Ricky's Adventure

Video 19
Ricky is the oldest son of Roscoe and Ranita Raccoon. He's one of six siblings and he has always been the most mischievous of all the raccoon children. The furry family of ringtails live in a log on a peaceful hollow in Tennessee. They have a clear-water creek running through the woods they call home and lush green meadows throughout the hollow where they run and play with their friends the deer, rabbits, squirrels, possums, fox, chipmunks and even the stinky skunks, who all live nearby.

Ricky's favorite thing to do is to explore, and he does his best exploring late at night. He makes his way through the woods under the watchful eye of Hootie-etta Owl and all the other creatures of the night. Ricky makes his way through the trees and most often his wanderings find him farther and farther away from the safe boundaries of the woods. His Mama is always warning him about the dangers of wandering too far from home. She's tried to tell him of all the troubles lurking at nearby farms and yards, where farmers set traps and dogs with big teeth hide underneath porches and behind barns, waiting for critters like Ricky to amble by. But Ricky just can't seem to resist the thrill of the hunt. He knows there are treasures to be found near the farm houses and barns where "people" live. He finds all kinds of shiny objects he takes home to his brothers and sisters and almost always finds something delectable to eat in the big tall cans on the sides of houses.

One particular night, Ricky hit the midnight-snack jackpot! One of the farmer's dogs had knocked over a garbage can and litter was scattered all across the yard. There was a half-eaten baloney sandwich, a bag of crushed cookies, some fruit and some fish bones. He found a bright shiny silver can with sweet gooey-goo dripping down the sides. He picked it up in his clever little hands and tipped it forward so the goo would trickle down into his eager little mouth. He stuck his snout into the can to lick the sides and couldn't seem to get enough of that heavenly goo that tasted like sweet ambrosia and made his whiskers tingle. He stuck his head in further so his tongue could reach the bottom of the can and he slurped up the last of the tasty treat. Yum that was good!

Oh, but now Ricky had a real problem. His head was stuck inside the can and no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't seem to get himself free. He shook his head back and forth, wiggled his ears up and down, but nothing seemed to work. He tried to walk but he couldn't see and he kept bumping into everything. Every time he bonked his head into a rock or a tree trunk, the can would ring so loud it made his teeth rattle. He'd run in spurts, back and forth across the grass, then plop himself down on the ground and roll all around trying to get himself free of the can. It seemed like hours he was wandering around blindly, not knowing where he was or what was around him. He wished he could call for help, but no one could hear him with his head inside the can. Oh how he wished he had listened to his Mama now! What was he going to do?

All of a sudden, he felt something near him in the grass. What could it be? Oh please, don't let it be one of those big dogs with the long pointy teeth! But no, it wasn't a dog, it was a "person!" And the person was actually trying to help him get loose of the can! Hooray! I'm going to be saved! The person tugged and tugged on the can until finally Ricky could see and smell and breathe in the cool air. And look! The night had passed and it was now daylight! Boy was he ever going to be in trouble for being out so long!

He hurried off into the woods as fast as his little legs could carry him, chattering all the way and telling himself he would NEVER venture that far away from home ever again!

Boogie Nights

For those of you who know and love my sweet, adorable and cherub-faced Mother, you'd never in a million years believe she used to be quite the Disco Queen back in the 70's. Mom and her best friend Charlene, used to go disco dancing on Saturday nights at a club downtown called "The Loft" and some nights they'd come back to our house with two of their favorite dancing buddies for a late night meal. The babysitter would be sent on her way and then Tiff and I would curl up sleepy-eyed on the couch in the family room and watch the disco continue in our very own kitchen.

While Mom and Charlene were preparing something to eat, the guys would turn on the stereo, move the table against the wall and dance right there on our kitchen floor. Mom's favorite dance partner was the spitting image of Deney Terrio from Dance Fever! He had the white John Travolta outfit on - white bell bottom pants with a white vest and a silk shirt - and he had the thick, dark, wavy hair. He was about a foot shorter than our Mom with her high-heeled platform shoes, but they sure did dance great together. He would grab Mom away from the stove and twirl her around the floor and Mom would show us these crazy disco moves that left us stunned! We never knew our Mom had it in her! I still tease her to this day about her old disco days.

Well, I said all that to prepare you for this funny story about a trick Sid played on her this weekend. Last week, we bought Mom her very first official cell phone. She had one, but it was one of those old timey granny phones that didn't do anything but call out. No fancy bells and whistles, no texting or picture taking. We got the phone home, programmed her numbers into it, took a few pictures for her library and set it up, including a special ringtone. And I mean special! Sid downloaded Boogie Nights by the group Heatwave as a ringtone! After he got it all programmed in, he turned the volume up as loud as it would go and we mailed her the phone.

Mom got the phone on Saturday and that night she called me for a mini-lesson in how to use it. I told her the basics - how to turn it off and on, how to text, how to make a call. The next day, I just knew that Mom being Mom would have her new phone with her so she could show it off to her sister at church. So, Sunday morning, when we knew Mom would be deep into the morning church service, we dialed her new number! I was laughing hysterically even before we dialed the number.

The phone rang and rang and rang and I laughed and laughed and laughed. About fifteen minutes later, Mom calls and Sid answers the phone. "Did you kids just call me? What in the world?!?" Mom cried in her high-pitched frantic voice. Turns out, sure enough, Mom's new phone was on and at the bottom of her purse and right in the middle of church it started singing Boogie Nights! I could just picture Mom looking around trying to figure out where in the world that music was coming from. I could see her sister's face and Mom's embarrassment when she realized it was coming from her very own purse! And Mom couldn't remember how to turn the darned thing off, so she just picked up her purse and made her way across the pew and down the aisle of the church as fast as her little legs would carry her, with Boogie Nights playing loudly the whole way! I'm laughing so hard as I type this that tears are streaming down my face! She was so mortified that she stayed in the lobby of the church for a full fifteen minutes before she returned to her seat. When she sat back down, Aunt B asked her who in the world that was calling and Mom smirked, "My silly son-in-law!"

It was priceless! I wish I could have been there to see it all happen in person, but I'm sure if I had been, I would have wet my pants! I still can't stop laughing just thinking about it. I expect she'll be calling me tonight for further lessons on how to use her new phone, and at the top of the list will be "How do I change this silly ringtone?"