Mysterious Marauders

We enjoy our back yard so much,  having lunch outside nearly every day, relaxing in the shade and coolness under the shady trees, or sitting by the pond watching the goldfish swish and swirl around the water plants.  Last week in preparation for watering that day, John came inside while I was getting ready for work and told me to go look at the pond. Puzzled I asked if the fish were still alive.  "Just go look at the pond," he responded. When I got out to the pond, I was astonished at the destruction before me.  Nearly every water hyacinth was decimated, chewed and strewn around the pond, the water grass shredded and limp in the water, but the fish were fine.

We considered the cause of this spiteful event.  We have too many squirrels in the area, and they insist on chewing the bark off the tree that provides the main shade in the center of the yard.  John has a live trap that he uses to relocate these destructive animals to rural areas. However, squirrels have never damaged anything other than the tree, but they were the first suspects.  Since the damage was in the pond, raccoons came to mind, but all of the fish were fine, so we dismissed that idea.  At lunch that day, a rabbit popped in through a space at the back gate.  Even though we were talking and very close, the rabbit calmly hopped around nibbling on various plants. Surprised at his boldness, we thought he might be the culprit.  John coaxed and directed the rabbit out of the yard through the spot the unwanted visitor had entered and then he blocked up that entry. We hoped that this was our culprit and the problem was solved.

Several nights later about one in the morning through the open window by our bed, I heard strange noises.  I told John to go look out the back door so when I turned on the light he could see what was out there.  The high-powered backyard light exposed the intruders--four raccoons, three large ones and one super-sized one. They looked curiously at the house, but did not scamper away.  John hollered at them and they ambled over the fence and away.  Agitated but enlightened to the real culprits of our backyard destruction, we turned off the light and went back to bed.  About half an hour later, I heard the noises again.  I jumped out of bed, switched on the back light to see the coons wrestling and tumbling in the grass having a delightful time.  Angrily, I threw open the door and charged out barefooted in my nightgown to make sure they left my yard.  Three full-size raccoons scampered over the fence.  The fourth and largest one paused at the base of the tree by the pond looking up as if to use that escape route, but decided that would take too much effort to climb, so she ambled to the back corner hoping to hide in the bushes.  I was having none of that and kept after her scolding and insisting she leave the yard.

Getting back to sleep proved elusive that night as I breathed deeply to slow down my heart beat and indignation.  I continued to listen for any more indication of the coons' return but heard none. Since that night, the days and nights have been rainy and stormy with no further indication of coons.  I certainly do not want those raccoons to decide our yard is their playground.  The pond still has all of our fish even though the plants no longer provide them cover.  We wait to see if this story is concluded or not.  I certainly hope so!

Cabela's and Ikea

We were considering what to do with our three-day weekend, and I suggested we visit the newly opened Cabela's in Denver (we missed the grand opening several weeks ago), and since Ikea had been open over a year and we had not made it there yet, this seemed like a win-win situation for both of us.  So with that  plan and we headed off to Denver.

  John had a knife he had been looking at in the Cabela's catalog that he wanted to see.  Unfortunately, the south Cabela's did not have it in-store, but we did see a friend from my husband's home community in the southern part of the state and enjoyed catching up with them.  The amazing animals and fish on display in the store are much like a natural history museum emphasizing God's amazing creations.  I did not really know what to expect from Ikea other than advertisements I had seen in magazines, and people warned me that it could take all day.  The huge store with arrows on the floor from one section to another made me feel like a rat in a maze, and the volume of merchandise flooded me with sensory overload.  I might want to go back at some point, but for now it is a "been there, done that" experience.

As we headed home northbound, we were so thankful not to be in the lengthy traffic crawl on the southbound lanes.  With time to spare, we decided to stop at the north Cabela's.  Though a smaller store, the knife he wanted to see was on display and this provided additional information to consider. We got home in time to watch a college football game and see Todd Helton hit the 2500th hit of his career. It was a lovely day and we were both happy.

As I think about this day and the fact that we will soon celebrate our 42nd anniversary, I realize that days like this make for a happy marriage.  We can have very different interests and yet enjoy sharing what the other enjoys.  Mostly, we enjoy being together, and we plan to continue that for as long as the Lord allows!