Don’t worry Mom, it was only a dream!

Last night both kids were up at various intervals of the evening.  One was up with a dry hacking cough, the other kept wanting tissues to blow their nose.  It was also a night when I had a very strange, weird and disturbing dream that I actually can remember.

Chicken predators have been on my mind an awful lot lately.  I have been seeing more road kill these days and I know the wild animals are hungry.  They are taking risks.  Their food supplies are running low and I think they are hoping for Spring’s arrival more than myself.

It was an culmination of dream styles.  It was in color.  It was an opera, stop animation and at the same time, felt real.  A raccoon was after my chickens.  The coop was now in my backyard next to a swing set on AstroTurf.  It was nighttime.  If I had to guess somewhere between dinner and bedtime.  I saw a raccoon skulking around my coop.  I watched from the door.  Strangely, I did not do anything.  I did not try to scare it away.  In fact, the dream jumped ahead.  Suddenly, I felt anxiety.  I ran to the door.  The light was off.  I turned on the light.  Both side coop doors were open.  Pine shavings were strewn all over the ground and there I saw Sunshine maimed in a very cartoonish way; whimpering.  My eyes were then drawn to the hill.  The raccoon was now very cartoonish.  Sitting on his rump, Tilly dangled from her neck in his tightly clutched hands.  He was singing to her.  His eyes were dancing.  Then to the racoon’s left, I saw the rest of the flock huddled together, alive but still as stone statues…

I was abruptly awoken at this point.  Someone needed a tissue.  I returned to bed and lay there thinking, should I do more to predator proof the flock?  Maybe I should reinforce the latches.