Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you have a very good day.
Ok, I don't normally write about personal friends in my blog, but today I'm making an exception. That's because I can't write about raccoons without telling you about Randy. He and I grew up together along the Tagaloo River that runs right through the Tallulah Gorge in North Georgia. I always told him he looks like a thief, since God made him with black fur around his eyes that look for all the world like a mask. He just grins at me like maybe he is a thief, but isn't about to tell me.
Anyway, Randy used to take me to the river to show my how he catches crawfish. He finds them in crevices between river rocks, and he puts his little finger right over their heads and teases them with it. As soon as they bite him on the finger with their pincher, which they hold together tightly I guess to cause him more pain, he simply lifts his hand up and the poor crawfish doesn't know enough to let go, so up it comes right into Randy's mouth.
But the one thing that gets Randy into trouble is his curiosity. He climbs up on people's decks to see what's up there; he will go into their garages just to turn everything over to see what's inside; he looks under piles of trash in hopes he can find something to eat; and the worst habit he has is to climb into big garbage cans in people's driveways.
One time when my brothers and I were busy digging up rutabagas in Farmer Early's garden, we heard a tremendous racket in the metal can that holds the chicken feed. We went over to investigate and from inside the can we heard Randy calling out for us to help him. He had climbed up on the side of the can, and when he looked over the edge to see what was inside, he fell in. Well, normally this wouldn't have been a problem, as he could easily climb out. But this time the lid of the can had closed down just as Randy fell in, and the latch holding the lid down snapped shut, locking Randy inside.
We went over and talked to Randy for a while, telling him how he needed to be more careful, and pointing out to him that his curiosity was going to get him into real trouble some day, but we could tell we might as well have been talking to the empty can, as Randy didn't seem to be listening. He was so worried Farmer Early would trap him when he found out he was in the can, and then send him away to the zoo, or something, that he just kept saying "let me out, let me out, let me out..." . So we went ahead and unlatched the lid, and out him came.
You know what, he didn't even stop to thank us -- he just scurried off into the woods probably to get into more mischief. Next time we might just leave him in the can.
The reason I'm telling you all this is because, unlike Randy, you need to be careful when your curiosity takes you into situations that might be dangerous. When that happens you need to stop and then ask someone else if what you think you want to do would be a good thing, or not. It might save you from finding yourself locked in a chicken feed can.
Keep your chin up
Robert P. Rabbit