Cents and Sensibility: laying the groundwork, raccoon style.

The sun was bright in my eyes early Sunday morning as I was headed east, driving to work. I'd reached that point in the morning when my windshield's filth was most apparent. Like visiting a harshly lit bathroom after having spent a robust evening in a dimly lit bar, every flaw was accentuated.

In addition to the colorful patterns thrown off from the crack in my windshield, I noticed distinct paw prints that were definitely not there the day before.

I'm assuming the prints were from a raccoon. I've had run-ins with raccoons in my garage before, and after doing a bit of googly research, the prints seemed to match.

How does a raccoon get into my garage, you ask?

I have a tendency to forget to close the garage door once I'm inside the house. It's just that simple.

So. 


As I was driving to work, I was hit first with the idea of the raccoon climbing onto my car, leaving a series of tiny dirty pawprinty calling cards.

Then I remembered that I'd left my car windows open the night before. It was in the mid-80s on Saturday - who wouldn't drive around with their windows open on a beautiful spring day in Colorado?

But Sunday was chilly. No open windows.

As I was accelerating to 65 on Sunday morning, I considered that the varmint may have climbed into my car the night before. With nowhere to stop or even slow down, I realized it was possible that Mr. Raccoon could be quietly napping in the back seat.

After turning my radio down to listen for raccoon sounds and taking a few cursory glances in the back seat, it became apparent that I was all by myself.

Ah, the beauty of the imagination; seeing a few paw prints and imagining so much more.

Which brings me to my Cents and Sensibility project.

Yes, it's a seemingly incongruous segue.

But I've been doing some planning.


My 4' x 6' chalkboard is rife with ideas that will ripen this summer.


Backstory. Inventory. Conversations with folks who lived through times like this before. Planting the garden. Movies to watch. Stats to gather.


And there are entries I want to write between now and then that have nothing to do with the Cents and Sensibility project. 


(If you're new to my blog and I'm making no sense with the Cents and Sensibility references, please visit http://paradigmthrift.blogspot.com/2011/03/cents-and-sensibility-preview-laying.html).


Too many ideas, not enough time.


Time is a fickle bitch.


So how does all of this raccoon talk come back to planning for the project?


What I'm doing seems to come down to vague, interesting outlines that I'm attempting to gradually define between now and the first of June.


Kind of like a footprint created by a creature I can't capture.


Like the amorphous raccoon.


What will happen with the project will be created out of the dusty footprints I'm currently trying to identify.


I'm assuming the colors that emerge will be as unpredictable as what I've found on my windshield lately during the early mornings of my commute.