. This is going to be an exciting, busy month. Of course we're gearing up for the whole Harry Potter sensory overload, with Order of the Phoenix coming out on the 11th and the 7th book being released on the 21st. Besides all that, The Tall One and I have reservations at her college for freshman orientation on the 24th and 25th, and she turns 18 on the 30th. Eighteen. Whew, time flies when you're having fun ...

Oh, yeah, and our little country's got a birthday coming up, too. All three of my kids want to go see fireworks somewhere, and I'm such a horrid mother that I have no plans for them. They'll probably all go off with their friends, which is fine with me because the only fireworks I like to watch are the ones on TV. I love the lights and the pomp and circumstance and music and the visual of the whole thing - it's the noise and crowds I can't stand.

By the way, not one of you popped on with the answer to my trivia question from Saturday - I feel so unloved ;). But, I figure you were all busy this weekend, so I'm giving you another day to think about it. Post your guesses in the Comments section, and I'll give you the answer tomorrow.

In case you missed it (or are too lazy to scroll down the page a bit), here it is again ...

Only one actor has ever been awarded an Oscar for Best Actor in two consecutive years. Can you name him? For Bragging Rights, name the films for which he won the awards.

Monday morning. My very wise and powerful Wonder Twin once commented to me that I seem to work better when I follow a "non-routine". She is so right. I've tried all kinds of ways here recently to make the best use of my time, setting up a "schedule" to walk, work, write and do all the other things I have to do, but nothing structured ahead of time has worked thus far. Just jotting down a to-do list and then ticking away at it, bit by bit, seems to have generated more productivity from me than anything. So it's Monday morning, I'm getting ready to write up this week's list, the coffee is on, CD cued up, and I'm off and running.

Check in and let me know you're still out there, wouldja? And in the meantime, read a book. It's good for you.

=) JB


*Today's Trivia: "Nuzzing" is the sound a camel makes. [source: ArcaMax Trivia 07.02.07]