Adventures in Cottage Land

Adventures in Cottage Land

We had a visitor at the cottage and not one that we expected. Every time we went up to the cottage there would be odd noises, the hummingbird feeders would be knocked down and we thought we heard a meowing of a kitten. The possible culprits could be a skunk, a raccoon, porcupine or something more insidious. It all came together one night when from under the cottage a banging sound started, not all time, just a random scurrying and the occasional bang. Stepping out into the cool air with flashlights and a fearless dog in tow we looked around to see if we could spot the intruder. There wasn’t the distinctive odor of skunk but we didn’t want to rule it out. Lincoln has tried to play with the stinky kitty a couple of times and I wasn’t looking forward to getting out the bathing implements. Finding nothing we went back to the coziness of the living room. Sometime later I decided to check my phone messages, which means I have to find that sweet spot for phone reception. I ended up by the boathouse with a weak signal. I heard an explosion, looked across the lake and saw fireworks being set off. The calmness of the lake reflecting the brilliance of each burst of colour created a beautiful fiery painting in the sky. I had to run up to the cottage so my nephew Kevin and my Dad could see the fireworks. Once down at the lake I realized that Lincoln was there. This is the Border Collie that is afraid of thunderstorms. I figured that if I blocked him in the boathouse and held him he would be ok for the few fireworks. It’s hard to admit when your wrong and boy did I learned my lesson. Lincoln ran up the steps with me in hot pursuit. I ran yelling his name following him past the cottage. Lincoln headed up towards the outhouse. All my commands were seemingly not taking affect. So there I am flashlight in hand screaming “Lincoln come!!! Get over here now” just to hear him go further out into the woods. My heart was pounding, I couldn’t see him. I would hear him rustling around through the leaves and he appeared far out in the woods. My yelling alerted Kevin and he started looking for Lincoln. Kevin’s flashlight illuminated the dog as Lincoln rounded the corner of one of the cabins. I guess Lincoln had to use the outdoor facilities to relieve a nervous tummy. I missed the rest of the fireworks but at least Lincoln was safe. We laughed about how sound carries over the lake and how the people doing the fireworks heard me screaming. The four of us settled in to watch a bit of TV and relax. Sometime later we heard a loud metal banging in the boathouse. To clarify the boathouse houses everything but boats. It is used for storage, home to many odd tools, swim floats and goggles, paints, part of ball return from a bowling alley and many lawnmowers. Arming ourselves with flashlights and baseball bats we headed down the stone steps towards the lake and the boathouse. Lincoln would not be accompanying us on this mission after his last excursion into the woods. There was no noise anywhere, an eerie void where our voices seemed too loud. A classic horror film moment. While Kevin and my Dad checked out the inside of the boathouse I went around to the other side. In the boathouse there was a couple of tins knocked over but no sign of the intruder. I called out to say that I had found something. There by a tree was the culprit of all the strange noises, his eyes lit blue by the flashlight. A raccoon. I banged the baseball bat against a metal drum and he scurried up a tree. With all of us now by the treed raccoon it was agreed that it was time to quit and go back into the cottage. Strategies will have to be decided on if the raccoon takes up residence here.