The Coons

Molly lifts her right leg and her tail stand points straight behind her. Her body trembles. Her eyes are fixated. Enough time passes that I wonder if she is tired of holding her leg up. And then it happens. SMACK. She slams into the glass door, full force. The raccoon outside gives a little laugh and gives her the finger. I am not kidding, that guy doesn’t even flinch anymore. He knows Molly can’t get to him. He stands within 12 inches of the door and just keeps on eating. My parents pretend to be distressed by the return of the coons, but I ask them why they have a buffet of bird and squirrel food set out for them. Every time I see the coons, I am reminded of Where the Red Fern Grows which was one of the last read alouds I did as a teacher. It is one of my all times favorites. I wonder if Molly could have been a coon dog and what tricks my little buffet eating coons would pull to get away from her. They sure have shown themselves to be smart enough to know that the big pane of glass will keep Molly from coming after them. I’m just waiting for them to knock on the door when the food supply is low or leave requests for different food varieties.