Heidi Chronicles - Make Room For Baby

Oh, Cheryl, I'm so sorry to hear you're so miserable! Isn't there some kind of surgery they can do to relieve the pressure on the nerve?

KyWoods,

I don't know. I guess I have to go through this whole process of getting shots and MRI's and such until the drs decide what the problem is and what to do next. It's a frustrating process. I really hate having to take more time off from work to go in Monday to talk to the Dr when I know all the talk in the world won't fix this, but that seems to be the way the system works. I'm strongly considering getting a 2nd opinion - more time off from work.

But I guess I need to go through this process to get to the solution. One thing I don't want to do is rush them to give me the wrong treatment/surgery since some things are not so easy to reverse.

Absolutely, get a second opinion, find out what all your options are. I have a 'dysfunctional si joint' from scoliosis, and it spasms once in a while when I do heavy physical labor. It feels like a knife plunging into my lower back for a few seconds if I move wrong. I cannot imagine having to endure that all day, whew!!

We, Heidi and I, haven't had watermelon all week. The medication has kept me sleepy and at times exceedingly nauseated; besides, I haven't felt like going shopping. I actually had one melon here that I bought last weekend, but I wasn't hungry and didn't feel like lugging that thing around to get it cut.

As I mentioned before, I missed to nights at the buffet, but on the remaining evenings, Heidi was quite persistent in her efforts to tell me that something was missing from her plate. After she finished her dinner each night she would walk up to me, sniff my bag and bucket, and generally just stand there staring at me the same way dogs do when they want something and you are supposed to know what it is. She wasn't at all annoying the way Dennis can be at times. She stood very calmly at my feet staring up at me. I offered her peanuts which she normally likes, but she turned her nose up at them. I offered her a s/w cookie, but got the same reaction.

2 nights ago when she did this I tried to go to the house to get her an egg, but when I returned she was gone. Last night, when she again started trying to communicate with me about the deficiencies of her diet, I decided to try one more time to get her some eggs. This time as she stood at my feet staring at me, I looked her eye to eye and told her that I was going to get her something and that I would be right back and she should wait here. I knew she wouldn't understand he words, but Heidi is very smart, so I hoped my that she might understand the idea.

When I returned, there wasn't a raccoon in sight as they had all hidden behind the shrubs and such. I sat down and called heidi's name and just like that she stepped out from behind the roses and came right to me. I held out an egg, and Heidi reached up with both hands to take it gently from me. All totaled, she ate 4 eggs and then set upon eating the extra cat food I had brought her. I don't know where she is putting it all.

Before the watermelons came on the scene as an almost daily staple, I had been giving Heidi 2 eggs daily since she started nursing. Heidi will generally only eat 2 types of food each night. She can eat watermelon and cat food or eggs and cat food. When I had that yucky Publix dog food she hates she would eat watermelon and eggs, but she won't eat all 3 on the same night. After the eggs got left behind several nights (when I was giving her watermelon), I thought she was tired of them, so I stopped providing them. I guess maybe the past few days she had been trying to tell me that she misses the eggs - when there is no melon.

It was nice to have her communicating with me that way.

KyWoods,

After several days it really begins to try ones patience and sap ones strength.

To get through the week at work I had to stay on 24hr time release medication. I'm glad for the medication as I don't know what I would do without it, but I really don't like the idea of staying on medication day after day without giving my body a rest from it night or day. I didn't take anything last night or so far today for that reason. It's really starting to get to me now though, so I'm going to lie down for a bit. I may have to take something, but at least I gave my body last night and today off the meds.

The medication, BTW, doesn't get rid of the pain. I dials it back just to the point of being tolerable, but only barely. I still walk around with a long face such that people think I am upset or angry. I have to keep reminding them that I'm just in a lot of pain and otherwise I'm fine, i.e., not upset with them or with my assignments or anything like that. Yesterday, at a meeting when everyone kept wanting to know if I was ok - and by 'ok' they mean not upset about work stuff - I was thinking how I'd like to wear a giant "I'm fine. I'm just in pain" sign on my forehead so people would leave me alone and stop worrying that I'm mad with them. (I know they mean well, BTW.)

But I'm trying to muddle through somehow.

we've got a lil baby in the park. It's been assumed that the mom and rest of the family quickly left and left lil Rocky behind. I man a few 'roads' over from us is raising him [yes, we can visually see it's a male] . This man stated he has raised a kit before. the lil guy lives up a tree and under a neighbors shed. There is a lil shelter for him on this man's porch.

Rocky is sooooooo cute. This man said he'll 'raise' him until he is ready to go off on his own, then take him to the state park. DH and I are concerned that Rocky will be too accustomed to humans to be able to live on his own. But one can hope for the best. The man who is caring for him feels he's about 3 weeks old. I would think a bit older than that... but what do i know.

no sign of our raccoons in the past few weeks. We are assuming there is enough 'natural' foods out there, that they don't need to come for seeds. It is camping season after all....

CHeryl -- you are in my thoughts. Hope the DR apt goes well on Mon.

Terese

After we talked I took a nap. Finally had to break down and take the muscle relaxer when I woke up. This morning I had finally broken down and cut that watermelon, the one I bought last weekend. It wasn't the greatest, only one end was edible, but that end was decent. Note that it was totally not symmetrical as evidenced by the way I needed to curve the knife to cut it in half. (I was in pain, although less so, last weekend when I went shopping. The melons had been up high in a display 'box', and I didn't feel much like standing on tippy toes to dig through there in search of a good one.)

Anyhow, I went out well before dark to take the melon, cat food, and some eggs just in case out to Heidi and the others. Heidi's face emerged above the fence as soon as I sat down. Some of the others were already out there. I gave each of the others a good sized chunk of the watermelon before turning it over to Heidi.

A few notes from the evening. 1st of all, it is truly amazing the extent to which Heidi, who was truly wild, has learned to trust me. I don't mean just in allowing me to get close to her and walk around her and such. That's incredible too, but perhaps even more so is the fact that she really listens to me when I tell her this or that scary sound isn't a threat to her. It is even more incredible to see this in daylight. Contrary to popular lore, as we all know by now raccoons will come out in daylight; however, they are considerably more on edge I find when out in daylight. Sounds they might ignore at night will send them scampering for cover in daylight.

Between the time that Heidi came out and sundown, we were regaled with everything from barking, howling dogs to people yelling loudly at passersby, from cars with loud mufflers to those annoying mobile, boombox cars. During much of this Heidi was more than a little concerned, and I really thought that she would leave more than a few times, but each time I told her "it's ok" she would go back to eating her melon. Once when things got really loud, I talked to her explaining that it was just short bus noise. A time or two when something scared her I even caught her looking up at me, eye to eye, as if to say, "Well? Is it ok or not?" The extent to which she listened to me was nothing short of amazing. Most of the others take their cues from Heidi so as long as she stayed they all stayed.

Bast doesn't like to come out in daylight now that she is injured. That has been a problem this last week or so since I've been going out early. The others have been coming out in daylight in larger and larger numbers and gobbling up all of the food before she arrives. It's not that I can't keep back food for her but rather that by the time she arrives the others are all out of food and still hungry, not to mention that still more of them are arriving, and there is Bast with all that food while they are wandering around looking for something to eat.

I've learned a few tricks though. To slow the others down - because some of the nursing moms like Reba and Cissy's daughter can scarf down handfuls of food in seconds - and keep them at some distance from Bast so she will spend more time eating and less time worrying about being attacked, I scatter throw handfuls of food way back onto the bank beyond the pool and near the fence. Since they have to walk around searching for the tiny bits of cat food in the grass back there, it takes them considerably longer to eat the food (and it's more like the way they would normally eat in the wild), and they have absolutely no incentive to be anywhere near Bast where there is no available food anywhere in sight. This has helped considerably.

Incredibly, tonight Bast actually came out before dark for the 1st time since her injury. She sat down over by the tractor scoot as she normally does. Then as I was gathering my things to take the food over to her, she got up and walked over to me. When she got to within 1 and 1/2 ft I started to get a little uncomfortable thinking, "Whoa, Bast, not too close just in case you do have rabies." Sensing my discomfort, she stopped there and sat down on the grass. I put lots of food in front of her there and she ate and ate and ate. With the others on the other side of the pool hunting for kibble in the grass, it was the perfect, stress-free situation for her. I thought she looked very good, and I was looking at her in daylight.

I was also impressed with the difference in how she was eating (vs a few weeks back). She was eating at a good speed, neither gobbling the food down in an unhealthy manner nor picking at it the way she was doing some time back. She was eating like a healthy, hungry raccoon might. On the other hand, she is walking on only 3 feet again, holding the 4th rather limply. She also seems to be holding herself in a manner to shift more of her weight forward onto her front legs which looks a bit odd. She is still sitting down to eat but tonight she seemed more willing to walk around rather than dragging herself around. She even stood up to eat now and then but only for a minute or so before sitting down again.

Still no sign of those kits!

There is, however, considerable evidence that numerous families of them exist out there somewhere. Last year I noticed that Heidi didn't bring her kits until they were older (than prior years). I think this is because of the threat posed by all of the others at the buffet. The 1st year when it was only Heidi and her kits, she brought them out while they were quite small. Last year, if you look at the video and the pics you'll notice that they were noticeably larger.

Maybe it was bound to happen sooner or later - considering I do this sort of thing all the time with Widget - or maybe it was the drugs. Friday afternoon when I got home and found Heidi standing at the back door looking in at me, I went over and put my face to the glass at her level - to 'mess with her'. With my face now at her level, she looked back at me quizzically for a moment before dropping back down to all fours. She put her nose to the glass again at that level, and I immediately lowered my head to put my nose on the other side of the glass from hers. Looking a bit confused, she lifted one paw to try to touch my nose - but hit glass instead. I had expected her to run away, but she did not. She stood her ground looking in at me and trying to make sense of what she was seeing. For a few minutes I kept my face at her level before backing away again to fix her dinner.

It had been a rather adorable moment, but you probably needed to be there to truly enjoy it.

Tonight while Heidi was eating some cat food, Mishka grabbed one side of Heidi's melon and ran backward dragging it much faster than one would expect possible. (whoo, muscle relaxer definitely dulling the pain now but also effecting my typing. Word of warning because when I stop to reread a sentence I find omitted words and duplicated words all in the same sentence.)

There was a time not so long ago when I could not stand up without everyone running away much less walk among them. Things have improved dramatically now though. I got up and 'chased' down the melon, which was some 5ft away by the time Mishka dropped it to run for cover, and returned it to Heidi. Neither Heidi nor Bast ran away, so I was most impressed.

Sheryl sorry to hear your in pain but it was nice to hear from you...take care of yourself and try not to overdue it...the raccoons will be fine and can fend for themself if they have to for a bit...you just need to make sure your okay...you are important to alot of us on this thread

jeani

Cheryl, so sorry to hear about your agonizing week; but thanks for letting us know you're surviving it spite of it all. Glad to hear Bast is looking a bit better and eating more normally, though it does sound like she'll have significant long-term impairment. As long as she's allowed to visit the diner, her odds of survival are good.

Take good care of yourself, and hang in there.

I wanted to add my well wishes. Echoing Jeannies sentiments... The raccoons will do fine and you are important to those of us that follow this thread. Take care of yourself first then the raccoons if you can. Just stop in when you can and let us know about the progress in your treatments for the pain.

My son and his family got in last night from Mississippi. I drove two and half hours to pick up his 12 year old grandaughter(not by blood but by raising her for years). She is the one that had the kidney transplant two years ago. He has a 12 year old step daughter and 15 and 17year old step sons. They will be going to Bush Gardens Williamsburg and Virginia beach on Monday and Tuesday and then back here until Saturday so we will get some visiting in. They all want to see the Marine Corps Museum also. It is at Quantico 20 minutes from here. Samantha,the grandaughter got to watch two of the raccoons eat last evening and was thrilled to see them.

Judy

Jeani,

Thank you so much.

I know the other raccoons can take care of themselves just fine, but I do worry about Bast. I don't know how much food she can find on her own in her shape. I've read that raccoons routinely travel 1 to 3 miles eat night in search of food, farther if they have kits. I don't think she can do that. She does appear to have put on a little weight now though so that she no longer looks like she is just one missed dinner short of starvation.

I think time spent with the raccoons is actually therapeutic for me when I am able to get out there, not for my back but for my soul. It's almost like meditation. While I am out there with them I am so focused on them that I am transported for a brief time into their world and outside the day to day worries of my own life. If I am upset about things (problems at work, house needing some repair, etc) when I go out there, I return in a much better mood with my worries seemingly washed away and forgotten.

Would it be easier on you to get one of those rolling coolers to pack their food into and pull or drive out to the feeding area? DH & I have found it easier to drag things rather than carry them when our backs are flaring and he suggested that you get either the regular wheeled one or the motorized one for you to use for feeding. Some of them are quite large and might hold enough food for a few days-worth of feeding.
Best wishes thoughts and prayers to you and DO get second (& 3rd) opinions from the best Drs. that you can find.

Judy,

Thank you very much. I'm glad to hear that you will be spending some time with your family and am especially happy to hear that your 12yr old GGD is doing well post transplant.

I can just imagine how adorable raccoons must be to small children. Raccoon watching is fun for all ages. I think it should be a sport if not a therapy. You have to go out there and watch them for a little while to realize just how relaxing it can be.

Ruth,

I really doubt that Bast would have made it through this without help - if she does at all; but sometimes I look at her and wonder if I'm really doing her any favors. It just depends, I guess, on how mobile she will be when the dust settles and whether she will have residual pain. She isn't through healing yet though. For a while now I've seen an area that looked like that proud flesh along the front of her upper hind leg. Tonight I noticed that this area of bright pink flesh (no blood) and hairless shin extends all along the inside of her upper hind leg and well into her tummy area. That seems to be the only remaining open area at least that I can see for now.

Again tonight I thought she looked very good. She is eating well and just generally seems to be in good spirits. Where before she looked quite out of it and toying with her food, now she seems alert and fairly normal and is eating at a good speed.

That's good, it sounds like she is doing much better!
I had a fun evening yesterday. I was sitting out on the back porch on our bench, surrounded by food and water bowls for the coons/kitties, and a sweet young Mama coon came up to me. I was still as a statue as she sniffed my pants leg, looked up at me, then proceeded to the dish and ate.

There I was, trying not to move when a mosquito kept bugging me, lol. I kept trying to subtly twitch my muscles to scare off the darned bug, but it kept biting me. It was worth it!

I loved watching her feeling around in the dish for the kibble, picking up handsful of it and crunchy loudly with glee! She stopped to go to the birdbath for a drink (water dish was too close to me, I guess), came back and repeated the whole procedure until my Mom opened the back door to talk to me. She ran off into the woods at that point.

June,

I'm going to have to think about that. Right now I don't take enough to be heavy, just 5 or 6 scoops of food, ok lately 7 or 8. I have more trouble with finding enough hands to carry things sometimes than with the weight of it. If I got a wheeled or motorized cooler I would have to get it over the treshhold and out the back door. Then I'd have to manuever it over pavers and stepping stones and such. If I could leave it on the patio with food in it that might help, but I've tried that sort of thing before so I know that the raccoons would not rest until they ripped it apart and/or carried it away.

Thanks for the idea though. If I reach the point where carrying the stuff is a problem I will definitely keep this in mind. Right now just plan walking, lifting my foot over the threshold and little things like that, along with sitting is what provokes most of my pain.

Oh, KyWoods,

I can just feel the anticipation and excitement in your words as the raccoon approaches. I know so well the thrill of being approached and of sitting nearby to watch them eat. I'm very happy for you. And, yes, in that 1st year I recall allowing a mosquito or two to feed on me rather than risk disturbing the raccoons as I was trying to earn their trust. Recently, BTW, I was out there in daylight slapping mosquitoes on my arm while Heidi ate melon about 1ft away, but it took us 4 years to get to this point.

Wow! Oh, after that, last night I dreamed that I let her inside the house and she turned into a human little girl, and I invited her into the kitchen and asked her what she would like to eat, and I made it for her. LOL

Terese,

Little Rocky sounds Oh, So adorable. From my limited experience petting and playing with Dennis when she was a kit, I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to have a little one around. That his mother may have walked off without him reminds me of Diva aka Brittaney and some of the other scatter brained young moms I've seen at the buffet. More than a few times I've thought I would end an evening out there with an orphan left over and me trying to figure out what to do with it.

While it is good that Rocky has someone to look after him, it would be better to get him to a rehabber. A rehabber would know how and when to train him to find food (the way his mom would have), teaching him to fish and find turtle eggs and such. Without that training he may have difficulty in the wild alone expecting to find food in a dish. I can imagine though how very difficult it would be to let little Rocky go to a rehabber. I'm sure everyone there must be completely in love with him by now.

KyWoods,

I don't know about turning into a little girl, but if you get to know her well enough she probably will start to tell you what she wants to eat just as Heidi and Dennis do me all the time.

Tonight after I chased Heidi's melon shell (she had already eaten most of the contents) down twice and brought it back to her she finally managed to get it across to me that she was through with it and wanted to let her grands have there rest - and I was simply butting in where my help was not wanted. Don't ask me how she conveyed that to me, she just did. It was in her look, her eyes, her body language. Some things just can't be so easily explained. I'm sure if you have pets you know how you somehow learn to communicate without words.

Yep, "Racoon Whisperer" is the perfect title for you, Cheryl! Forgot to mention that after I went back in the house, Mama coon returned and I saw her sit up and sniff the seat of the bench I had been sitting on. Maybe she was thinking, "Now where'd she go?"

KyWoods, what a thrill for you; that first close contact initiated by a wild creature is pure magic!

Cheryl, I appreciate your dilemma about helping Bast; and if she'd been any species other than raccoon, I probably wouldn't have recommended trying to help her through such serious injuries. Raccoons are such consummate survivors, though, that it seemed worth a try - especially since she was clearly asking for help, rather than going off in the forest to quietly die. When her injuries finally heal, I'm hopeful that the worst of her pain will be gone; but it's clear that there will be some long-term, if not permanent, impairment in her use of the rear limbs. For what it's worth, that is somewhat less threatening to a raccoon than loss/impairment of the front limbs.

I know exactly what you mean about time spent with wildlife being restorative; I always found that to be true as well. It is a great way to escape the daily trials of human life, with all its attendant worry, and spend time in a simpler and somehow purer, if not always kinder, world.

Cheryl, what you need is a little red wagon...to put all your goods, food and the like and pull that out with you. Easier on your back and your hands....and they have ones with the sides on them that are more sturdy. I have seen the garden variety out of a sturdy molded plastic also.

Are you still using the antibiotics on Bast food? Sounds like she is still in need of one and fighting infection.

Had a chuckle about Heidi giving up the watermelon and you bringing it back.

Hopeing and praying your feeling well soon. Good luck at the doctors.

Debbie

Debbie,

LOL, I really need to get that wildlife cam so you guys can see the raccoon mob in action. If I pulled a wagon, even one with sides, it would be empty by the time I got to the buffet. Those crazy raccoons 'escorting' me to the buffet would stand upright to snatch things from the wagon and run off with them. They are amazingly sneaky little creatures. At the buffet I have to put the tote bag between my legs to keep them from running off with it as they have tried to do many times. If I put it beside me, sooner or later a little ninja coon will sneak up close to me, grab the strap, and run away with the bag of goodies in tow.

I have the Tetracycline but haven't used it yet. The last few days I've been able to walk over to her or near her and pour her food on the ground in front of her. Otherwise, I've had to throw her food to her sometimes as far as 6-8ft. She won't eat from a dish right now. Not sure why. I can't figure out how to get the stuff on her food under the circumstances. Even recently when I've been able to walk over to her, I'm still putting the food on the ground and am not getting close enough to sprinkle the antibiotic on it.

I though Heidi looked a little unappreciative the 1st time I retrieved the melon. The 2nd time she was standing there with a look that said, "Now why did you go and do that?" It was then that I realized that she and the other raccoon, Cissy's daughter, had worked things out between them. Heidi had given her the melon, and there I was repeatedly snatching it back and returning it to Heidi. Makes for a humorous image, the raccoons all watching me the dopey human messing things up and them standing around behind my back making that 'crazy' gesture. The 3rd time the other raccoon took the melon, I stayed out of it, and everything worked out just fine without my 'help'.

Thanks. I'll be going to the Dr soon.

Cheryl....I have an idea for serving up the antibiotic.

Two possiblities. #1 Open a cookie...sprinkle it on the creamy inside...and put top back on.

Step two....do the same with frosting you added it too in the house...and put on a graham cracker.

Ok...for the wagon...we must modify for Ninja Coons. ROFL A large tote...with top....inside the wagon....and top on tightly. LOL

Prayers for the doctors with you!

Debbie,

The cookie is a good idea, and If it were any of the others except Bast, that would be perfect. Most of the others will wolf down just about anything sweet. Bast never was big on sweets. She is more like Heidi in that respect. She will eat a few s/w cookies some days. Other days she will turn them down altogether. Last night she ate a few cherries. The only thing she eats dependably is the cat food. The last few times I tossed s/w cookies to her she turned them down. Bast never would eat the frosting. Everybody else loves it but not bast. (It's just like dealing with children.)

As for the wagon setup, the large tote must also be too heavy for them to drag it over the edge of the wagon because they will also give that a try. They will run up beside the wagon and grab the tote by the straps or anything else they can get a hold of and then run backwards draggin it.They are one heck of a demolition team.

Well darn Cheryl, I am running out of ideas.

Does she eat any fruits? Yogert? Can mix in yogert cup leftovers for her? A personal fruit cup?LOL Can you just hand her the pill and a drink of water! LOL

I think the tote...we use the rubbermaid with the snap on lid...would work great. There are lots of them on sale now for kids going to college and using them. They come in many sizes...we have them from 2 ft to about 5 ft long here for storage in the attic. They are also about 2 ft tall or deeper....depending size you get...so the little Ninjas could not drag them away...especially if they had food in them.

How did the doctors go?

ROTL, Debbie

No, she won't eat yogurt either. Bast pretty much always ate just cat food and maybe a few peanuts. Not sure about grapes. That's about it for her.

I haven't seen those totes. I'll have to check them out.

The Dr thinks this pain is different from the one before. Actually, I think so, too, because the symptoms have changed. He thinks this is due to pressure on the sciatic nerve. He was looking at my feb 09 MRI and he said something to the effect that it indicated pressure on the nerve. I was livid to hear that this info was right there on my MRI all along. Argh!

He wants to do more shots. These are slightly different somehow from the others I was having, different deliverly location, etc. He could do them Thurs morning, but I just learned that the friend who usually drives me can't make it at that time, so now it looks like I may have to wait until next week to get the shots - unless I could get you to drive down here and ... kidding ; )

Tonight before I went out I put a few handfuls of oatmeal cookies in my pocket in case Dennis showed up. By the time she did, I had totally forgotten about those cookies. She did her usual plundering, looking for something good. I fussed at her and told her this was all we had: cat food and peanuts. A few minutes later Dennis was sitting beside me and gently tugging at my pants pocket. The cookies! Of course. I had forgotten, but she had found them anyway.

This same thing actually happened another time a while back when I had 2 eggs in my pocket for Dennis. Again, I had forgotten all about them and was trying to convince Dennis that what she saw before her was all there was. Next thing I knew Dennis had hold of one of those eggs and was tugging at it. It was still in my pocket and she was tugging through the fabric. Luckily, she didn't break it. I was glad though that she had found the eggs and reminded me. I hate it when I get back inside and find something like that.

Cheryl, this is the type of tote I am talking about. This one is Sterilite....and at Walmart. They go from $5.00 up ...depending size and brand you choose. Lots of colors if they want hot pink or purple! LOL

Wish I could take you to the doctor, really do. Tell Heidi to load you up in the wagon....and they can make a "sled coon" team.....MUSH!

LOL, great visual of the sled coon team!

Ohhh... I wish I lived close enough to pop down and give you a ride, Cheryl!!

Debbie,

Oh, I have some of those containers. Thanks for the pic - worth 1k words.

I, too, love the image of a very intoxicated me being pulled home in a little red wagon by a raccoon sled team. ROTFLOL. Can you just see all of the other drivers rubbing their eyes in disbelief - and swearing off those lunch cocktails?

Thank you, Marylyn!

You know I was just kidding. I've been thinking about you lately as I watch the news/weather. Looks like you folks over there are really taking a beating right now from the sun. Try to stay A/C'd and hydrated. My thoughts are with you.

Last night as I mentioned, Heidi gave up her melon for Cissy's daughter. (Ok, time out. That girl needs a name. Aphrodite. There. Done. Now we can call her Freida.) So, apparently Freida is pregnant right now, her 1st, and she is starving, just cannot get enough to eat. She's a bottomless pit. When I have anything to spare I give it to her. I gave her 2 eggs one night - and that didn't even begin to make a dent in her hunger.

Lately, by the time I give Heidi her food and Bast her food and hold back a small amount for Dennis there isn't much left for that huge, hungry crowd. I figure the others most of whom are very young can find enough food to supplement their diets while Bast really needs the food and Heidi and Dennis, well, they're my pets.

When Frieda runs out of food, she sits down near Heidi, not to do the Steal or anything. She just sits there looking very put upon - with that whoa is me look. So last night Heidi gave her the melon. Tonight, much to my surprise, about 1/2 way through her meal (no melon tonight), Heidi just walked away from her meal and turned it over to Frieda. The only concentrated food in one spot was Heidi's 'dish' and what Bast had. The others were hunting through the grass on the slope for bits of kibble. Frieda was hungry and tired and didn't want to go back there and scrounge around for food, so Heidi turned her pile of food over to Frieda and then [Heidi] went back to the slope to search for food with the others. There was no arguing or anything like that. She just gave her food to Frieda. I was amazed.

After Heidi searched for kibble on the slope for a while, I called her name and she came to me. I put some food beside me where Dennis usually sits, and Heidi ate there for a while. Here is a picture of her sitting down beside me. Because she was so close, the angle is looking down on her. If you look closely you can see her foot sticking out to verify that she is sitting down.

That Heidi had compassion for Frieda, her granddaughter who is now pregnant and constantly hungry, is just incredible. It is also amazing that she realized that she had a lot of food while the others did not and so she decided to share with Frieda.

Yeah, we've only had a couple of days of rain in the past 45 days or so. June is usually one of the rainiest months of our year. It has felt a lot more like San Antonio (hot and very dry) here than Houston (almost as hot and really really REALLY humid!) lately! Maybe Hurricane Ike pushed us west last fall and we didn't realize it... LOL