Let The Fun Begin !

I have this friend who moved from California to South Carolina about two years ago. She has this very nice house on a lake that is just beautiful. She has truly fallen in love with the place and is always suggesting that I move back also.

On the corner of her house, facing a wooded area, she has installed a flag pole. It is one of those four foot types that angle out from the side of the house. It is not for a flag however, she placed it there to attach treats for the local birds. She can sit inside, or outside on the porch and watch them eat "close up".

Now, as humans interacting with animals, nothing works out the way you intend it to. Mother nature and fate must cease observing and get involved - "the fun".

My friend has received great pleasure watching her birds feed on the treats she places on the pole for them. I must admit, the photos she has taken are remarkable. The fun began when a raccoon thought that if the birds liked eating it, then it would also. So the raccoon managed to go from tree, to roof, to pole, to food. Now my friend was totally against this - but fair is fair.
So she set up a raccoon feeding spot away from the pole and that should take of it , right? According to my friend, raccoons are a lot lot guys when it comes to eating sweets, their own is not enough. The raccoon was now eating both treats thank you very much. She tried everything to solve the problem, but the raccoon just continued to test each new obstacle and win - all to my friends dismay.

Not to fear, help is on the way ! I'm college educated, a parent, former USMC, I give her a plan that will be sure to work. Being a firm believer in keeping it simple (nothing to do with being male), I suggested a thin flag pole. Thus the raccoon would not be able to climb out on it. Sounds great to me, so she said she would try.

My former friend related what happened like this. She was sitting on her porch just quietly looking out at the natural setting, when she heard the raccoon getting on the roof. As the raccoon moved to the pole, my friend moved to the edge of the patio near the flag pole. As the raccoon moved out along the pole, my friend could not stand it, she jumped of the porch to the ground under the pole (6 inch drop). The ground was wet with the moisture of the morning and she slipped and fell on her bottom. The raccoon, treat in mouth, climbed off the bent and broken pole and dropped beside her on the ground. Now she said the expression on its face was a smile (?) and then it hurried off. She would have chased it, but her bottom was a bit sore and she had already began to think of how to thank me for such a great plan.