We are enjoying watching the antics of a Mama Raccoon and her 7 babies. Yes, 7. I had thought that raccoon litters were of 4 but this Mama has 7. Anyway, JMM puts a small pile of dog chow on the back porch and we watch as Mama and the babies cautiously come out of the bushes and feed and play. But the most darling thing was when he put out a shallow tub of water. Mama wasted no time in scurrying over and climbing in followed by all 7 littles. Soon Mama climbed out followed by 7 very wet and much cooler littles.
Can’t have a post in summertime Texas without mentioning the HEAT! Temperatures are around the 95-100 degree mark daily and we very much need rain. No tropical developments so far but the water in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean are well above normal which doesn’t bode well for August and September. We shall see.
I’ve been helping one of my nieces and it is teaching me so much about living in poverty and how incredibly difficult even little things are. We live in Texas where public transportation is virtually nonexistent if you don’t live in a major metropolitan area. Add on to that the fact that she has a significant physical disability and a young child and you can see that having a reliable vehicle is not a luxury but a necessity. She has an old car for which she has not had the money to do the routine maintenance. Texas requires a safety inspection each year to get your license plate renewed. No safety inspection, no insurance—>no yearly license sticker—>big fine for driving such a vehicle. So I am helping her get the car in shape to pass the inspection which is due next month. Fortunately, we know a reliable mechanic. Not being of a mechanical bent myself, I won’t even try to list what all needs to be done—>but it comes to over $700. We did the first part of the work yesterday and will space it out so that all the work will be finished before the end of July and she can get the safety inspection and the license sticker if she has insurance which I won’t even deal with. Next time, I’ll tell you about her phone problems. Enough for now. Poverty is not for the faint of heart.
3 comments:
Hello,
It is so nice you niece has you helping her out and fixing up her car.
I just love the photo of the tree! I hear about the hot weather, I hope you are staying cool.
Take care, have a great day!
Thank you for caring for the possums. We have had them here in central California, but have not seen any this year. They always come and eat the cat food and use the water bowls to clean their faces and feet. I have seen the evidence of that occurrence so I know they are around.
We like raccoons and used to have them in our yard often (back in the day when we had a house and big yard). And we still see them sometimes in Florida and when we travel, but have never seen such a big litter! Wow that is one prolific mama. .... You are kind to help out your niece and it is smart to do so in such a practical way that can eventually enable her greater independence. .... The lack of public transportation in so much of our country is a problem for those who cannot afford a car and its maintenance (and gas nowadays). And also for those who can no longer drive whatever their financial status. (On my mind as we are all growing older and we have friends who have reached that point.)
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