Having just gone through the bloodletting at work (luckily nobody in p&p was on the cut list, but we all know people who were), I wanted to think about something cheerier. And I figured this worked.

My parents came to visit over the holidays. Actually, they almost got stuck here when the airport shut down due to the massive 3 and 1/2 inch snowfall that closed down the Puget Sound area for three days. But that wasn't the cheery part. ;-)

So I'm putting my son to bed, when my father, who was sitting on the couch, hears a tapping on the back door to the deck. Thinking it's the dog, he goes to open the door when he sees the dog asleep on the floor in the living room. So who, pray tell was tapping at the back door?

This full size racoon had climbed up onto our back deck, and decided he wanted to come inside. He wasn't aggressive, just cold, apparently. The cat had lots of fun staring at the racoon through the glass door, and we all just sat there amazed. It even tried to scratch its way through the door at one point.

Eventually it wandered off. I've never been that close to a racoon before. I was especially glad it wasn't rabid. :-) I often lament us living out in the middle of nowhere, but sometimes things like this come along to make up for it a little.

Sadly, our pictures didn't come out so well since I was trying to take a shot from a well lit room into a dark area through a glass door, but at least we have some evidence.

Oh, and the dog? Slept through the whole thing. :-)