Unexpected Houseguest(s)

We stepped out of the house yesterday and felt like we were being watched. It wasn't just our imaginations! D finally spotted something on top of the chimney, peering down at us:

Here's a closer look:

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you--we apparently had a raccoon on our chimney. Not just on. In. After it considered us for a couple of minutes, down it went. We have no idea if there's a family in there or just a lone raccoon who thinks he's hit upon a very nice place to live. Whatever the reason, our unexpected houseguest had better start packing.

Tomorrow I'll call some chimney people to come and put a cap on. Theoretically we should be able to bang on things in the fireplace to scary this little guy out first. I have no idea what we're supposed to do if there is indeed a family. We're hoping that we get some advice when we call chimney companies for help--we're not sure if we're supposed to bring in pest control, but well figure that out too. This can't be the first time something like this has happened (in fact, the wonders of the Internet indicate that this is common enough to warrant lots of web advice), so I'm sure they'll tell us what to do.

I want to be freaked out and appalled and worried about how much this is going to cost and what damage is being done to our chimney. Mostly though, I just keep looking at the picture and thinking "oh how adorable!"