I was doing morning exercises when neighbor Cindy called me on the phone. She said a raccoon with distemper was wandering around her yard, and she wanted to let me know not to walk near her house. Hers is the closest to the stop sign. I really appreciated that, because I would have had no idea that danger was lurking there. She said she hadn’t noticed my walking, but she knew I often passed by. I looked it up, and I’ve walked in front of her house 17 times this month.
As Cindy talked, I heard her two dogs barking. She interrupted herself to say a car had just hit the ‘coon, and it was lying in the road. I really appreciated her thinking to warn me.
I told Joyce about the danger before she came out to walk with me. We went a few steps beyond the RV park before turning back. We could see nothing on the road. Either the animal was able to drag itself off, or someone removed the body. In any case, we got home without incident. I’ve lived here almost 12 years and have never been so aware of wildlife threatening us. I’m glad I haven’t seen the bear from yesterday. I realize humans are intruding on the animals’ territory. I would apologize to them if I could, but meanwhile I’ll stay out of their way.
Mehrling Muse 
So great to have neighbors like that.
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Wildlife is getting less and less common here. I presume it is because so many trees were lost. I saw a wild turkey a few days ago, but that is the first critter in quite a while! Keep your eyes peeled for that bear!
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I’m looking for the bear.
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It’s great that the neighbors look out for each other.
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I have the best neighbors in the world.
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I love how your neighbours keep an eye out for each other in your community. I think that is the second sick racoon in the neighbourhood. Oh dear. xo
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They had the same disease.
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Thank goodness she warned you before the poor thing got run over! I hope it was put out of its misery.
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Surely that raccoon is dead by now.
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Good thing you knew in advance – poor raccoon! So that first raccoon spread its distemper virus/germs around then. That is really awful. Yesterday I saw a post on social media about a black bear up in a tree in a residential neighborhood in Albany, New York. The bear was munching leaves, so they got some wildlife experts in to deal with it. They shot a tranquilizer into the bear, aiming from the ground. It fell onto the branch below and was hanging there until the shot took effect fully and it just fell down. There had to have been 10 guys holding a net taut to catch it when it fell. It wasn’t injured in the fall and they put it into a truck and released it in the woods later and showed that video as well. Yes, we tear down their territory, so they have nowhere to go now.
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ugh
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We have large crows called grackles. They are huge and they invaded the bird bath bringing dead chicken mean, bread and other things. This is the first year this has happened. On the other hand, no alligators invading as we are not near a lake or pond.
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What an invasion!! I often saw grackles on Long Island, but I didn’t know they could be so nasty.
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Oh, yeah…they are. I am thinking of writing a blog about their invasion. They scared the little pug. I don’t care for them.
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I find grackles ugly and useless.
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You are not alone!
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Glad everyone is safe. Poor raccoon, at least it is out of its misery now.
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