After returning home last night after my first book club experience, I found the house empty and the animals hungry.  The boys were still away at the fair, so I decided to do their chores for them and feed the animals.  When I went into the greenhouse, I immediately noticed that one of our cats was physically inside the big plastic tub we use to store the food.  I had secured the lid earlier in the day because the racoon has been lurking again.  I scooted the cat away, filled the food bowls, and replaced the lid.  I noticed that one of the door leading outside was open, so I walked over to close it.  As I turned around I  quite literally felt something staring at me from above (it's was very strange feeling).  I slowly turned around, and to my immediate right, standing on the back of a couch, was the racoon.  It was at least 2 times bigger than a cats.  And it was staring right at me.  

Of course, I screamed, and someone probably heard me in the next county.  I bolted for the door leading to the back of the house, slammed it, then ran into the house.  It was trapped!!  I called the dog and let her in, but by this time the coon had hidden under something and was out of sight.  I grabbed the pellet gun but couldn't remember what to do with it (that doesn't bode well for me if we are ever robbed).  And I sat by the door and waited for my husband to return.     

Fast forward 3 hours.  The have returned from the fair, and I now am quite experienced with a pellet gun.  But the coon is still with us. 

I surrender.   

Angel came home and he waited there for almost an hour, moving things around and trying to scare the coon out of hiding, but to no avail.  He gave up and came inside.  We left one of the doors open so he could make his escape.  About an hour later, I noticed that the light was still on in the greenhouse, and when I peeked out the door, there was the coon, feeding with the cats.  The audacity of that guy!!  And when I opened the door, he nonchalantly scittered away.  I closed the door and turned out the lights.    

As the night progressed, I kept hearing odd noises, but one of the cats was inside the greenhouse, so I chalked it up to a mouse chase.  When I went out the next morning to let out the cat, I found a shelf overturned, animal poop everywhere, and even a wall by the door with drywall ripped apart!!  Another racoon must have been trapped inside over the night.  I hurried back inside to let it make it's escape, then spent a good part of the morning cleaning up the mess.  Our animal trap never worked, so I am getting desperate.   Suggestions?