Thursday, September 07, 2006

Suburban Coyote


I had the dreaded crosswalk duty this morning. It's dreaded because the parents drive like maniacs! I'm certain some teacher on duty, or some child making their way to school will be hit by some parent dropping their kid off at school someday. They make u-turns illegally, speed, park in the crosswalk, double park, and drive up on to the campus grounds adjacent to the playground in desperate measures to get their kids on campus. It's insane.

Anyway, this morning's crosswalk duty was even more exciting and dangerous because there was a coyote roaming the neighborhood. That might be commonplace where you live, but this is Huntington Beach! Around these parts crows, possums, and outdoor cats are considered wildlife. I personally did not see the coyote, but heard all about him from concerned students and their parents while I was trying to get them across the street to safety. I hope he's found his way out of that neighborhood and back to someplace more rural before I have crosswalk duty again.

16 Comments:

  • At 8:00 PM, Blogger C's Mom said…

    There was a suburban coyote when I was visiting in Atlanta once. The little boy in the household was out on the front lawn saying 'Here, doggie, doggie!' YIKES! Talk about inside the house in a hurry. Unfortunately, Mr. Coyote was spotted trolling the neighborhood again a few weeks later and was shot...just wish he would have gone home to the far off woods!

     
  • At 8:12 PM, Blogger Mrs Pushy said…

    I'm sure he left because he thought that the people were driving like maniacs. "Get me the hell out of here!"

    Don't you love being back at school? *snort

     
  • At 8:20 PM, Blogger Paulette said…

    Last night at 3 in the morning I was awaken by howling and screeching coyotes. There must be a pack of puppy in the neighborhood they sounded like babies. Their howling bounces of the mountain walls and it’s like they are right outside my bedroom window. I am use to it but Huntington Beach now that’s wild. I hope the parents don’t run him over trying to drop off their kids.

     
  • At 8:40 PM, Blogger Eliza2006 said…

    Yikes! No coyotes in SLC today, but I do end up seeing a deer now and then.

    Tiffany

     
  • At 9:35 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I hope that he's found his way to safety myself!

    Huntington Beach. Yeah.

    Well, that place holds a special memory for me. My first attempt at surfing. Dangerous at the time - it was nighttime - perhaps as dangerous as it can be to cross in front of the school during the day?

     
  • At 10:20 PM, Blogger Aimee said…

    Craziness! There was once a mountain lion loose in my old neighborhood....San Diego, go figure.

     
  • At 3:10 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    In Pacific Palisades we saw them every night and early morning!
    I bet the kids loved the excitement!

     
  • At 7:06 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I was a crossing guard for a year, it sucked! The only thing I loved was the hugs and waves I'd get everyday from the kids. Our school is on a VERY busy street, with four lanes, and a community college is two blocks down. NO ONE DRIVES 25! And if the light is yellow in the crosswalk, they speed up! I was almost hit twice. This year there is no crossing guard, I'm very tempted to do it again, but my family says NO, NO WAY, NO HOW! It's tooooo dangerous. I've writen hundreds of letters to the local newspapers to tell people to watch for the little ones on the road. After my 10th or 15th one, I started getting people flipping me off among other things....

    OK, I've just totally rambled on and on....

    Sorry! But I know exactly how you feel out there! It SUCKS!!

     
  • At 11:14 AM, Blogger Shannon said…

    OMG I've never seen a coyote in real life- wouldn't know one if it came up and bit me on the ass! Yikes!

     
  • At 5:19 PM, Blogger Special K said…

    Wow! We've had deer run through downtown. And this is not the country. I'm talking skyscrapers and a major highway. How they end up there I don't know.

     
  • At 9:23 PM, Blogger Michelle said…

    The parents drive the same in our parking lot. Hey, we're in H.B. too! Maybe everyone who loves there drives like a maniac! Coyote? How odd! I wonder where he was copming from/going?

     
  • At 10:02 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I picked up my DD from school the other day and it was insane, as I sat in my van waiting for the line to move more than an inch among the honking etc I'm thinking to myself hmmmm what a great lesson of the day 1. hello people the aggressiveness (is that a word?) what are these kids thinking and 2. next time I will tell DD to walk a block or two away where I will wait and miss the craze.

     
  • At 8:08 AM, Blogger Polar Bear said…

    That would make the extra duty a bit exciting and scary.

    I hope Wil E. Coyote made it back to rural America.

     
  • At 8:58 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    WOW, that is cool!!!

     
  • At 9:10 AM, Blogger Sugar Cookies And Hope said…

    That's amazing! I completely agree with you about crosswalk duty and have had my own share of maniac drivers early in the morning. My all time favorite drivers are those who park in the bus lane and sit there while the bus is honking at them from behind!
    We've had dogs in our yard at school, but never coyotes! Makes things kind of adventurous doesn't it?

     
  • At 6:10 PM, Blogger Shannon said…

    Wow, very exciting! I just had rude parents...sigh. But I found out that I only have bus duty HALF the year!!! I'm so excited!! =)
    PS I got home Friday night and went to bed at 8 pm. I was totally knackered!

     

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