Now I won’t pretend like I didn’t spend quite a bit of time at the Liberty House before she was actually mine, but they were short (and cold) spurts of time where I was usually simultaneously planning my future projects and sticking pins in a voodoo doll in the shape of an appraiser.
With the record highs we’re experiencing with the weather and the fact that I’m at the Liberty House almost all of the hours I’m not working or sleeping, well, you could say we’re getting to know each other a little better these days. It seems like almost every time I walk the property I find something new and a little surprising. Sometimes it’s fun, like this…
Oh, you don’t know what I’m pointing at in my bigass pole barn? That, my friends, is a raccoon butt.
His name is Ricky. He enjoys long naps in the afternoon…
And basically any time of day.
My mom thinks I should let him stay because clearly she’s never actually encountered a raccoon that isn’t passed out 20 feet above her head. I have, and I’m not looking to repeat the experience, so I’ll be safely relocating him soon.
While digging through my rubble treasure pile I also found no less than three wheelbarrows, one of which still works, and two that can be easily fixed up. Because a girl can never have too many wheelbarrows.
For example, you never know when you’re going to be walking around your property and stumble upon what appears to be a small landfill.
So, I’m going to have to clear some of the actual junk out of there before covering over the C&DD. And now I have 3 wheelbarrows to help with the job. Look at me finding that silver lining.
I also was slightly surprised, not only by finding this skull, but by the fact that I have no problem touching what is essentially the inside of some creature’s head.
However, when it came to opening the oven and finding a tray of god-knows-how-old bacon inside… I basically had to wrap my entire arm in a plastic bag to be okay touching that tray.
So that’s apparently my own personal line in the sand regarding things that make me want to gag. And don’t even get me started on the little surprise we found in the bottom drawer of the fridge.
I’m finding it very lucky that this house didn’t stink at all, because… ugh.
Big thanks go out to my mother who spent an entire weekend decontaminating the kitchen while I sanded the crap out of my floors.
I’m sure these won’t be the last surprises the Liberty House dishes up, and I’m just hoping the rest of them don’t involve decomposing food. Or bodies. Anything else, I can probably handle.
15 Responses
You should talk to Joe about his pet raccoons. I think one bit him. Or, that could have been the squirrel he was feeding and ran out of nuts.
Just be careful when relocating that racoon- in your area there’s a rabies serovar specific to them. A bite will land you a nice round of PEP: lots and lots of shots (and they’re not cheap either).
Ricky’s cute! However, he needs to go find Lucy’s house! I think you’re going to have years of treasure hunting at The Liberty House and that’s some cool treasure. I totally get the line – the skull fascinated me and the kitchen stuff…yeah the pics made me want to gag. I think we’re totally normal.
Be aware that raccoon poop is also highly dangerous to humans (I can’t remember why, specifically, just that you are not supposed to handle it without lung and skin protection). That being said, they are cute to look at from a distance.
That landfill looks like it really wants to be a POND!
Ahhhh, they’re so cute when they are sleeping 🙂
DecomposED animals are not equal to decomposING foods. I totally get you. And I’m so jealous about the wheelbarrows. Believe it or not, I do not even own ONE wheelbarrow. How crazy is that? Good luck on moving the coon. You’ve had your shots, right?
I don’t even know what to think of the raccoon sleeping through people walking below it! I do know the old food looks disgusting! OMG celery is not supposed to be brown and poka-dotted.
If you don’t already know this, I will tell you that raccoons are bad news. They like to nest inside roofs and such, and they are VERY destructive. We actually had one of those here in San Diego. From time to time I would hear something on the roof at night, but it was always in the middle of the night after we went to sleep. One night it happened while we were still awake. My wife called my attention to it, and I grabbed the flashlight and ran outside. If I had not seen it with my own eyes I never would have believed that we had a raccoon on the roof! We do NOT live on the outskirts of the city. I called a guy the next day to handle the problem; he inspected and told me that the thing had not gotten into the attic. Since then, no more raccoon, so I suppose we scared him away. But that’s when I found out how destructive they are, by going online. The guy I called, had he seen the raccoon still hanging around, would have trapped him and removed him; he would not have killed him. I have to believe the same kind of service is available in your area. But get one of them to do the job. They look cute, but they’re big, and they’re mean, and their bite means business.
You can contact the Wildlife Division of the USDA and if your county participates they will come and remove the raccoon for free. You could try tipping the guy but I don’t think they accept tips. Good luck with Ricky.
Federal employees can’t accept tips 🙂
Um, I guess I missed how freaking ENORMOUS your barn is! Holy crap, you’ve got to get a big-ass tractor to go in there.
You shouldn’t advertise about the relocating of the Raccoon. In most states it is illegal for you to transport a wild animal. Raccoon can have a very large territory, so you will need to take it really far away (more than 20 miles).
Personally I enjoy having Raccoons around my place. If you keep them around, seal up all the buildings so they can’t get in.
Ricky is adorable 🙂 But I know they cause a lot of problems 🙁 Hopefully he can find a better home. At least he’s sleeping during the day which is a good sign.
Could be worse. Could be stick on fingernails a la Ugly Ducking….
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