Since I’m offering twofer deals for Tuesday, here’s another one for you.

These little marauders scared the bejesus out of me the other night.  I stood quietly on the patio lost in thought, basically letting my worries be carried away on the breeze, and suddenly these little bandits rushed right up to the fence where I was standing.  I moved quietly to get the camera turned on and aimed (quite difficult in the dark, I might add).  In the meantime, they rummaged and foraged about.  The moment the flash went off, however, they turned and scampered around the corner as though I had struck them both.

Some of the local raccoons don’t worry about me.  I don’t mess with them and they don’t mess with me, although I do beat a hasty retreat if they choose to climb the fence onto the patio.  Otherwise, they show some curiosity and will check me out in their own ways, and I in my ways will watch them with the utter fascination of a child.

These two, on the other hand, are obviously new in the neighborhood and had no idea what hit them when the area lit up like a lightning strike.  It was somewhat funny to see them turn tail and run like that.  Telling them it was only light and wouldn’t hurt them didn’t seem to help.

[two raccoons (Procyon lotor)]