A Visitor

"Well, there's a creature we've never seen before", declared Elijah looking into our back yard. Maybe he hadn't, but I knew exactly what that creature was, a raccoon. Yes, an injured raccoon found its way onto our backyard patio. It did leave eventually, after I had visions of calling in animal control (a much more costly process than you would think). Gone for a week on its own until yesterday when Jeremy looked out and said, "Mommy, there's that raccoon again"...sure enough there he was drinking rainwater off a patio table. We don't have any food sources out there, but we didn't think about rainwater. Jonathan scared it away this time. Now, how to keep it away? My mom told me ammonia would work (obviously not after a night of rain), but we are worried about putting a corrosive substance out where the kids play. Obviously, I'm now checking every nook and cranny before sending the kids out to play, very vicious creatures raccoons are. Please neighbours, don't leave out any food to attract this raccoon back in (I know it was the same one because of the sore leg it has).