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Several trips past the hawk nest over the past few days have yielded no sightings of the young hawks. The sign that assures me they have left the nest is the absence of the mother hawk when I stop to check. It had been a joy watching them grow up and now leave to take their place in the world. Raccoons have been coming up on our deck almost every night and defecating near our door. I put out a live trap and yesterday when we got up there was a young raccoon in the trap. I took him out back and disposed of him. Last night his mom and sibling came back looking for him. They avoided the trap and I did not shoot them. They did manage to eat all the marshmallows out of the trap so tonight we switch to cat food. I go to sleep every night with the hope that I don't catch a skunk. We had timber harvested off out property four years ago. The last couple of days I have been out in the woods with a tractor and a chain hauling tree tops into the pasture so I can cut them into firewood. The past two years I have had my able assistant Nate working with me. This year I am alone. It has good and bad points. On the good side I get to start and quit whenever I want. I don't have to listen to anyone yammering about anything. On the bad side it is lots more work and I get less done. The last couple of days the temperature has been over 90 degrees and that adds another level of misery. Last year I got my EMT license and began volunteering with the local ambulance service. I dislocated my shoulder and was unable to volunteer. Tonight is my first shift in over a year. I will be on call from 6 pm tonight to 6 am tomorrow morning. There is plenty of nervous anticipation. I hope all goes well and I can handle any calls that come in.