over the hedge

for the past three weeks we've been woken up at about three in the morning...a consistent routine...every night.

my youngest lab Cookie would get up from a deep sleep, go to window and bark loudly.  we thought maybe she was sleep walking, then we thought she was possessed and it wasn't until we looked out the window during the day that we saw what was causing her animosity.  low and behold a family of raccoons had moved into the neighborhood and were climbing up the cherry tree right outside our bedroom window.  mother and babies were stocking up for winter.

they were as much of a disturbance to her sleep as she had been to ours but thinking on it now, Cookie didn't want to hurt them, she just wanted to play.