Resident Racoon

from Ojai Magazine. Summer 2022

CALENDAR

LOOK BACK IN OJAI with Drew Mashburn

Contributed on behalf of the Ojai Valley Museum

IT WAS THE WINTER OF 1976 — GERALDINE’S AND PATTY’S DOG-FOOD BOWLS WERE KEPT ON OUR SCREENED-IN FRONT PORCH THAT HAD A DOGGIE DOOR LEADING OUT TO THE FENCED SIDE YARD OF OUR PARK RANGER RESIDENCE AT MATILIJA LAKE PARK. A SET OF FRENCH DOORS WITH THREE BIG PANES EACH LEAD OUT FROM THE DINING ROOM TO THE PORCH.

My wife and I noticed that the dried food in the dog bowls was disappearing rather quickly. Geraldine and Patty were keeping their slim figures, so we figured the wood rats were hauling o the food to their nests. But, we began hearing something out on the porch in the evenings. Wood rats couldn’t possibly be making much noise. We kept trying to see what it was, but by the time we would get to the doors, the porch would be vacant.

The thefts happened every evening, and we kept going to the doors for a look. Well, after about two to three weeks, the robbers must have gotten somewhat used to us rushing to the doors, because we could finally see it was a mama raccoon and her three youngins.

After a few nights of viewing, I left one door open with the screendoor closed. The raccoons let us look at them through the screendoor, and we were able to get a better view of this little family now. We noticed that Mama’s front right foot was in the stages of healing from a pretty severe injury. She was missing three toes, but she couldn’t let that deter her from finding food for her kits. She must have known that dog food was being served each evening at our home.

The evening dining under our watch of the little bandits went on for a few months. Mama’s foot healed and the

Contributed on behalf of the Ojai Valley Museum

kits had grown. Mama kept coming, but her kits struck o alone. We figured that Mama would, eventually, go back completely to her wild ways too. Wrong! She really enjoyed that dried dog food.

I decided I’d like to have Mama come into our home. So, I locked the dogs in my bedroom — they enjoyed sleeping on a comfy human’s bed anyhow. I opened a French door and its screen-door. After a few evenings, Mama began coming into our dining room and into the kitchen that was o to its right.

I dig pistachio nuts. One night, I was eating them. Mama came to me and sat up on her rear haunches and begged for a nut. She couldn’t get enough of them! She’d place her paws on my paw when she took the nut which, of course, I had to unshell.

Mama loved tugging on one of my old socks while holding it between her teeth and growling loudly while I yanked on the other end of the sock. It was a fun game for her. It was a fun game for me too — Hey, I had to find ways to entertain myself because there was no television reception in Matilija Canyon. Mama and I bonded. She would let me pet her. I never attempted to pick Mama up. After all, she was a wild critter. Mama would come to dine every night, then come inside our home for a visit. This went on for several months. We noticed that Mama would never go into our home further than the dining room and kitchen. Finally, my light bulb came on (No kiddin’ — it does sometimes!) and I knew why Mama had never gone through the dining room into the living room. I told my wife that when Mama came to dine and visit that night she would explore the rest of the inside of our home too. My wife asked how I knew so. I told her to just wait and see.

Mama came, dined, then went right through the dining room into the living room, back bedroom, and bathroom. My wife was amazed. She asked me how in tarnation I knew Mama would make a change. I told her that since Mama had been coming inside it had been winter, and we always had the fireplace burning. Mama was a wild critter and fire was a danger to her. So, that evening I had not built a fire. Mama felt comfortable enough to explore our dwelling.

In fact, Mama got so comfortable that she’d come every evening to dine and come inside. We had an old couch with a hole in its bottom lining. Mama would go under the couch, then climb up through the hole into the couch where she’d fall fast asleep for a few hours. When we went to bed, I’d have to tip the couch back and forth to wake Mama. Then, she would go back outdoors.

After a few more months, Mama quit visiting us. We hoped that it was just because her paw had completely healed and she no longer required our hospitality.