I've had a bit of a dry spell with nothing too interesting to write about. But last night after the turn of events, my husband looked at me and said: "Well, at least you have something to blog about now!"
It started out like any typical Monday evening. The kids were in bed and John and I had settled on the couch to watch a movie. My eyes were glued to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and John was dozing off un-interested in Harry's latest adventures. The sound of Callie's barking had my ears perked but suddenly accompanied by another animal's noise, John and I leaped from the couch and hurried to the door.
In the pitch black and rain, it was hard to see what was going on from our back deck. Callie's cries had sent me into a panic, screaming for her to come to me. John, assuming our dog was being attacked by a coyote, ran to get his rifle.
Once Callie ran inside, it was hard for me to assess her injuries. She was soaking wet and covered in mud. I hurried her upstairs to the shower where I could wash her off. Halfway up the stairs, I heard a gunshot that shook the entire house. It was followed by a second one which made my stomach was turn. I focused on Callie. I scrutinized every inch of her and couldn't find any evidence of a bite mark or even a scratch. I was relieved and couldn't believe our luck.
Returning back downstairs John informed me that it had been a raccoon. It was coming up our back steps when he shot it....with a gun not intended for such a small animal! Rabies and scenes from Old Yeller immediately entered my head. A phone call to our vet eased my mind.
Our hearts were still racing from all the excitement when we heard a knock on the front door. Two police officers were on the other side. Our neighbors had called when they heard two gunshots! My husband calmly explained the situation to them, which spawned the sharing of their own animal encounters which included gunshots. After recording the details of our story, one policeman handed John rubber gloves and a plastic bag. He started to walk away then turned around and handing John another bag said: "On second thought, you might want to double bag that one!"
After his hard work of being the carnival ride operator, he rewarded himself with another cold beer. My observant son took this opportunity to engage in the adult conversation:
