I thought we’d escaped the critters when we left the boonies, but I’m starting to think that our family is cursed and our critter-related woes will follow us until the end of time. Last week, we heard a story on the news that a raccoon with rabies was found less than two miles from our house. According to the news story, it seemed to be more of a threat to pets than people, and our cats are now indoor-only. So no big worry, right?

Yeah. Today I was talking with my next-door neighbor, and she said that in our very own neighborhood, a squirrel attacked some kid this past weekend. They didn’t catch the squirrel, so there’s no way of knowing if it’s rabid or not (most likely it is, since squirrels don’t generally attack teenagers who are chatting on their cell phones in their parents’ garage), so the poor kid has to get rabies shots just to be safe.

So, I think the days of Catie and I taking walks through our neighborhood greenway have come to an end. At least until I buy a baseball bat to bring along as a walking stick/rabid squirrel defense mechanism.

Hmm, think this stick is big enough to bash in a rabid rodent’s head? No? Ok, I’ll keep looking.

How about this rock? Still no?

Sorry, baby girl. This is why your mommy doesn’t like nature.