A Family Affair

I keep thinking, "I have to post about something other than the raccoons." Then, I go somewhere, like to an after-work reception for out-of-town visitors and people just want to talk about the raccoons.
Then, something else preposterously cute happens and...well....by popular demand: more baby raccoon photos.Yes, the dog has decided our little varmint visitors are not to be eaten. Indeed, for her they are a source of great amusement. To our amazement, she has been bringing toys and balls to them trying to convince them to play with her. While they don't grasp that concept, they are having a high time chasing her. The funniest part is, she lets them catch her. Since she's approximately thirty times their size, that's their only hope. They are gettting nimbler by the day, however. Oh, and maybe the most interesting development in this whole menagerie management escapade we have going on involves the family cat. Her disinterest in this whole enterprise has been steadfast until today. I guess she finally had to see what all the fuss is about, so she got out into the yard to hang back and observe.
To give you a little insight into the personality of our dog, the pink wading pool you see is hers. Once the temperature reaches about 70 degrees, she basically demands it. She lies flat in the pool and uses it to wash her toys. That's raccoon-like in a way, I guess. Maybe they're meant for each other.The dog and the cat are best friends, so who can blame the little black & white furball if she's jealous of this budding interspecies love affair?It appears there's plenty of infatuation to go around. Pretty soon, the raccoon kids be able to outrun the dog. At that point, we expect the cat to sit back smugly as if to say "Don't come cryin' to me."

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The White Hot Spotlight of Celebrity

The baby raccoons are on the brink of going commercial. Legendary Shreveport photographer Neil Johnson saw them here or elsewhere on the web and got all charged up. Neil struck gold, (or, more accurately...purple) when he photographed a baby armadillo on a white backdrop. That session begat "Purple Felton," an image which has been used in myriad advertising media around town.
So, when Neil saw our raccoons, the lightbulb over his creative head came on and he thought, "friends for Felton!" So, he reached out and did his best not to beg us to bring the raccoons to his studio.
Happy to have our little friends immortalized by a professional, we packed them up and hauled them downtown, where they were forced into the light. For a raccoon, this can be disconcerting, particularly if he's only about three weeks old.
Neil gamely fired off a few frames, but was disappointed because his new masked models just aren't quite ready for prime time. They couldn't stand for more than a few seconds and their fur is still kind of spriggly.
So, Neil is trying not to beg us to hang onto them just a little longer so they can get where he wants them to be.
Maybe they need an agent.
Maybe my wife needs an agent. To say she has been the primary caregiver to the raccoons would be unfair. She's been the exclusive source of nutrition and research. Don't let her kid you, though. She's really into it. With the children hardly around anymore, she needs something to take care of. her background as a neonatal nurse seems to be helpful in this endeavor. Think about it: the first decade of her career was spent caring for struggling newborns. I recognize that look on her face.
Maybe she can be to the raccoons what Billy Ray Cyrus has been to his daughter Miley. I guess we should change their names from Cory and Topanga to Hannah and Montana.

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