From the back porch - May 22, 2020

I had hoped to work in the vegetable garden today, but it's raining.

Instead, I am digitizing embroidery designs, testing them, and uploading them to Etsy.  The embroidery machine is humming away as we speak, sewing an A-frame camper design that I did weeks ago.  This design was requested by one of my customers while I was too busy to test it.  My customer tested it and said that it sewed just fine.  I am sewing it so that I will have a picture to upload with the listing.  When it finishes, I will test a crowing rooster design that I have created to go with some other farm animal designs already uploaded to Etsy.

The cat-catching operation is still in limbo.  She's going into the trap to eat, but not all the way yet.  It's hard to get the food/bait all the way to the back of the trap without spilling it.  I am going to have to switch my baiting tactics over the weekend.  If I can trap her before she births the kittens, she's going to the animal shelter.  I'm tired of the struggle.

Last night after dark, I heard the pellet rifle go off and went out to the porch to see what was up.  The Husband said, "The coon is back."  The Husband shot above its head and it ran back to the woods, but we knew he'd be back the minute we went inside.  He's a gnarly old thing (the coon, not The Husband).  I suggested that The Husband should actually pop a pellet in the coon's ass to discourage him, but he won't do it.  He said he doesn't want to just wound it.  I get it, I do.  But a little pain might at least make him think twice about raiding the cat food.  The Husband suggested that a BB might get the point across without actually wounding the animal.  There were three loaded BB guns (belonging to the grandchildren) on a high shelf on the porch.  I grabbed one and cocked it and peered out into the darkness, but didn't see the coon.  After a few minutes, I gave up and went to bed.

But tonight, I'm going to have a margarita on the back porch, and then I might do a little coon huntin'.