Ode to the Land: The Year of the Raccoon

By Kristine Karpinski

Summer nights and mosquito song have carried us through July. 

Warm rain and spectacular storms have kept the power flickering on and off on this land and in turn offered unexpected pauses. Wasps are rounding out the corners with their paper nests. Garter snakes are lazily enjoying sunny days, leaving skins behind. Baby birds are leaving the nests. And then there are the raccoons. 

Mounds and mounds and mounds of raccoons. 

This has been a summer like no other. At last count, 24 babies sharing dusk and gloaming, split between what seems like 4 mamas; a generous year! 

They have climbed trees by the dozen, tumbled over one another, pecked at grubs, fighting for the juicy ones, and learned what it is to have a stand off with a cat. They have gotten curious about the hens and roosters (yes! new dwellers to the land here), found their way into some places they’ve needed escorting out of, and lounged in places no urban raccoon would be interested in. 

Yep, the raccoons have become the story of the day. 

They watch through the window enjoying the workshops that are going on in the space. They wait for folks to depart to have their time dancing and rolling on the front lawn. They lurk around corners spying the bird seed, and they keep surveying the perimeter in both predictable and unpredictable ways. 

We realize the road work going on in this area has probably sent many more raccoons our way this year (because it’s never been like this), but we also can’t help but wonder what message they are sending. 

They keep reminding us to pay attention to the unseen things, the ‘masked’ things, and they demonstrate adaptability to every changing scene. 

They are intelligent and earnest as they move about. As Ninth Wave Arts grows and transforms more fully into itself, we receive their message. Courageous, curious, clever and flexible. That’s what we’ll aim for! When a raccoon shows up for you, consider the message they may carry. 

Kristine hosts a variety of offerings - Sound Nidra, Mystery in Motion, etc. Check them out on our website.

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