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Tabasco the Saucy Raccoon goes Trick or Treating by Lyn Hancock
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Rated "G" by the Author.
Tabasco, Lyn Hancock's popular raccoon, goes Trick or Treating at Halloween with Lorne the Frankenstein Monster but Tabasco ignores the treats and scuttles inside the house on his favourite trick mission- destroying bathrooms.
On Hallowe'en,Tabasco and I went trick-or-treating with Anne's son,Lorne.The raccoon had no need to disguise himself, he wore his own mask naturally, but Lorne came dressed as the Frankenstein monster. When we went to pick him up,Tabasco saw Lorne in his flowing black robes and gargoyle-toothed mask come running towards the car and immediately fled under my seat. For a long time,not even candy would draw him out.He was also scared of big fat Jack-o'-lanterns with candles inside them. This was surprising because in a house he was always looking for boxes of matches, pouches of tobacco,packets of cigarettes and pipe cleaners.
Lorne had collected quite a bag of goodies before Tabasco emerged from his hiding place and ventured out to go trick-or-treating. Both the boy and raccoon went up to a door together. And then, surprisingly, it wasn't the candies or apples the raccoon was interested in but the house itself. As soon as the door opened,he scuttled inside and instinctively made for the bathroom,dragged the toilet roll to the toilet, dunked it in and turned on the taps. People would be left standing on their doorsteps with bags and mouths open while Frankenstein chased the masked bandit inside. They had no chance to choose a treat over a trick.
Tabasco was quite a rambunctious raccoon. While I like the wilderness and wildlife a lot, I think there's a lot of maintenance required when you keep a wild animal in your house. I'm not sure your neighbors appreciated his activities in their bathrooms.
Lyn Hancock, an Aussie born adventurer and world traveller now living in Canada, has raised a lot of orphaned wild animals - eagles, seals, cougars, bears, coatimundis, even a gibbon ape and of course raccoons.
But she is also a teacher so she took many of these animals to school. One year, three of her cougars grew up in the homes of her grade four students. You can read about those experiences in such books as Gypsy in the Classroom, Love Affair with a Cougar, There's a Seal in my Sleeping Bag.
Lyn was a student herself and living in a NO PET apartment at the bottom of Simon Fraser University Hill when the Vancouver Zoo gave her a baby raccoon to raise. She named him Tabasco because the local radio station was running a contest on how to get rid of nuisance raccoons and the winner suggested painting all Vancouver roofs with Tabasco sauce. Tabasco was always a saucy character. He was also well educated as he accompanied Lyn to classes. In fact, he was the mascot of the English department and he accompanied Lyn to her graduation ceremony.
He followed Lyn closely when shopping in the city but when they moved to the country, he was free to roam. And it was while they were living in an orchard in Summerland that he learnt about Hallowe'en. Tabasco was always a nosy character, He got into everything (except- surprise - garbage cans!) Kids called him Dr.Goesinta the Dentist because he loved poking his curious fingers into their mouths.
So it was entirely in character that on Hallowe'en night he scooted past the lady handing out treats at the door and made for his favourite room - the bathroom. True to character, he poked and pried into everything and of course made a mess. At Christmas he loved to scamper around the neighbourhood looking for the best party. He was certainly a ham and loved to be the centre of attention. One Christmas Lyn lost her raccoon but you can read about that scary night in his book TABASCO THE SAUCY RACCOON.
Never a dull moment in any of Lyn's action-packed books. And she has almost unbelievable adventures. Smuggling Tabasco on 17 airplane flights across Canada then back home to British Columbia. Taking Rocky, another raccoon, on a truck ride to Alaska then home again by rubber boat. Rocky's book is called THERE'S A RACCOON IN MY PARKA.
Lyn's parka was the raccoon's 'cabin' on that long action-packed journey.
But it's not all laughs in Tabasco's book. He's free to go when and where he wants. And when as a teenager he wanders away for several weeks and gets into big trouble, he limps home with a fractured pelvis and spends the next six weeks in bed. His best friend,a dog Beauregard, stays by the raccoon's side for every day of his convalescence.
And promise me you'll read to the end of the book where a surprise awaits. Tabasco was a famous raccoon. Where else in the world would a picture of a raccoon take up most of the front page of the biggest newspaper in British Columbia!
TABASCO THE SAUCY RACCOON, a fast moving book with both photos and illustrations, appeals to all ages. The illustrations as well as the story are unique.The illustrator, Lorraine Kemp, went to a local school and asked the staff and students - and their pets - to model the characters in the book. The principal is the first model, she plays the part of the Air Canada agent at the Vancouver airport who whispers to Lyn how she can smuggle Tabasco through security.
I kid you not.This book is a true story. Truth really is stranger than fiction. Happy Hallowe'en and be nice to those raccoons along the route. One of them might be Tabasco.
Tasked by his Goddess to find, relocate, and then quicken, the last three Heart Tree gem-seeds, Vanx the bard, and his motley crew of adventurers, set out to do just that.
Tasked by his Goddess to find, relocate, and then quicken, the last three Heart Tree gem-seeds, Vanx the bard, and his motley crew of adventurers, set out to do just that.
