Friday, September 20, 2013

Adios Florida. Adios Raccoons.


On Central Ave. Pet portraits on wall

My Brother In Law built us these lovely shelves. 

The handle of my bag made with a Thai sash

The bag is made from a vintage textile...piece of a traditional baby carrier. From Etsy.

The light fixture was an anniversary (28 years) gift from the Raz Man. We call it the Maharaja's Lamp. Because of the proximity to the pool (and a cement block house) we had to mount it with no electrical. We plan to convert it with an LED light.

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We left Florida on Wednesday. Saying goodbye to our friends, house and garden is always a sad moment for me. I have come to love it so much there and count the days until we return. This time we battled raccoons swimming in the pool.  We caught the pack having a swim on our security camera. And they don't just swim in there. We had to close the pool twice for 24 hours, backwash it, super chlorinate it and change the filter ($85.00). We ended up hiring a critter control trapper and caught 2 babies who were relocated. For the next 8 days there was no sign of the rest of them. Raccoons carry parasites in their poop that is very dangerous. You can read the CDC info HERE on how serious this is. We also did a lot of research and discovered that a raccoon will not jump into water, they walk in. After 3 days of creative thinking we made a barrier for the steps that covers the entry. It easily snaps off and on for night time use. If you have a similar problem, email me and I will tell you how we made it. The Raccoon Blocker Net is pictured below.

We arrived home with 2 ours to spare before my Sweet Mamma had emergency surgery. Warned again by the doctors on how fragile she is, she once again sailed through it with no complications. One day I will tell the story of how we were told she was brain dead, only to have her come out of her coma and talk like the Queen. Thank God for the timing of the surgery. I would have hated not to be there for her.

Wishing you all a good weekend whether restful or adventurous.

Racoon Blocker Net































Attaches to pool deck to safety net anchors. Covered in double layered mesh to prevent potential poop dropping through. We secured the mesh with plastic grommets because we did not have a swing machine. You could also sew a mesh sleeve and slip it on.  Plastic coated metal grid (closet shelving) 15" wide covers the first and partially the second step and all of the first, so raccoons cannot step into the water.

































15 comments:

  1. Raccoons. Haven't heard of them in pools before. Yuck!
    Brenda

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  2. oh for pete's sake..what will be next for you guys? Hope you gave the city an earful about that abandoned house, harboring the critters. Raccoons are so dang smart. They gave my Dad fits over disturbing our garbage cans and tore an ear off a pooch chasing them off one night. How clever your pool grid is - hope it works.

    Sorry to hear about your sweet mama's troubles. Thank goodness the surgery went well. May she feel much better soon. <3

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  3. So sorry to hear of the raccoon problem. We had one get in to our attic last Feb. We also had to hire someone to come and put up wire mesh over the spot the thing was getting in and set traps. It was rather traumatic hearing it up there, over my bedroom and it kept falling down in to the walls. We got lucky and no babies were found. I've heard horror stories of people having to have their walls cut open to get the babies out. Since it happened, I jump every time I hear the house make normal "house sounds".

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  4. Raccoon's terrify me! When we lived in So Cal, we were BBQing one night and one had crawled up onto the deck and was staring at me. I screamed bloody murder! I hope your set up solves the problem!

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  5. Oh yes, they love to poop in pools! I am forwarding this to a friend of mine in FL who battles those otherwise cute creatures (to me). Love your anniversary light and so glad to hear your mom did well during her surgery. That's a rough way to come home! Now I will catch up on your other posts... Ann

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  6. I can only imagine how hard it is to leave that little palace Chania!!!
    XOXO

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  7. Hello my friend! First, WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love it!!

    Second, I turned it off. THe spammers will converge, but who gives a crap.

    Thank you so much for leaving a note.........

    xoxoxox

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  8. Challenge after challenge . . . who would think raccoons would visit let alone the whole darn family! Aunts and Uncles have no doubt heard about this wonderful place in St. Pete's . . . Hopefully the safety net does the trick!

    I love that you love it there . . . it looks more than wonderful . . the anniversary gift is a treasure.

    Happy you arrived home in time for momma . . . do hope she continues well . . . hugs, sweet daughter!

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  9. So glad to hear about your mother's successful surgery.

    Hope she is continuing to recover rapidly.

    Your home is lovely as so you....well excepting the racoons.

    xo Jane

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  10. The racoon thing sounds yucky! Hope the new net works well!
    And hope that your mom feels better soon. xxoo

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  11. oh for pete's sake..what will be next for you guys? Hope you gave the city an earful about that abandoned house, harboring the critters. Raccoons are so dang smart. They gave my Dad fits over disturbing our garbage cans and tore an ear off a pooch chasing favorbuying off one night. How clever your pool grid is - hope it works.
    Happy you arrived home in time for momma . . . do hope she continues well . . . hugs, sweet daughter!

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  12. Who knew about raccoons and pools?! I will now think twice before taking a dip in our neighbor's pool!

    And I'm so glad your mother came through surgery with flying colors, best wishes for a quick recovery!

    Kat

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  13. Will be waiting for new photos and stories at your other abode.
    Brenda

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  14. Wow, you learn something new everyday! And your creative thinking looks like a genius idea - you could patent it! You sound how I do whenever leaving the beach, but then I settle back in to Wellington life and realise that what I really love is being lucky enough to enjoy both worlds. Happy Thanksgiving Chania. I wish we celebrated it here. x

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I love to read each and every comment and are thrilled that you take the time to send one. Thank you so much. Chania