Resuming my nighttime walks around and around the block, I get to see how the animal life is getting along, but it has been strange because the rabbits that should be there every single night — 2 in my yard when I walk outside, then 2 more farther up the block — are missing. Maybe it’s the odd hot weather and the air that stinks. Or maybe it’s because other animals are showing up. The other night I was coming down the sidewalk and farther ahead I saw the silhouettes of 4 creatures bouncing across the street into what seemed to be my yard but it was a little too far ahead to tell. These creatures hopped with arched backs and had thick tails, and they ran close together in a bunch. A little scary to see so many. Weasels was my first thought.

But we don’t have any weasels here. I looked at pictures of opossums and skunks online, but those things didn’t have skinny rat tails and didn’t move slowly or waddling like skunks do (thank goodness, I dread running into a skunk some night). Had to be raccoons, I figured. A day or so later I found the side lawn all torn up, with little holes here and there like divots, and grass peeled back in spots. I am unfamiliar with rodent damage like this and thought it was deer having a dance on the grass. But after reading about it I guess raccoons have made visits and I must have grubs in my lawn. Good thing I canceled the lawn mowing for this week, a rider mower would have torn it bare in that area.

I think a solar powered light put out there would help scare them away.