its a cute story, i like it alot Cam:)

Yep, heard a little on yesterday and scared off the Mom today. The Mom is getting pretty pig, I would suggest she is about 40+ pounds.

Since they never came back, it would be safe to say that Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott would say, "I transported the whole kit and kaboodle into their engine room where they'll be no tribble at all!"

The family room is beginning to stink as well as there are flies in the house. I have killed 4 flies in the last 3 days; great big flies, the size of bees. I normally don't draw flies until mid summer, so I am guessing that there is something not so sweet in the fireplace. But I am not sure that the smell is from fecal material, it doesn't have that strong amonia smell, but that of an old package of ground beef. So it may be the little one, or some left over feces, but a little surprised that it has taken about 2 ½ weeks since the last time I heard the ruckass.

Though we can co-exist with animals, this has been a prime example why we should not enter their world. Sure we want to be friendly, but just like us not understanding their rules, they don't understand ours.

May good luck with those little cuties. They might come back next winter. So get ready for more pups. :D

The raccoons are no wear to be found, though they did leave some souvenirs which will need to be cleaned up. Hopefully everything is alright with them, but I have not heard anything from the little one after the first week. I was expecting them to hang around for upwards of 6 weeks, but my guess is that the little one passed away. Unfortunately, wild animals don't have the luxuries as us humans and since many of them eat other animals, my guess is that the other one became anothers' meal.

A big pile of turds.

Well, 1 week has passed and noticed that yesterday (Sunday) I did not hear a peep; I did hear and see Mom, but nothing from the little ones. Unfortuantely, the mortality rate for wild animals is extremely high, I guess that is why they have litters so hopefully one or two will survive. But that is how things go, no reason to be upset if things didn't work out, Mom will have a chance to breed again; raccoons tend to live 4 to 6 years leaving at least 3 breeding seasons for them.

A quick summation of day concludes that no much went on. Mom has been going out and getting food, so it sounds, but they're so stealthy that it's hard to tell; and I'm not gonna stick my head in there to find out. After about 10:30 or so the little ones are very loud, almost blocking out the TV, but other than that not much.

I was thinking that there were 2 or 3 little ones but I tend to hear only one at a time, so it is possible that there was only one to begin with, or maybe only one is left, and hopefully they sound the same and don't interrupt each other!

The little sqweaks have now become a bit louder, but what's really neat is that as I move towards the fireplace they get quite; as if Mom is telling them to button it up.

But I have been think of ways to get them out of there in a week or two. Don't want to, but they are wild and need to be in nature, not in a fireplace listening to the TV and stinking up the place.

See, most people don't realize that humans and animals can co-exist, you just have to play by their rules for it to happen; or they do get wild. But in any circumstance in nature (except for carnivores, such as big cats), we are pretty safe if we don't scare or threaten them. Think of them as a big football player, meaning don't say anything, don't move fast, don't look them in the eye, don't show your teeth, and walk slowly the other way.

After a rough first night, their second night wasn't too bad; though they're getting quite boistrous. I am guessing that there are about 3 of them, though I am not going to look. But a huge problem is arising and that is a fireplace is no place for a wild animal to live. Now if the weather is real cold outside, it is understandable that they seek any sort of shelter. But wild animals are wild and it's not healthy for humans or animals to be cooped up in the fireplace.

Animals and humans can co-exist, you just need to respect them and not treat them as the family pet. Wild animals are wild but if you don't startle or threaten them they can go about their business and we can continue to enjoy them.