ROTFLOL, stillwood!
Believe it or not, it's true. When talking to humans, I stumble all over my words and have great difficulty sometimes communicating my point. Our language is so fraught with places and ways to mis-communicate, words with dual meanings, and such, and then there's the whole thing where people try to read extra stuff between the words - and I'm not one to hide stuff between the words. Communicating with humans is not easy. LOL.
Animals, on the other hand, deal mainly in non-verbal communications. They read us better than any airport scanner. (In fact, we could use some animals at the airport as they would know instantly who to let in and who to send packing). They read our body language and evaluate our heart rate and the chemical signals we are giving off. They listen to nonverbal communications, things we don't even know we are telling them. It's not easy to lie to animals. Animals often know us better than we know ourselves. My heart is pure. I mean them no harm, and they know it.
It's the same with bees, wasps, and such. I'll be in my garden pruning and deadheading and sometimes the plant I'm working on, maybe an aster or wisteria, will be just covered in bees there for the nectar. I'll just go about my work. I'll stick my hands right in the plant, right in the middle of the bees. Sometimes the bees will even come up and fly in my face. I don't know if they are trying to scare me away or just trying to figure me out, but I ignore them and keep working. I don't get upset and flail around at them. I'm not afraid of them, and I don't plan on trying to kill them. They realize this - because people who are scared of them give off chemical warnings - and they don't sting me even though my hands are moving all around them at close range. (We don't have 'killer' bees here yet, thank goodness. I imagine I'll be in real trouble if they arrive in my lifetime.)
Machines do communicate verbally (sometimes), but their languages are very specific. There is no duplicity. Words, phrases have one meaning and one meaning only. There is definitely no reading between the lines with computers and no assuming. With computers you have to tell them very precisely every little thing you want them to do, no more, no less. I can do that. For me, that is much easier than all of the assumptions and reading between he lines and duplicate meanings and such that go into human communications.
Anyhow, I like Terry, and I wasn't trying to give her a hard time. I just know that there really is a problem, one that is rare and which, thank heavens, happens rarely, but a problem none the less. That's all I was trying to say.
Heidi Chronicles: Nursing The Next Generation
I know what you mean about communicating with humans. I have ADD, which is lifelong and can be compensated for, but still a constant struggle. My thoughts sometimes scatter like a flock of birds startled by a loud noise. Now added in are those "senior" problems. And then to put something coherent into words sometimes...often I prefer to just be around cats and my garden for a while...or DH, who knows what I struggle with and has problems of his own with memory. I have no problem with bees or wasps here either. Since the day in '89 that I moved here, I haven't been stung. Now, scorpions still occasionally sting me. There is a not as many bees as there used to be and that affects the pollination of the blackberries and other things dependent on them for fruiting or making seeds. I've got the blackberries on my mind because they're producing right now...and the peaches and figs are close to being ready. I might even get to eat some of the peaches this year...usually the wildlife either remove them or there are major bite-damage on what they didn't remove long before they are ripe. But they are abundant on the tree this year and not many have been taken or damaged so far, so I have hope! I wish I had suitable land for a little orchard, but I don't.
Hi Sgt,
What a wonderful thing you did, taking all those raccoons on your land that way. That must be why they are so careful not to make a mess when picking a few snacks from your garden. ;-)
Some years back when my sister learned that a certain are of land was being cleared for a new subdivision and that the plan was to kill the raccoons, she put traps on the land (which was in a neighboring city, so not close to her house) and drove back and forth daily to check the traps and transport any raccoons to her 1000 acre plot in the country where she set them free. I was so proud of her - as I am with you now.
About that snake, hey that's quite resourceful of you to grill the big fella. I only ate snake once. I had it as an appetizer at a pricey restaurant, so I think it's pretty smart of you to cook it up that way. I figure BBQing them is the best revenge.
Glad those raccoons are being extra careful not to damage your garden too much.
Me and the lil coons get along pretty good they are good about staying where I put them the ground hogs are a different story .but they aint to bad eaten either LOL . now don’t be sayen eeew yet till ya try it ya just git to cook it right I thought the same thing ! but I don’t eat them All the time either. I had a mammy when I was a little bay and she is still a live 89 she is lives up the road about 10 houses from me now took her one the other day thought I would escape without eaten . not a chance lol she hollered about dinner she called the house and we had to come down . as usual it was a Big dinner ya know it’s just like a big pot roast not greasy at all brought memories when I was a lil boy . some time ya just cant git above your risen if ya know what I mean !
Sgt,
We don't have ground hogs here, so I've never actually seen one much less eaten one; however, I applaud your resourcefulness and culinary skills. If you can turn the critters that annoy you into lunch, especially in this tough economy, I say, "go for it." It seems to me that we humans have some very irrational ideas about what we will and will not eat. Certain creatures like chickens, cows, and hogs are acceptable. Others like lobster and pheasant are especially high-class fare while many other animals, especially those you might find around your home like that ground hog, are taboo. I suffer from these irrational ideas myself, to be honest. I love lobster, but cringe at the sight of crawfish even though they look quite similar and may well taste very good. I just can't seem to get past the idea...
But, as long as it's not endangered or a pet, if you can catch it, cook it, and even enjoy it, I think that's great. It saves you money, is probably much healthier for you than the antibiotic and hormone treated meat at the grocery store, and makes you more self-reliant than most of us.
...which reminds me. I need to run out now to grab some groceries.
OOHH talk about some good eaten is crawfish they are some good eaten about 3 bushel and make a Cajun feast some corn on the cob, taters, green bean strung not broke, some whole mushrooms put them in the big ol cast iron pot with some Cajun spice boil when its about done add live crawfish when they turn bright red or 30 min or less give a good stir drain ant lay your ears back and feast there is some fine eaten I tell ya .
If you ever get to Louisiana you have got to try their crawfish no one does it better then the Cajun folks themselves.
Now dont that look Good Darlen?
Sgt,
That reminds me somewhat of a Carolina/Low Country regional dish called Frogmore Stew. It's usually cooked outside at large gatherings, cooked in a large pot, a mixture of corn on the cob (as in your picture), whole or quartered new potatoes, smoked sausage segments, and shrimp all boiled/steamed together with various herbs and spices. I guess the ingredients are chosen based on what is readily available in the region. Here we have many shrimp boats going out daily, so it makes sense that shrimp would be featured in our version of the recipe.
thats pretty much what it is with any coastal state and some other ones .
I suppose I am missing out on what lots and lots of other people enjoy, but I would literally have to be starving (LITERALLY) before I would eat crayfish. Even seeing one takes me back to college biology having to dissect those creatures with overwhelming smell of formaldehyde - yuk. Shows how memories are connected with our sense of smell.
Dream - I bet the raccoons like crayfish!
OOOHH they Love them they got too be love though its funny put them in a bowl of water and the cooks will actualy wash them of corse they will wash everything they eat but watching them eat crawfish is even funnier cause of the claws lol but they get pass them quik
and cajun crawfish smell nothing like scince class Rotf lol their much better I promis
I can vouch for that, they don't smell a thing like formaldehyde...eeeew! I was born in New Orleans and have had not near enough crawfish in my time away from there. Nobody this far north eats them.
Hay KW you can order them online and have them delivered to your front door a big bag we use too do it when i was comeing in for leave we would set it up so it would be there when i got in . but thats been a long time when we get things settled we plan on taken a trip to New Orleans and haven a feast on them lil critters both the wife and I and even the youngen love them LOL plus we want to see the sites and history of New Orleans too .
I haven't been there for over 25 years, so when ya go, eat enough for me, okay? lol
One of our raccoons bit one of the cats the other night at the food dish. She seems fine--thank goodness I had them all vaccinated (the cats, that is, lol).
I just hope the oil spill didnt or dont kill everything orer there it is already hurten them hard i have some friends that live there and it's causeing some problems .
True...it makes me sick to see it. Just what the gulf coast didn't need while still recovering from Katrina.
this is gona take a long time to recover from all the way around the coast lines and it's effects will be felt for a long time too. its sad .;(
Dream - we did not mean to take over your interesting Heidi thread. Be sure to get us back on track with some more updates on Heidi, the yearlings, the cats, etc. We should back off and give it back to you. Looking forward to hearing about the latest escapaes of "your buddies".
Back on topic, yes, raccoons do eat crayfish. And leftover dog food, lol.
Getting back to our original topic, which is Heidi and the gang...
There were 10 of them out there tonight, all nursing, all eating like they were half starved. They sure are putting back the chow right now. Whew. I got some marshmallows on 2 for 1 sale. They inhaled a bag like it wasn't even there.
I don't know what to think of Bast. She is challenging Heidi. Not a good way to keep her seat at the table. Every night she tries to take Heidi's food. As you know, I always feed Heidi 1st because she's the matriarch, so she is supposed to eat 1st. Heidi always eats in the same spot right in front of me. All the others eat in a large semi circle around her (and me). I give Heidi the 1st handful of kibble, and then start handing out food to the others. We do it the same way every night. Everybody knows this, and nobody objects - except Bast.
Bast wants to eat in Heidi's spot, and Bast wants to be fed 1st. I gather that means Bast wants to be the boss. She's got some nerve, that one. I guess the good news here is that she must be doing fairly well (post-accident) if she feels she's ready to take on Heidi. I'm afraid she's going to get herself kicked out of the buffet if she keeps this up though. I'm surprised that Heidi has put up with her this long.
For the past 2 nights when they start getting into position (at the imaginary table) for dinner, Bast lunges at Heidi as if to say, "Hey, I want that spot." This happens before I even give them any food. Heidi is just getting into position at her 'assigned' spot, and Bast makes mock attacks trying to take that spot. At this point I'm still standing upright moving into my position in front of my seat. I've been using my tote bag, a large cotton grocery bag in which I carry the cat food, flashlight, bug spray, treats, leftovers, etc, to gently separate them and guide Bast back to her spot. I'm already standing. I just move the bag between them - yes, that's how close they are - and gently push Bast back to her spot with it. Of course, Bast has to agree to be pushed since raccoons are incredibly strong and solid. They are much harder to push than they look. But Bast always yields to me, moving away from the bag with ease and going back to her spot beside me.
Once I separate them that 1st time and guide Bast back to her spot, she's fine after that. Heidi always behaves admirably during all of this. She stands her ground but does not fight with Bast. And Heidi has become so comfortable with me that she is completely unaffected by me putting my bag in the narrow space between her and Bast - and thus only inches from her. Do you realize just a year or so ago that alone would have sent Heidi running for the forest? We really have come a long way, she and I - and the progress continues.
Well tonight when I gave Heidi that 1st handful of kibble, Bast moved in quickly and started eating it. Then when Heidi tried to take back her spot, Bast crouched down on top of the food in a sort of Reverse Shove. Heidi moved in beside her and soon they were executing The Shove, bodies lined up side by side, each trying to use the full length of her body to push the other away from the food. Then a brief spat broke out as tangled tooth to tooth while still pushing hard against each other with their bodies.
When the spat broke up for a moment - and Bast was actually STILL in ownership of the food, I took advantage of the moment to use my bag to guide her back to her spot so we could all get on with the meal. When my bag 1st met up with her, Bast was still crouching low over the food and refusing to move. The bag wasn't enough to move her even one millimeter. I moved the bag away a little and back at her giving her a gentle bump. This time she acquiesced moving quietly and calmly back to her spot.
The rest of the meal went nicely. Everybody behaved, even Bast. Like I said, once we get past that initial challenge phase Bast is always fine. She eats beside me in the same spot where she used to eat when she was so badly injured. And she is totally not afraid of me. I can even reach out and touch my finger to her cold, wet nose and brush the kibble off her coat. But then I guess after all I did to help her last year when she was injured, she can't possibly think I would hurt her. She knows I held the others back to allow her to eat when she was hurt too badly to fend for herself. After all that it's got to be hard to imagine that I would hurt her.
Below is a picture of Bast taken since her return. Below I will post additional photos, some showing her scars for ID purposes.
stillwood,
Thank you. Actually, we cross posted, but as you can see, smart minds think alike.
These photos of Bast were taken on the 2nd night after she returned. Because of her position relative to me, I wasn't able to get pics of her right side which is where most of the damage was concentrated.
In this photo you can see a rather strange hump on her hip area. I'm not sure what that's about, but that hump is really there. It's not just a function of the photo. That strange looking hump on her hip was one of the 1st things I noticed that 1st day when she returned. It makes her look a little like her parts don't fit together quite right.
I this photo you can also see slight discoloration of the fur in the areas of the right shoulder and neck where she had other injuries. Although these areas are not as compelling, I thought I would point them out.
I'll try in the coming days to get a photo of the right side where she looks even more like her parts don't go together.
Here is the right side seen from a distance. Here you can see an area on the hip where the hair still hasn't grown back. This was the site of one of those horrible abscesses that erupted on her body back at the height of her injury. Remember those?
This is probably the most compelling photo in IDing Bast. I was able to see the scars on the inside of her back legs when she lifted them to get in the pool but wasn't able to get a picture fast enough to capture that. However i was able to get a few pics of the back right foot, the one that was hurt the worst, the one on which the 2 toes were damaged and nails possibly removed. Remember?
Here is that foot. You can see cut or possibly 'chew' marks on the foot still. If you look closely at the upper part of the foot you can see that it's misshapen, something I've noticed while watching her stand while eating. She stands sort of toward the outside of that foot rather than standing on it squarely as would be normal.
Of course, the thing that jumps out at you immediately from this pic is the damaged and swollen toe. After all this time, that toes appears to be swollen STILL. I gather she is still having some difficulties with it, but it isn't keeping her from standing, walking, climbing, and even running - not to mention challenging Heidi. This photo was taken the 2nd day since her return so maybe a week or so ago. The swelling in that toes appears to have gone down again now.
The nail on that toe is missing. I'm not sure, but the photo seems to show possibly some vestige of the missing nail. I'm hoping that's a sign it may be trying to grow back in - and, hopefully, in a normal manner.
Another, slightly different view of the foot.
Ok, is everyone mad with me now? Or is it that you don't really enjoy Bast stories because they are kind of gory and a downer? If it's the former, I'm sorry. I just didn't want to stray too far OT. If it's the latter, I know there are bad and gory memories associated with Bast, but I like to think of her as the ultimate success story, a story of triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds. I mean, people, remember Bast walked on her front feet for a few weeks to get to dinner while allowing her legs time to heal. Maybe it's just me, because of the pain I've had with my knees and back. I think of Bast sometimes when I'm in pain and tempted to give up. I think of all that she endured and overcame. To me hers is a story of tremendous hope.
A few of the photos did reveal her rib cage showing that she really did need some help while nursing that litter. I think she did an admirable job taking care of herself on her own all winter and even during gestation and the early weeks of nursing. Still, as this photo shows, the extreme demands of nursing were starting to take a toll on her body. I think this also shows why she showed up again at the buffet when she did. I think it helps to give credence to my belief that she came back and appealed to Heidi (when the demands of nursing got too much for her), and Heidi, seeing her situation, agreed to let her come back to the buffet under the circumstances. Heidi is a tough but very benevolent leader.
**waves** very long day... off to bed.
Good night, Terese!
You know I'm here, just seldom say anything. I just quietly enjoy your stories. And I like to see Bast because I am amazed at what you have accomplished with her.
Hugs,
Susan
=^..^=
Wow! She looks so good compared to last year... I think though, that Bast surely still has some infection and that may explain the lump on her back and the appearance of her leg and foot/toe. As one that has fought an infection for 4 years, I kind'a recognize the signs. Didn't you buy her some antibiotic last year that you didn't get a chance to give her? Now may be a good time to go digging for it. Maybe you could get her to take it if you mixed it with the coconut oil and soaked cat/kitten food with it. I am soo glad that you took your camera out to the buffet!
Thank you, Susan!
Bast deserves the credit. She did all of the really hard work. I just like to think that I helped to give her the opportunity to do so by keeping her fed while her body was so hard at work trying to overcome the tremendous hurdles before her.
In her determination to continue challenging Heidi I can't decide if she has enormous heart and an indomitable spirit to have undergone all that she has and to have come out still fighting - or if she's just foolhardy - or both. Either way and regardless of whether I approve, I see her decision to challenge Heidi as a sure sign of how far she has come since the days last year when she could fend off even the lowest ranking members to save her food.
To me her story is one of success against almost insurmountable odds, and I am very happy for her.
June,
I did buy some antibiotics, and I know where they are. I thought about them the other day after seeing her swollen toe. I'll tell you the things that cause me concern and which have kept me from giving her the antibiotic so far.
Above all, I don't want to give her anything that might harm her. As long as she is managing to cope with the situation on her own, I'm reluctant to give her something when I don't honestly know how it might effect her. I bought the antibiotic at the time when the situation looked very, very bleak, and when, at the time, I thought she might not make it. I was more willing to risk giving her the medication when it appeared it might be her only hope (much like Drs will sometimes use an unknown, experimental drug in a last ditch effort to save someone who is going to die anyhow if they do nothing).
(1) As I am not a vet, I don't know whether the drug I bought is one that might be harmful or risky for her species.
(2) I don't know if she might have a fatal, allergic reaction to the drug.
(3) I don't know if the drug is effective against the type of organism with which she is dealing.
(4) Lastly, even if the drug is effective for her ailment, I don't know the dose at which it is effective.
(5) Even if I knew the correct dose, it's likely I would not be able to give her the drug at that dose. Most drugs of this type only last about 4hrs, so they have to be given 4-6 times a day to maintain the proper level in the bloodstream to combat the infection. Since I only see her once a day (and sometimes not even that as she missed one day), I can't possibly give her the medication properly.
(6) As you probably know, when an antibiotic is administered at a level below that required to completely eradicate the organism, it can be worse than taking nothing at all. The lower dose kills off the weaker 'individuals' (of the bacteria) thus paving the way for the stronger ones to thrive and grow even stronger still. This is the path by which we create so called drug resistant super bugs. I fear that doing this might render Bast's infection even more resilient and thus more difficult for her body to fight and might also lead to the creation of a stronger 'bug' that might go on to harm the other raccoons, other wildlife species, and even humans.
These are my concerns, but as I want her to continue to do well, I am willing to entertain counter arguments on the subject.
Recently I told you about the evening when I went to the patio door to find the yearling leaning back against the door, but that was just he beginning. The very next day, I went to the back door in the mid afternoon, around 2:30-3 and was positively shocked to find a yearling, possibly the same one, curled up in a circle asleep on the mat just outside the door. I was totally blown away 1st that she was out there so early when I don't feed them until 5-7PM and then that she felt safe enough at my door to curl up and take a nap. LOL. She was so adorable!
I don't know how long she might have been there before I found her quite by accident as I was on my way out for something which had nothing to do with raccoons, but I figured the poor little one must have been awfully hungry to be out there so early hoping for dinner. I gather, this being her first ever time nursing a litter, she was just famished. I gathered my things and ran out to feed her. Usually, most of the raccoons are afraid to be out there with me alone and w/o Heidi around, but the yearling just seemed thrilled to get an early dinner. I sat with her for a while, and no others showed up at that unusual hour.
After that I went out to feed Cocoa. I wanted to mow the lawn. I wasn't sure how he would handle that, but being in a hurry I put his food outside for him. After he ate a bit, I headed off to get the mower. I was shocked when I drove out of the garage on the mower and looked to see Cocoa walking around calmly on the walkway at the front door.
After I mowed the front lawn, I drove the mower up to the gate and stopped to open it so that I could mow the back yard. By this time it was nearing 5PM. I figured some of the raccoons would be showing up for dinner and would not be happy to have me back there mowing, but it had to be done. I propped the gate open, got back on the mower, and turned it on. Before moving forward, I looked ahead and down the backyard garden path to see Bast standing there on the path ahead of me. She was just standing there looking at me - even though I had the noisy mower running.
Bast obviously knew it was me on the mower and was hungry and wanting me to get her dinner. I hated to disappoint her, but I really needed to mow that grass. She would have to wait, I decided. Then just as I was about to move forward, Bast started walking along the path toward me. I watched in amazement as she came down the path. I expected her to stop, but she didn't. She came right up to the gate, paused there a minute, looked around, and then walked through the open gate and into the front (or side) yard where she stopped in front of the still running mower and stood looking at me as if to say, "What about my dinner?"
Just to be sure you get the picture, I remind you that it was around 5PM on a day when sunset was around 8:30PM. It was still broad daylight, and Bast had just walked through the gate into the front (side) yard to come and get me to serve dinner. This was the time of day when neighbors would be outside doing those after work tasks and just generally enjoying the remains of the day - and here I had a raccoon in the front yard acting like a pet.
I was concerned that someone might see Bast, but even more than that, I was just incredibly touched by her behavior, that she trusted me enough to come into the front yard and to approach the noisy [running] mower. Wow! Well, this changed things. I turned the mower off and headed to the front door. I would feed the raccoons 1st and hope to have enough light left to mow the lawn after that. I was just too touched by Bast's behavior. I had to feed her.
When i got back to the front door, I found a box turtle about the size of a salad plate. He/she was on the porch only about 8" from the front door and had climbed up onto the shallow dish I was using to feed Cocoa. The turtle was eating the food Cocoa had left over. I had stopped feeding Cocoa outside after dark because to keep from feeding opossums, raccoons, and other feral cats out there. I hadn't even thought of turtles.
It was at that moment after finding the yearling curled up asleep on the back mat in the mid afternoon and after having Bast come to me in the front yard while I was on a running mower and after finding the turtle eating at the front door that I decided that I should just hang a big sign out by the mailbox:
Cheryl's Wildlife Sanctuary
All Welcome Here
I didn't get to mow the lawn, BTW, but I did get everyone happily fed.
oh.. that is just to precious!! all of them. Boy -- it was YOUR day, huh?
are the moons lined up just right??
Hi Terese,
That actually happened a week or ago back during the couple days when I didn't write, but, yes, it certainly was my day. It was a very nice day and one that I remember fondly. : )
Since that day although I've not seen any of the raccoons at the back door so early in the afternoon, I've seen them snoozing on the patio many times while waiting for dinner. One evening I went out there and found one (again, possibly the same one) lying on her side on the mat, legs out straight in front of her, sleeping. For a moment I feared she might be dead since that's the position she was in and she wasn't moving, but then I realized she was just taking a nap (and I was just over reacting). The raccoons in general and the young ones in particular seem to be especially exhausted right now. Nursing really seems to be taking a toll on the little dears. Each day they are hungrier and more tired than the day before. The good news is that the kits should be eating solid food soon which will make things much easier on the moms.
News Brake on the Garden Possible,
I have Hade A few little foot prints showing in the morning as I would make my walk around the garden to inspect the plants and their health . well I set my live trap to see what was leaving the lil prints and it was not the good lord carrying me with the “foot prints in the sand” LOL I caught me four lil coons not much over 1 ˝ each all in the same cage . Sardines work well for the lil fellers. so off to the south 40 where they should have been to start with . they know better than to be this close to the road this is my part of the land and that is theirs there’s corn back there I’m fare about it or so I think so. LOL
Sgt,
I hear you. I think that is very fair of you to provide acreage and corn for them elsewhere, and I can understand why you would want them to stay back from the house. I would caution you though that this is the time of year when females, even the yearlings, are nursing very small and vulnerable babies. If the raccoons you caught were 1.5 yrs old, they are almost certainly females and thus nursing moms. If you relocate them, the babies that will be left behind will all die as they are too young to take care of themselves.
tis ok Moma was not far behind had to git her as well when i got back i heard a rutcas it was her got to take her and them too the back here in a few .ther under the big shade tree. their ok . be back in a few .~;>) I Knew she would not be far behind the lil ones and she was not she was under the play house she is a big gal..... be back in a few
Dream,
I think you jinks me or you knew she wasn’t far behind I was going to release the lil ones late this eve even set them up with water and a lil food . the mom was in the cage when I got back the youngens came runnen and told me about it . well they are all free now .they headed for the corn patch and the hill above it . I hope they stay there .
Thanks again dream.
Critter prints solved
AWW:( What if the little ones were wandering with mom and got "called away from her" by the sardine scent and thus captured and separated from her because of the trap.....kind of leaves me a bit sad. I believe that when young kits begin testing their self feeding abilities that they still continue to nurse for a while......
anyway....
Perhaps this thread should remain just the Heidi chronicles.
Don't get me wrong, anyone has a right to do what is legal on their land, but this site has always been about the heartwarning stories and chalenges of Heidi and her crew.
I personally do not open some of the things posted on other wildlife threads because I do not desire to read about people rehoming young animals who may still need their mothers to teach, etc. the ways of survival in the wild.
This is written in love not judgement, so please don't be upset that I wrote it here.
Blue ,
Dream has been helping me with my lil coons they are still on my place I have 50 on my place in the last 2 years that I have set lose to save I do not hurt them and the family was reunited just a little while ago . without dreams blog and help I would be lost she helps me understand the lil fellers and tells me what I need to do . sorry for interrupting the story line Hun. ;(