Beacon

Wow, big news on my end. My sister had her second accident in six months, both the result of a seizure while driving. This one was defined as such by the doctors, so she has lost her driving privledges for 6 months. I feel so bad for her, not to mention my mom, who relied on Sal for all her transport needs. So, they'll be seeing more of me for at least a half a year. I hope they're prepared!

This has created lots of questions for all of us, so the title is fitting. Truly, the only thing to do, though, is to stay on course and get through this period.
This pic is of my new model reproduction of a Fresnel lens, which was designed for use in lighthouses. I'm so excited to get it, and hope to display it in a Michigan-themed garden that my brain is still developing. In looking for it, I learned that you can buy full-size, operating reproduction lenses, too; all it takes is $20K and a lighthouse to hold it.
I'm hoping for a less-eventful immediate future.



 

Raccoons

I have critter drama right now. It's my own fault, too. There's a gap between my roof and the outside walls just under the eaves for 15 or 20 feet on one side of my house. Butch had cut eleven boards to fit perfectly between the rafters, but I took them down to paint. And didn't put them back . .

When I checked out the noises in my attic, I saw two raccoons, so I called Critter Chasers. They came while I was at work, but they set some traps and told my roommate they didn't see any in the attic. But, when I started replacing the boards, tucking insulation behind a board, mama started growling and babies started crying. Uh, oh.
There were five of them, which the guys used as bait to try to trap mama. It didn't work; she tried to get them, but not from the inside of the cage. It wasn't pretty.
The babies are gone, but mama is still around, so I removed a board and sat up vigil the other night. Since they come out at night, I decided to postition the car in a place I could watch the hole, and just watch from the dark car. I was going to replace the board as soon as she came out and scurried off for her nighttime foraging in the woods.
She popped her head out not 60 seconds after my roommate shut the garage door and went in the house. It was really cute; she was upside down, hanging from the eave, occasionally looking from left to right. I was so lucky it happend so quickly. Now, just to wait for her to leave.
I couldn't see so well in the dark, but I was able to catch the movement of her head, looking from side to side, still hanging from the eave. So, I waited. And waited. In the cold, dark car. I grabbed a balnket from the back seat when I got cold, and she still hung there, immobile except for her occasional glance from side to side. What the hell?
After 90 minutes (!), I went back to the attic access and tried banging around to scare her out. I don't know if it worked, but I replaced the board and haven't heard anything. It's been three days. But, I'm betting she's still up there, waiting for me to try again.
Sigh.