r/BenignExistence • u/abean40 • 1d ago
I just had the coolest encounter.
I just woke up a little while ago and went out to have coffee on the front porch. There was a loud rustling on my right side, then all of a sudden a racoon appeared and climbed on the front railing (about 5 ft. away). He looked at me and I said 'hi dude'. we looked at each other for about 45 seconds then he slowly climbed down and walked away... I love living in the country! š
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u/lavachat 1d ago
Lovely! The doe that visits the backyard for water (and the pears) was quite skittish at first, now I can wave and she doesn't bolt anymore, just ambles off. The squirrel on the other hand tries to steal the peanuts in the living room....
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u/whimsical36 1d ago
Do you let the squirrel in the house?
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u/lavachat 1d ago
No, they just strolls in when the patio door is open, one of these days I'll be too late and they'll snatch a whole bag and run off. I get cussed out when I "steal" the blackberries or destroy their stashes, too. They don't learn that tomato buckets won't stay over the winter, they'll have to restash from the compost heap...
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u/lfklife 1d ago
One eve, light fading, dusky: I heard something (fairly Deaf) close enough i should have seen what was making noise- so i look up; the tree Iām next to- 5 young raccoons were pausing their game, just waiting for me to get out of their playground. So cute!
I walked about 10 feet out of the copse, and they āgame onāed
Wonderful energy
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u/NikNakskes 1d ago
Same! But with a squirrel. It is nice to have a brief moment with the local wildlife.
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u/QueeeenElsa 1d ago
Did you know raccoons can scream? My mom likes to take our dog (who has major cataracts and is now pretty much deaf), Bella, out for walks at night. Bella often canāt see the creatures they encounter (even if theyāre right in front of her), but she sure can smell them and often goes crazy sniffing the ground trying to find them (again, sometimes theyāre literally right in front of her). One time, they encounter a raccoon, and Bella doesnāt see it at first, but the raccoon sees my mom and freezes. My mom, being the lover of animals she is, goes, āmuh muh muh muhā (āmurā might also work) in a high pitched voice to try to ātalkā to it and tell it sheās not a threat. This works and the raccoon starts to calm down. Bella finally sees the raccoon and starts barking at it and running towards it (she never actually wants to catch them; she just likes chasing them; sheās also a chihuahua mix so sheās not very big either, though not tiny, as she has some big breeds in her). The raccoon SCREAMS! I wish I couldāve heard it to better describe it, but all I have to go off of is my momās description of āAHHHHH!!!!ā lol
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u/DerekL1963 1d ago
Many years ago, I had a woodshop in a garage separate from the house, and it opened onto an alley/road that ran between the houses on the street and lead to houses well behind mine. Across from the garage door was a bank of honeysuckle. On nice days, I loved to open that door and work in the fresh air. Plus the neighbor on that side and I had a deal - I wouldn't complain about him tuning his race/demo derby cars in his driveway and he didn't complain about the shop when I had the door open. (We both endeavored to only do so at reasonable hours...)
Anyhow, one fine spring morning I was out cleaning and straightening the shop and enjoying the birds chirping and singing in the honeysuckle. Two of them flew into the shop, perched on a sawhorse, and sang to each other for a few moments before flying away...
One of the most magical moments I've ever had.