Still struggling with back pain made worse by the trauma and the bureaucracy deems that every insurance t is crossed and every i dotted before an orthopedist will give me an appointment. I learned belatedly that, although I was walking when I was hit by the car, I have to file with my auto insurance. So I did and called the orthopedist’s assistant with that info three days ago and am still waiting for them to schedule me. And since this is a busy time of year, I may have to wait another two to three weeks.

Meanwhile, a guest with a long-standing commitment to visit, has arrived. I get through by taking Aleve in the morning and using essential oils, but I don’t have much stamina. Joan, a free-lance editor, is a former neighbor from our Queens apartment building. We’ll do some local shopping, and I’ll take her to a fabulous pottery place that has pots from all over the world on several acres. It is a treat just to see this stuff.

Also, I have found a massage therapist who does what is called the Raindrop Technique (reviews very favorable from those who have had it) using essential oils and have an appointment after Joan leaves, but it is a new age shop and Joan and I both like new age stuff, so I’ll take her there just to look around.

Meanwhile, our outings yesterday were curtailed because I had to wait for an animal removal specialist to assess a situation I never had to face in New York. A raccoon is living in our attic. He gets in and out through vents under the eaves that he has, by dint of human like-paws and ingenuity, torn from their hinges. The outfit we hired sent David, a personable and competent young man. He bravely entered the attic with his camera and took photos. And located the entry points and told us trapping the animal(s) is not a problem but we would need a clean out because raccoon droppings have worms in them and these will remain and create a health hazard. We also have to replace the air conditioner insulation which is now contaminated. We are talking minimum $1,000. David checked our homeowner’s insurance and said nothing in it excluded wild animal removal, so he thinks they’ll cover the costs.

David is coming back today and will position a cage-like trap outside near the entry points and fill it with marshmallows (raccoons love sweets) and check the trap the following day. They trap and release in the wild. He had three raccoon pups in a small cage in the back of his truck that he had already trapped. They are adorable, but I am told that when they reach adulthood, they are problematic.


Raccoons are as big as a large dog. Our guest wasn’t making any noise that I could hear but Ed discovered his presence when he went into the garage a few days ago and saw him “going home,” climbing the ladder that leads to the crawl space.

We’ve named him Raoul.

xx, Teal