At it again!

This morning, I sadly had to escort dear, old Ezzy to her pen. She did not want to be cooped up but out of necessity, it was for her own good. While I was making a run to the Post Office to ship a few gourds out of state, she would be much safer than if left to roam. I always have feelings of guilt whenever I have to leave her for any length of time but this was just to be for less than an hour. Into the pen she went and off I went to post my packages! Less than an hour later, I returned to see her standing on the steps barking like a crazy dog! Two things crossed my mind in a flash...one: just what had her so upset...and the big two: how in the world did she get out of her pen???? The second one became apparent first! The gate to the dog pen was wide open! I admit that I just looped the rope latch over the fence post but my, goodness!...this dog was smart! Obviously, she had tugged on the rope enough to loosen the latch and free herself.

The first thought took a bit more of pondering. After much coaxing on my part, she finally dropped her baseball and headed down toward the marsh edge. Ahhh..the little wild persimmon tree again! She stood looking skyward but was no longer barking in a maniacal frenzy. Actually, she appeared to be gazing lovingly at the treetop! I knew that stare had nothing to do with my tiny wild persimmons but wondered just what had her so enamored. Ok...I was hooked..down to the Bayou edge I hobbled. I grumbled something about putting more stress on an already sore knee but curiosity got the best of me.

I stared at the top of the tree just to see two eyes staring right back at me! There in the top of the little tree was a very small raccoon. The little fellow had no fear of the big galoot of a dog and the lame, little old lady. The appearance of such an unlikely pair seemed to be a tad entertaining to the coon as it kept shifting positions to get a better view of us!

The little critter would grab a persimmon, lumber to better position and then settle in to watching us. Hey..the couch potato of the raccoon world! I guess the sideshow being staged by a dog and its owner was as good as any television show! This was a reality show at its best with the focus being on the "real" part! Ezzy and I watched for a while as the raccoon ate about two dozen of my sweet fruits but there was not a lot I could do about shooing it from the treetop. Not to mention, that I probably would have just let it eat anyway!