George,that's awful. You're the first person I know who has had the shots. I hear that these days they are much easier and less painful then they were back then. I think the thought of rabies sends chills up everyone's spine. We are slowly making friends with either a little stray cat who either was dumped or got lost,or a feral. It's taken a year to win his trust and as soon as he is comfortable enough with us to let us get him in a carrier,he's off to the vet for his shots,neutering and anything else they need to do. I always worry about rabies though because rabid raccoons,are very common here and our woods is full of raccoons.

Well, not everyone who lives out in the country carries a gun and shoot poisonous snakes, but I have chickens and grandchildren and myself to protect. Some country residents just have a home and yard and most yards do not have lush cottage gardens. It is like an oasis to the wildlife, and for the most part, I love that about it, but it's different when you have livestock and pets. They attract predators and predators are not cute and friendly if you are the one they are after. I am not afraid of snakes, just wary of them. If you leave them alone, they won't bite you. Only when they are protecting themselves or their nest do they become aggressive. Even rattlers and copperheads will run away if they can. But I have to admit, the "silent but deadly" thing makes me a bit uneasy, and I'm not talking about passing sneaky gas! So living in the country does not mean you would have the problem I do. It is just a way of life for ranchers & farmers and small homesteaders like me. Comes with the territory. Even deer can be deadly. Their hooves are razor sharp. And wild turkeys are fierce birds. Nothing you want to fool with unless you know what you are doing. As for the raccoon, I have never shot at one before. I don't want to kill anything, but after seeing what they do to chickens, I had gradually gotten to the point that I couldn't just live and let live. They are NOT the cute and friendly little bandits you see on Walt Disney films or other movies. They can be very aggressive and certainly murderers of farm fowl. They enjoy killing for the sport. And THAT ticks me off! I've lived here 14 years and seen what they do to other animals and it isn't pretty. This is the first time I ever shot at one though. Just fed up! Actually, I AM very feminine, but I was taught to be self-sufficient. I grew up around wildlife and was taught how to deal with them. We had orphaned wild animals for pets many times and we were taught how to take care of them. Living next door to my grandparents like we did was so interesting. It was really like living in the Old West, being around Grampa & Grannie. He had an old Model-T truck and drove very slowly. Grampa would say to people as they sped by us on the highway, "Durned fools - going so fast they can't see anything!" or he'd say, "Slow down! You're gonna cause a wreck!" Grampa was ALWAYS looking at the scenery everywhere we went. Grannie would tell Grampa, "Look where you're going and stop going where you're looking! People will think you're drunk or something!" You can imagine the looks and honking they got when he drove on those busy California Freeways and in the cities in that old truck. (hehehe) One time when he and Grannie took us grandkids to Calico Ghost Town, we were walking around the town like other tourist, looking at things and taking pictures. After awhile, Grampa got tired, so we sat down to rest on one of the benches outside the general store. Grampa had on his favorite Stetson hat, a pair of old, comfortable boots, striped bib-overalls, a pair of tobacco-stained, long handled underwear with a plaid flannel over-shirt. Grannie had on blue jeans, a blouse with a man's plaid flannel over shirt, a big straw hat and sturdy walking shoes. As we sat there looking around, Grampa took out his wheat papers and his pouch filled with Prince Albert pipe tobacco and began rolling himself a Taylor Made cigarette. They were hideous looking things. All misshapen and slobbery from licking it when he sealed it, but he wasn't making it for looks. When he finished, he took out a match, struck it on the seam of his overalls, held it in the air for an instant and then carefully lit his Tailor Made, taking long drags with deep satisfaction. The aroma was very pleasant. We always watched this magical process with the deepest interest and admiration. And then we looked up and saw that some tourists who were walking by about that time, were also looking on with great interest and they began taking pictures of my grandparents. Pretty soon other people stopped to take pictures, too - they thought my grandparents were part of the ghost town attractions! We all got the biggest kick out of that. "Durned fools!" Grannie said under her breath. "You'd think they never saw a man smoke before." Shy little Grannie was a bit embarrassed being the focus of their interest, but she had a good sense of humor, and afterward, she thought it was funny too. We kids always loved going places with them, but this was especially cool! I had an very unusual childhood, to say the least. Feminine but able, ~Annie

First of all, make sure all your pets are vaccinated for rabies, as they often get in squabbles with racoons. Do you have trees or vines near your balcnoy? Perhaps the racoons, which great climbers, are using them to get up there. If they are climbing poles or columns you might be able to deter them with extra large "rat-scuttle" type collars. You could try aggressively chasing them off, repeatedly. But do not get close enough to have contact with them, as racoons are serious carriers of rabies. You might also try using low electric fencing along the perimeter where they'd have to come in contact with it. A few jolts might be enough to cause them to re-pattern themselves and find someplace else to lounge. They may also change their habits when it gets colder. Aside from the mess, and the potential for contact with my pets, I find racoons very charming. HTH, Molly~

Not only can the HOA fine an owner if short term rentals are prohibited, but the city may as well. In our resort area, a short term rental permit is required and the city tightly controls short term rentals. Code enforcement is good. In addition, if the covenants of subdivision disallow short term rentals, the city will not issue a permit. Our current small subdivision does not allow short term rentals and, in 11 years, I only know of one homeowner (a builder) that violated the covenants when he couldn't sell the newly built house during the bust. We turned a blind eye and didn't complain given the circumstances. It turned out not to be a problem. The nightly rental was very high, which kept the usage down, and the house sold at the end of the season. However, although our little subdivision does not allow short terms, they are allowed in neighboring areas, so we do get some short term rentals nearby and have had a few noise issues. The subdivision where we have bought a lot to build does not allow short term rentals and is, for the most part, geographically protected from surrounding neighborhoods that do by green space. The few lots that do back up to another neighborhood were priced lower and still slower to sell. At the annual meeting of the HOA last year, a realtor proxy moved to amend the covenants to remove the short term rental restrictions. The motion was withdrawn when it became abundantly clear that all owners present bought, at least in part, because of the restriction. In resort areas, most folks (or their realtors) already know that you really need to read your subdivision documents closely for this issue. In fact whether short term rentals are allowed is often disclosed in the listing. Some second homeowners may want to rent out their home to defray the cost of ownership, while others want to be away from the bother. With this new phenomenon in other good-time cities, I would expect that a wise buyer there would also check the subdivision documents carefully and also check in with the city.