I Was a Teenage Raccoon

Last night, Gordon, Stewart, and Andy made an appearance on the deck. Ken popped a couple of them with the BB gun--it doesn't hurt them, and the goal is merely to keep them off of the deck and out of the bird feeders--but late last night, they were back. As soon as I flipped on the light and opened the door, two of them scattered, leaving this poor little guy high and dry. I wasn't going to hurt him, of course, but I was able to shoot him...with my little Flip video recorder! Seriously...aren't they adorable?

Another quiet day, lots of reading, a quick trip to our library branch (which didn't have either of the two book clubs books I wanted to pick up...grrr...one is being transferred from another branch now) and then to the store, a nice conversation with my Mom. Rain looks likely, and that's okay--we need a little.

By the way, according to my Mom, it's looking increasingly unlikely that FM and CH will get back together. I guess he asked her the other day if she missed him. She said, "No. Did you miss me?" (I suspect she was wondering if he missed her both since he's been out of the house and when he was cheating on her. That certainly would have been my intent!) He said, "No." That pretty much says everything, doesn't it?

I guess what really slays me about not just this, but recent other prominent affairs like South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, is that so many of these types pretend to be pious, religious, and devoted to God's laws. That was certainly the case with FM and CH, and apparently why he felt the need to bring up my two-decades old divorce. Oooo, that Heathen Beth, she's a horrible divorced person! Don't associate with her! Don't welcome her into your home! Give me a freakin' break. Your diversionary tactics were as transparent as a sheet of Saran Wrap, one that didn't get all wadded up when it came out of the box so that it was a big opaque glob, no...the clear flat sheet that results when you get a clean pull on the Saran Wrap and tear it tidily from the roll.

What was I saying? Oh yeah. People who pretend to be pious but are really nasty people. I'm not going to generalize here, because I've known plenty of good people who are devoutly religious, and my parents are two of them. They live their beliefs. I've also known plenty who will be happy to quote scripture to you and tell you how much they love God, but are some of the vilest, nastiest, most UNChristian people I've ever met. I've said it before and it bears repeating: Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car. I have no use for those who judge others because of their religious beliefs or lack thereof, and if these people spent half as much time doing good in the world as they spent explaining how anyone who doesn't believe the way they do is on a one-way trip to hell, they just might make a difference instead of being nothing more than a royal pain in the ass.

[pant pant pant]

Let me clarify something, in case I've offended any dear readers. With maybe one rare exception, no one here has ever been in any way judgmental. I'm speaking of people that I have encountered in real life, most recently CH, or people in the public eye such as Sanford. I've encountered enough hypocrisy to last me a lifetime, but I know that not everyone is like that (thanks to my folks). My feeling is that if you're a nasty person and do nasty things in your life, but say that you're a Christian and you go to church...it doesn't mean that you get a Get Out of Hell Free card. I am deeply offended by those that profess to be "godly," but their behavior is anything but. I am offended on behalf of people like my parents who are devout and manage to not just talk the talk, but walk the walk. I don't agree with everything they say or believe, but there is no question that they practice what they preach. Ugly and bitter doesn't vanish in a poof of smoke just because you profess to believe in God.

Jeez, how did I get on that topic? Let me get back to my library visit.

After I walked in and started browsing, I felt a bit idiotic because I realized I had a little grin on my face. Talk about heaven on earth...I love being in libraries. Even though they didn't have the books I wanted (this was our local branch, not the main library), it was still fun to walk around and browse the titles and think about future readings. I almost checked out Crime and Punishment because Lori recommends highly that I read it, and I trust Lori's judgement when it comes to books (it's on my list, Lori, I promise!), but I've still got plenty in our bookshelves at home. I've chosen 20th Century Ghosts, a collection of short stories by Joe Hill, who is Stephen King's son, at least until my book comes in.

In what I think is a very nice segue, our book club is meeting tomorrow night, and although I'm several books behind and won't be joining in on the discussion of the current book, I'm looking forward to seeing a bunch of work pals and getting caught up with them! Ken has appointments and a business meeting tomorrow evening at which they'll be eating dinner, so this worked out perfectly. We're meeting at an Italian restaurant. Yum!

New arrivals

I'm starting to see young birds of various types now, and it's always funny to watch them. They just look sort of clueless. The other day there was a young robin (Holy Audubon, Batman!) on the deck, and he hopped onto the little fireplace we have out there, and just looked around and chirped. I imagined him thinking, "Okay, here I am. Now what do I do?"

Today, there were several young starlings and their parents raising a ruckus on the deck--man, they're loud! One youngster was hopping on top of the squirrel baffle and pecking at it as he slid down its slope. I watched him for a while, wondering when he'd figure out that the suet feeder was underneath the baffle. He finally did figure it out, and I felt absurdly proud of him.

We also have other youngsters making an appearance. As I sat here last night, I heard some of the wind chimes tinkling, although the wind was minimal. They hang from a hook on the deck railing, and if I hear them on a still night, it's a sure sign we've got a critter of some sort out there. I flipped on the light and saw this:

Yes, three baby raccoons. They were in a tight little pack, walking on each other and pushing against each other.

They didn't seem too disturbed by me, so I took my camera out onto the deck and walked right up to them. I could have reached out and picked one up. They were adorable enough that I kind of thought about reaching out to touch one...but Mama didn't raise no fools, and I know that no matter how cute, they are still wild animals and not to be messed with. For their own protection as much as mine.

I love the above picture, because see that third guy sticking his head up over the railing? When I walked out, he scrambled down the railing to the deck floor, but after a bit, he made his way back up. I just kind of hung out and watched them for a while (braved a couple of mosquitoes to do it, too), until they decided it was time to move on. They formed an orderly line and the three of them made their way down the deck railing to the other part of the deck. I wonder if they'll be back tonight? The seed feeders are empty, as they were last night, so there are no goodies for them, but it wouldn't surprise me to see them again.

I like to name our critters, and Moe, Larry, and Curly would be a natural, but the baby groundhogs got that a few years ago. I think I'll name them after one of my favorite trios, The Police. Guys, your names are now Gordon, Stewart, and Andy. Wish I could tell you three apart! By the way, I know that one of you (is it Rebecca?) does not care for glowing-eye animal pictures. My apologies...it was not intentional, and I couldn't avoid it.

I might be scarce for the next few days. I'm in full reading mode (finished one book, a couple of mags to get through, then another book to start), plus I'll be out getting plants into the garden this week, if the weather cooperates--it sounds like Friday should be a nice day. Yay!

Wait! I'm not done! I have to comment on something I heard on the news. Maybe I should just not watch. Hahaha! Of course, I can't do that.

In a speech at a Republican fundraiser last night, Newt Gingrich riffed on President Obama's comment last year that he is a citizen of the world. Newt said:

I am not a citizen of the world. I think the whole concept is intellectual nonsense and stunningly dangerous.

[sigh] Really, Newt? Really? (with a tip of the hat to Seth Myers) You think that isolationism is a solution to what ails us? I've been preaching writing here for some time now that we are inextricably part of the global economy. Beyond that, we are part of the world because we are part of humankind. At least I am. Last I checked, I was still an earthling. This sort of narrow thinking and inability to see the long view is what disturbs me the most about people like Gingrich. Chest thumping nationalism and jingoism is much of what got us into the trouble we're currently in on the world stage, and led us to the point where there are many around the globe who harbor extreme hatred for our country.

Wanting to be a part of the global citizenry, Newt, is neither nonsense nor dangerous. It's being human. "Intellectual nonsense"...I maintain that the lack of intellectual curiosity that you seem to possess (the same as that of your party affiliate, Sarah Palin, with her anti-fruit fly bias--that one was for Milwaukee Dan #1) about our world, other nationalities and cultures, and other religions, is the true danger in our midst. Knowledge is power, Newt. The rest of the world isn't going to just go away. There is a reason that companies and governments teach their employees and agents about customs in other countries. We need to be respectful of their cultures in our business and diplomatic dealings with them, and we are all ambassadors. Gingrich makes me think of some sort of mad Ptolemy of the political solar system, believing that the U.S. is the center of everything, that no one else matters. As Stephen King wrote, the world has moved on. Try to keep up, Newt.

I'm Beth, and I am a citizen of the world. You're welcome to join us anytime, Newt. It's a pretty big tent.