Heidi Chronicles: Up To Our Ears In Kits

This is the ongoing story of Heidi and friends, raccoons and the occasional opossum who frequent my backyard wildlife buffet.

The 2010 kits are really out and about now. There are kits at the buffet pretty much every day now. Dennis and her 3 kits are there most days. Heidi has brought her most adventurous kit to the buffet twice so far. Bast even showed up once with a few of hers. All of the kits are too darned cute to say. It's always fun to watch babies of any species experiencing things for the 1st time as they grow up.

Prior Thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1115779/
Original Thread in Series: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/603944/

The photo below is of one of either Jerry's or Dennis' kits. This photo is several weeks old now, so the kit is much larger now. They grow like weeds at that age. Blink and you miss the whole thing.

It's true, I can't believe how big ours have gotten...seems like such a short time ago they were tiny.

This year we have kits in a variety of different sizes, apparently born at different times. While Dennis' kits, which are the largest, have almost grown beyond that really cute, baby stage, Heidi's are still small and Bast's are smaller still. It's nice to have them staggered that way so that we still have small babies even as the 1st group is getting large now. It's like staggering the planting dates of your veggies so you will always have new ones coming along.

They do grow through that baby stage at a blinding pace though.

Is anybody else having crazy, scary weather that just won't seem to end? Seems like for weeks now we've had heat warnings almost daily (issued for > 105F) and a minimum of one Tstorm daily. Many days they come in waves all day and night. I didn't get to go to the buffet last night because once again it was raining from 5PM until... I put a small amount of food out on the patio for Dennis and her kits. It was raining lightly even then.

Last night, I went to sleep to the sound of thunder rumbling and I awoke this morning to the same thing. Every day for weeks now, my inbox has been stuffed with dozens of weather related emails from this emergency service to which I subscribe, daily warnings about excessive heat followed by more warnings about dangerous Tstorms and then flash flood warnings. Same thing every day: dangerous heat, dangerous storms, flood warnings. By the end of each day, the excess heat warnings come out for the following day, so you know it's going to be more of hte same.

Last night and so far today I dodged a pretty nasty bullet - so far at least. A Tstorm moved in on some of our barrier island communities and stood still dumping 15-20in of rain on the areas in a short amount of time. They are still dealing with the flooding. Here (and we are not that far away but are separated by 2 rivers), it has been cloudy all day with light rain, but so far no torrential downpour and no flooding. I'm really, really tired of summer now.

I think this must qualify as the monsoon season.

Dream - whatever happened to Cissy (?) kit - the one who seem abnormal and cried all the time? Is he (she) still alive?

I am wondering if this weather pattern is like the winter weather pattern we had last year. Last year's record-setting bad weather was over the entire northern hemisphere and this summer seems to be the same.

Hi stillwood,

I really don't know. The last time I wrote about her in a post, was the last time I saw either of them. If you recall, after the day when the kit was screaming so loudly, not just trilling anymore, but actually screaming (wish I had gotten the screaming on video. was hoping to get it the following day, but by then it was over) and while Heidi was there even, the next day the raccoons had changed things.

The next day Cissy was still at the buffet but her kit was no longer with her. The kit was over at the willow tree along with Dennis' 3 and was being watched by The Nanny. If memory serves, I believe I only saw them 1 more time after that. The next time Cissy was on one side of the buffet and the kit Screech was again with The Nanny but this time they were actually at the buffet, on the opposite side of the buffet from Cissy.

That day, Screech was acting up again probably because he was at the buffet with all the other raccoons. That day Screech kept attacking the nearby adults biting them and screaming. Then he/she would try to pick fights with Dennis' kits who were eating quietly nearby. Eventually Dennis' kits gave up and left the buffet heading back up into the trees. Screech was very disruptive such that no one could really enjoy the meal for him/her. I remember thinking at the time that the raccoons would probably have to do something and soon. I was expecting them to 'loose' the kit. I thought they would show up one day w/o the kit and that would be the end of it.

The next time I saw them, neither Cissy nor the kit were with them anymore, and I've not seen either of them since. From this I suspect that Cissy actually kept the kit, and the others drove her out (with the kit) because they could not continue to deal with the kit - and, honestly, they really couldn't. I think Heidi would let Cissy come back w/o the kit. Since Cissy hasn't been back, I'm assuming the kit is still alive and still with Cissy, although if that's the case it really says something about a mother's love, because I can't even imagine how Cissy can put up with all the screaming and fighting 24/7 for this long.

So, in summation, I don't know the fate of either Cissy or Screech. I've not seen either for quite a while now, not since I last posted about them. If either of them shows up again I will be sure to post about it just as I always mention when I see Bast now and again or when anyone who hasn't been around for a while shows up. That would be important news. Although I sometimes omit minor details, I always make sure to tell you the important stuff like that.

Thanks for asking. I wish I could tell you something more definitive, but I don't know anything. Most of all I wish I could give you good news, but good news seems unlikely in this situation.

Interesting, June,

I don't know. That does make sense though. We definitely had colder weather last winter than we've had in well over a decade (since I've lived in this house), and we had our 1st snow in 12yrs. The latter is pretty normal for us though, since we tend to get a light snow about once a decade. Even though it was our coldest winter in quite some time, we didn't have truly bad weather last winter.

We had several weeks of fairly sustained cold (by our standards), but our cold weather didn't last anywhere near as long as that of other parts of the country nor was it anywhere near as cold. To put things in perspective, it didn't even kill that split leaf philly I keep on the driveway, nor did the peonies bloom. The philly (usually considered a house plant most places) did die back, but the roots survived and it's as big and healthy as ever now. Really cold weather should have killed it. I have a number of peony plants. Although they never bloom, I can't bring myself to get rid of them because I so love peonies. They don't bloom here because our winters aren't cold enough for them. I was hopeful that the cold weather we had last winter would prompt them to bloom, but it didn't.

Our winter cold didn't begin to match our summer heat - but then it never really does. The heat this year is really wearing me down. This time I really understand how folks in the North feel when they are tired of cold and of being stuck indoors near the end of winter. I'm so tired of being indoors now. I feel like a prisoner, but with the daily heat warnings and the high humidity it's just too hot to go outside ever. By sunrise our heat indexed temp is already 100F. At sundown it's often closer to 105F. As a result there are no opportunities to go out during daylight hours - not to mention that it's stormy most of the time. It's really wearing me down. I'm praying for winter!

Is it this awful where you are? Seems like our weather is similar.

It has been a long hot humid summer here also. We also have frequent weather advisories of rain, hail & high winds. So far I've been fortunate and not had to bear the brunt of any of this.
A large limb from my next door neighbors oak tree did fall into my yard, just missing my deck. She came over and was going to saw the thing up herself. 75 years old and not to spry. I couldn't let her do this alone, so I went out there to help. I was in misery the next day! If any more fall, she will have to deal with them herself. If her tree comes down it will likely fall onto my deck and part of kitchen. I've mentioned my concern to her a number of times.
Oh well, sorry to go off topic....

Sheri

We've got the heat warnings here, but not excessive rain. In fact, until yesterday, we were wondering if it was ever going to rain again! Yesterday and today we have gotten nice amounts of rain. Everyone's lawns were turning brown, and trees were losing leaves, so I hope they heal now!

Wow, 15-20" of rain in a short time is a LOT for the barrier islands to deal with; hope the flood damage wasn't too bad. Our weather is nothing like you're describing in SC; but as summers go, this one hasn't been pleasant. We're getting thunderstorms, but they're usually brief and don't happen every day. Meanwhile, the temps have been higher than usual, the humidity is off the charts, and there's "pea soup" fog every night and early am. The dampness is getting ridiculous; you'd have to launder your bath towels every day to keep them remotely dry and fresh. Even with a dehumidifier running (which I hate since it's noisy and generates heat) plus central AC, the towels stay damp and you're constantly fighting mildew on the tiles. Will also be really happy to see autumn here.

I did get to feed the raccoons yesterday. I hadn't been to the buffet for 3 days due to storms/rain, but had given them some food on the patio 2 of the 3 days. Since I hadn't been out there for a while I wasn't sure if they would show up before dark. I only got to feed one yearling and Dennis and her kits. I heard Widget at the back door barking much later and after dark, so I figure that was Heidi and co.

Nothing special happening. Dennis sat beside me as usual. When I got out the cookies, her more adventuresome kit would come up beside me to get his cookie piece. He's the only one that will take a cookie from my hand. Now he's learning fast. At 1st he would stay back so far he could barely reach the cookie even when we both stretched as much as possible - like I was about to fall off my chair. He takes the cookie in his mouth and would only take 1/2 cookies (or larger) at 1st because that kept him farther from my hand. I could absolutely see him looking at Dennis sitting there against my leg, sitting upright to take cookies with her hands, and calmly letting me stroke her back and head. Each time the kit watched his mom, he became more and more willing to come closer and take smaller bits of cookie. I could literally see how her behavior was influencing him in real time.

At 1st the kit would take a 1/2 cookie and run over to the birdbath where he would repeatedly dunk it in the water as he ate. But for the fur and concrete, he looked just like any morning commuter dunking donuts in coffee. After the 1st piece or 2, and after watching his mom eating so calmly, the kit began to come right up beside me in front of his mom to ask for another piece. Soon he would take very small pieces of cookie from my hand and stay there beside me to eat them. They don't usually make that much improvement that fast. It was clear that Dennis' presence and her behavior were having a big effect.

That's about it for today. It was dark and cloudy out when I awoke, as it is most days now. All these overcast skies aren't doing much for my mental/spiritual state. It's bad enough to be stuck inside 24/7 due to ultra high temps. Lately it's also dark and dreary all the time. Thunder is rumbling, and the bottom fell out a little while ago. I have never in my life known weather like this. It literally is thundering all the time now, all the time. Can you imagine that? Not just once a day, but all day every day. It's like the end of the world or something. It seems like most people are reporting drought conditions around the country. I feel as though we are getting all of that water, like the clouds from the entire country are coming here to dump their rain before returning home to accumulate more. (I need to see some sunlight, please!)

Even the HOA seems to have stopped sending out nasty grams about yard issues. I guess they realize that people just can't get the yard work done with all the excessive heat, the storms, and the constant rain. I can't drive the lawn beast around on that soggy soil as it would bog down, spin, and rip the lawn to shreds and make a huge mess. And the lawn, I mean swamp, doesn't begin to dry before it rains again. I have never known the HOA to be so accommodating. This is unprecedented.

I hope the weather is bright and sunny somewhere out there. Could someone please send me a box of much needed sunshine?

Ruth,

That did seem like an awful qty of rain for just a short time. I got that info from a National Weather Service warning bulletin. It said the storm had just stopped moving, just stalled there over the islands dumping torrential rain. I'm really not that far from those islands. In 15 min I can drive to the main one that was really getting hammered - and that's including the time needed to drive miles along the river to get to the bridge. It's obviously very close 'as the crow flies' (and the rain falls), so I was getting worried. It took a couple days for them to dry out. In addition to all the obvious downsides to all that water, they also probably lost beach due to erosion from all that water plus tides.

I actually use heat pumps in lieu of AC. Mine seem to keep the air inside quite dry, maybe because they run almost constantly in all this heat. It's horribly wet/humid outside though. I have to take my glasses off to walk to the mailbox. I hate that. Do you get that where you live? Do glasses and camera lenses fog up the instant you walk out the door and then stay so fogged over that you can't see a thing through them? And fog up again instantly if you try to wipe the water away? Any time I go outside, I can't wear my glasses for about 10-15min which pretty much means I can't wear them at all since I only go out long enough to walk to the car or mailbox or street (w/dog). I also can't use the camera for the 1st 10-15 min. It's a mess.

Oh, and we are actually now having multiple storms daily. I've really never seen anything like it before. I wake up to dark skies and thunder. By midday the morning storm may have passed. If we are lucky the sun may even peak through for a moment. Then within an hour or so the thunder starts up again for a midday storm. Later we will have a late afternoon storm followed by an evening storm and a 3AM storm and ... It's crazy. It really is. I definitely don't have to worry about the raccoons finding fresh drinking water. I'm a little worried they may drown though. (kidding on that last part, of course)

Morning fog in the mountains actually sounds lovely, but I guess it's not so fun for commuting.

Almost forgot this tidbit. It seems the raccoon must not be particularly hungry now. I'm shocked to see that the wild grape vines along the forest edge are now weighted down with lots of ripe, near black grapes. The raccoons can't reach a lot of those grapes - I'm sporting memories now of baby Trouble climbing around in the trees that 1st year, climbing ever so gingerly along thin, flexible limbs, testing to see if he might be able to get far enough out on the limbs to reach the sweet, juicy treats - but many of the ripe grapes are now growing in bunches along the fence where raccoons could easily just reach out and pick them while standing atop the fence. I'm really quite shocked that none have done so yet. The ripe grapes have been there for days.

Quite frankly, I've never seen this happen before. The raccoons LOVE grapes. This is the 1st time I've ever seen ripe grapes on those vines. Usually the grapes go from green to gone. The only answer I can think of is the raccoons must have plenty to eat out there in the forest. Maybe there are finally even more grapes than they can eat. Those wild grapes go on a far as the eye can see in both directions, strung like Christmas lights covering the trees along the forest edge. Maybe there are just more now than the raccoons (and birds) can eat.

The raccoons love grapes, all grapes. They love cultivated grapes, but they also love the wild ones. The one disadvantage of the wild ones, however, is that they only ripen this time of year when the mother raccoons are no longer desperate to find enough food to support gestation and nursing. My grapes, the cultivated ones, ripen right in the middle of the nursing season when raccoon moms cannot seem to eat enough. Consequently, my grapes are usually picked and eaten even before they are fully ripe. Still, while the wild grapes miss the period when the raccoons are at their hungriest of the entire year, they do ripen at the perfect time to be enjoyed by all those growing, sugar-craving, raccoon youngsters, maybe that's the perfect time, after all. They ripen at the perfect time to allow raccoon moms to enjoy some while teaching their kits to pick and eat them. And kits, being considerably lighter than their moms, can safely go much farther out on those thin branches, and thus can pick grapes the adults can't reach. Of course, eventually any grapes that aren't eaten by raccoons and birds will eventually fall to the ground where they become readily accessible to all.

The good news is that with so many ripe grapes hanging in easy reach of the fence, we can rest assured that the raccoons are not going hungry.

Cheryl, the fogged glasses do happen here in dense fog; but I remember the phenomenon well, if not fondly, from my years in the DC area. Their weather is much like yours: lower but still HOT temps and constant mind-numbing humidity; also near constant air quality alerts in summer. You could walk outside even in the middle of the night there in summer and get the fogged glasses. Talk about obnoxious for commuting; you can't drive if you can't see, and by the time the motor warmed up enough to run the AC, the glasses would be adjusted to the wet. I'd have to allow at least five minutes to sit in the sweltering hot car and let the glasses adjust before driving; and since I'm NOT a morning person, this was not my favorite time of day.

I can definitely relate to the nonstop thunder chorus there, though here the issue is wind. High winds are really common, but in winter they can go on nonstop for days at a time. Without tall buildings to break their impact, the wind howls around here and sounds like someone in serious pain. After days and days of this, you find yourself wanting to go to the door and yell at the weather to please just shut up; and how stupid does that make you feel? But like the unrelenting thunder and rain you're having, it gets truly depressing.

Ruth,

All to often in life things sound good until we actually have to live with them. Just as fog on the mountains sounds almost romantic, so does wind whistling through the mountains sound almost melodic, like something straight from the pages of a gothic romance novel. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure this is quite short-sited of me, and that both things would actually prove annoying once one tried to live with them. I mention my take on it only because, well, isn't that so often the case that what is annoying us sounds good to others who don't have to live with it? I'm actually very easily annoyed by noise, and to me noise is pretty much any sound I didn't invite into my life at a given moment and can't get rid of. Even music I liked enough to purchase is noise when forced on me against my will. A few minutes of that whistling wind might be nice; endless days of it are probably maddening.

As for the thunder, the sound, which is usually fairly low and innocuous especially from inside the house, is not what bothers me in this case but rather the fact that it coincides with dreary overcast skies and heralds the coming of yet more rain at a time when we are already quite saturated. For me the worst thing right now, even worse than the dreadful heat, is the seemingly endless days of dreary, overcast skies. I'm sure it says something about who I am, but I find a very noticeable difference in my mood and energy on sunny vs cloudy days. I even sought out this house of huge windows for this very reason. It is also for this reason that I refuse to even cover the windows with sheers. Strong sunlight lifts my spirits immeasurably - and I haven't seen sunlight in days.

For weeks now, sitings of the sun around here have been almost as rare as those of Nessie and Big Foot. For days on end the sky is overcast and the landscape bleak. Again this morning as with the two previous mornings, I awoke to a cloudy sky, and it's cloudy still. It's been days since the sun made even a brief appearance here. This is what I truly hate about the endless, daily storms we've been having lately.

These aren't the usual summer afternoon T-storms that blow through fairly quickly with their cooling effect and then give way to sunlight once more, not the thunder of giant, fluffy cumulonimbus clouds in a sunny, brilliant blue sky. These are much more like the long, dreary days in winter when the sky looks like an endless expanse of soggy, dingy cotton. This is not normal weather for us, BTW. As mentioned, the overcast skies are much more like what one might expect to see in Jan or early Feb, and even then I've never known them to stay with us for so long.

Here's hoping that fall comes soon to bring us relief from both whistling winds and endless stormy days as well as heat.

If you get Nat Geo Wild (Dish channel 190), they are airing a program called "Unlikely Animal Genius" Sunday Aug 22 at 11AM & 4PM. This program is similar to the one I mentioned a while back in which they discuss and show evidence of animal intelligence. The 2 programs are very different, however. They do not repeat the same information.

Example of info from the program:

(1) They claim that, on average, dogs understand about 165 words (even though they may pretend not to)

(2) This one really surprised me. They put a (floating) treat of some kind in a narrow, clear acrylic tube, roughly 12in long, oriented vertically with about 2in of water in the bottom. The chimpanzee can see the treat floating on the water near the bottom of the tube but can't reach into the narrow tube to get it. Without even taking time to think it over, the chimp went over to his water dish, filled his mouth with water, and then went back over to 'spit' the water into the tube effectively bringing the treat to the top of the tube where he could get it. I'm not sure that most humans would figure that out much less so quickly.

Since so many people indicated they might have been interested in watching the prior program, I thought I would give you a head's up on this one. (I've already seen it, having recorded it last week when it was on. That's how I was able to offer previews.)


edited to add Dish channel number above. sorry, I don't have info for other networks. Also note that NatGeoW (National Geographic Wild) is a different channel from NatGeo (National Geographic). Oh, and today I'm dragging my feet to avoid working. Can you tell?

This message was edited Aug 18, 2010 10:53 AM

Oh, how I miss cable tv...bet it's on cable, too. Sounds like a wonderful show!
Speaking of noise, I'm at the library, and the person on the computer next to me is blasting rock n' roll through his headphones...don't they care that they'll go deaf before they're thirty?!

**watching** now... i missed "the end"

Thanks Cheryl for the animal show info. I have just set it on record after locating in in my Direct TV search. Never would've known of it without your heads up.
I think I have SAD as I too become very "down" without the bright sunshine. Spring is my favorite season, when the emerging crocus and other spring beauties awaken from their winter slumber, so do I.

Hugs,
Sheri

KyWoods,

They just mentioned on the news today (for the nth time) that Drs not a 30% increase in hearing problems in today's youth and suspect it may be due to all those ipods. The computer music is the same deal. I think they mention ipods in particular because those allow kids to listen to music almost 24/7 everywhere they go. 24/7 + loud music + headphones = serious hearing problems at an early age. But kids don't hear such things.

Terese!

You mean even though I repeated the 'The End' thing TWICE and did my little boot joke, you STILL missed it?! LOL. And to think I took the time to drag the pics out because you said they helped. ;-)

Glad you are with us now though. However you got here.

Sheri,

That sounds just like me. You can pretty much guess from my 'name' which season I prefer. So DirecTV does have NatGeoW then? I know they had NatGeo when I was with them, but NatGeoW came out more recently, so I wasn't sure. Don't tell Dish, but I really like DirecTV better.

If you don't get NatGeoW (I think it's actually NatGW, now that I think about it) but really want to see the show, you may be able to find it online, like at YouTube or one of the many sites that show TV programs for free. Of course, if you find it, you will need to watch it on high speed. Just a thought.

cheryl --- it's weird, i went back to the other thread... didnt recognize it.
i looked for my last post, it was July 17th.... not sure how i lost that thread.

Terese,

Are you saying that you STILL don't see the 'the end' thread? It's the last post on the prior thread. I repeated it to make sure it was last. Here it is: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=8040566

I was in a funny mood at the time. People don't always get my humor, but it was meant as a joke. Anyhow, I guess next time I'll have to try to make the words 'The End' bigger so they will show up on the thumbnail even if you don't expand it. Is that it?

Today was another icky, dreary, overcast and rainy day - all day. Then at 7:15 the sun came out for the 1st time all day. Sunset was to be at 7:55, so 40min later. The cats had just come in and were under foot and gently arguing over who would eat 1st. Widget had just come back from his walk and was waiting for his treat, so he was under foot along with them. The 3 of them had me so boxed in it appeared as though no one would be getting anything.

I looked out and saw that the grass looked borderline dry enough to mow in an emergency. It was 4-6in high and raggedy looking. It had needed mowing weeks ago. I had 40min before dark to get the cats and dog taken care of, feed the raccoons, and mow the lawn - and who could say how long it might be before my next chance to mow. I checked the weather channel and found that we are expecting 'mostly cloudy' with 80% chance of rain in the morning, so I had to try to mow now.

I managed to get the front yard mowed (and sides). By then the light was definitely growing noticeably dim, so I quit and ran out to feed the raccoons. As I walked out I didn't see any raccoons. I wasn't surprised given the noise from the lawn beast. Just as I approached my seat, Dennis' head stuck out from under one of the blue Adirondack chairs. I called her and she came running. I didn't get to feed them yesterday, so I'm sure she was happy to see me. The kits were no where to be seen, neither in the yard or the usual trees. I figured she had stashed them somewhere safe when all that noise started up.

After Dennis gobbled up some kibble, she turned around to me and stood upright resting her front feet on my knees. This was not the aggressive youngster who used to 'fight' me for treats. She was very well behaved, so much so that it was a pleasure to deal with her. She looked me in the eyes and her pleading face said, "Did you bring me a cookie?"

I didn't have any cookies with me. I had run out in a hurry w/o them. Since Dennis was the only one out there at the time, I decided I could afford to go back for the cookies. Most of the others except Dennis, Heidi, and Bast will run away if I go back to the house and return. Some leave as soon as I stand up to walk to the house. Others run off when they hear me coming back. Either way, they are gone when I return, so I try to avoid making multiple trips. But I felt confident that Dennis would wait for me, so I explained that I was going for cookies and would be right back, asked her to promise to wait for me, and then headed back for the cookies.

At the house, I stepped in, one foot in, one out, grabbed the bag from the baker's rack and headed back. I was only a few steps across the patio when I felt something at my right foot and looked down to see Dennis walking with me. Even though I had already put food out for her and the others at the buffet, she left the food to follow me back to the house. It was as though she understood that I had gone back to get the cookies, and why not? She had stood up at my knee to ask for cookies, and I had left almost immediately to go back to the house. Of course, I had gone for the cookies. Dennis does tend to think everything is about her anyhow. Still, I found it surprisingly adorable to have her go back to the house with me that way.

When I got back to my seat at the buffet once more, Dennis at my knee, she knew I had the bag of cookies in my hand. She was standing at my knee looking up at me, her nose only inches from the bag. I told her to wait a minute while I pulled my sweaty hair up and pulled out a paper towel to wipe the sweat from my face and the fog from my glasses. She was very well behaved standing there like a pet. She made no attempt to grab the bag as she would have done as a youngster. She really was a joy to be around - and has been lately. She really seems to have matured a lot.

When I finished what I was doing, I gave her a few cookies. She was standing upright between my legs. You could imagine your dog standing up in that position for a treat, right? But could you imagine a wild raccoon? But she was acting just like a pet. To be honest, I'm not so sure I want all or even most of my buffet visits to be broadcast, but there are some moments I really wish you could see, and that was one. I think no matter how I try to explain it and no matter how you think you understand, you would likely be shocked to really see it for yourself, to see the body language and how she acts as calm and tame and well behaved (now) as a pet.

After a few cookies, I said, "Goodbye" and headed for the house once more. When I opened the door, Cocoa was in the kitchen, and I saw him cringe backward as though a raccoon were there, but, of course, there was none. Maybe he was just smelling the raccoon on me or outside where they had been. As I sat down to take off my boots, Kitty walked over to the now closed door and stood upright growling. It was only then that I saw the face of the raccoon on the other side of the door. It was Dennis. She had followed me back to the house again and was now waiting outside the door for me to return with more cookies.

Cheryl -- it's not that i didn't "see" it.... my guess is, i did not 'see' the whole thread... i had not posted in it in 4 weeks or so... and not sure why it was not coming up in hte 'watcher' ... as none of it looked familiar.

Lately, i've only been browsing the threads in my watcher....

i do recognize the "The End" as the images are always cute.

Poor Dennis... wanting more cookies... .i'd be tempted to grab a handful and toss them out the door... BUT then she'd think she could get fed at the door... which would not be a good thing.

Bud is having a good morning... he actually walked to the back door and stepped out... then i carried him down the stairs out to the yard.... guess he really had to 'go'. getting stronger every day.

Terese,

Ah, I see what you are saying now. Sounds like maybe you actually never made the move from the 'prior-prior' thread to the one just before this one. I didn't have any 'the end' pics for that one. I only recently figured out a way to add text to photos using the minimal tools available on my mac. I had purchased ACDsee for Windows and liked that program, but, of course, it doesn't work on my Mac, at least not until I load Parallels or VmWare so I can run Windows on it alongside OsX.

Yeah, I already fed Dennis and her kits on the patio a few days when it was too rainy or dark to go out. I don't want to make a habit of that sort of thing, not to mention that Dennis had already eaten 4 cookies which is 2 more than her daily allotment. I fudged a little since she was the only one out there. I just thought it was sweet how she kept following me back to the house - even if it was just for cookies. Raccoons are so amazingly quiet, like ninjas I tell you, that she can follow me without me even realizing it until something causes me to look down and/or behind my feet.

I really am very happy to hear how well Buddy is doing. : )

aww....Dennis walking at your side is so sweet. Seems like she really has matured into a more refined young lady raccoon, from the pesky adolescent of last year.

I know that I've mentioned my experience while vacationing on Jeckyl Island with the throng of raccoons lined up in front of me with arms outstretched and hands ready to grasp whatever little tidbit (usually grapes) I had to offer. there were some that actually seemed to understand the "wait your turn" concept , while there were a couple who barged right up to me knocking the others aside. I blew a strong puff of air directly into one of the greedy ones and it backed off.
Later that evening, talking about it with my mom at our campsite, I realized how foolish and potentially dangerous my blowing in it's face had been.
We left for home the next day. Those raccoons made a wonderful memory for me to ponder upon at will.

I'm so pleased to hear of Buddy's post-op progress. Elvis says "Go Buddy!".

~Sheri

OT but wanted to pass it on just in case some of you may need the info in the future. Ok, so as you know I'm currently eating my way through the stash in my pantry. I'm actually enjoying some of the yummy home cooked foods I've not had time to make in a long time. Unfortunately, when I was working I often craved home cooked food and bought supplies only to let them sit in the pantry/fridge/freezer when I didn't have the time and energy to cook them. Now that I'm going through the pantry and using up those stored items, I'm finding more than a few 'expired' items.

I threw some away - frustrated with my [prior] self and determined to do better in the future. But many were things I really like and hated to toss. I noticed that, unlike refrigerated items that say 'use by', the pantry items had 'best if used by' dates. But what does that mean, really? Can I eat it after that date, or not? Well, I did some research and repeatedly got the same answer. The company promises the food will taste as it should up to that date. After that date, the food isn't spoiled. Depending on how long past the date, how it was stored, etc, it may even still be at optimum taste and texture. Then again, after that date, there may be some deterioration of taste or texture, but the food is not necessarily spoiled.

According to what I read, can foods should remain safe to eat indefinitely unless the can has been compromised. If the can shows any sign of compromise, best to toss it. Otherwise, if it's a tomato based product such as chopped tomatoes or marinara sauce, there is a 'safe' length of time after which it can be eaten (check for this online). After that it should probably be tossed just because the acid in tomatoes may begin to breakdown the can after a time. Other foods should be fine. They may not taste as good and/or the texture and color may be inferior. For safety sake, I say, 'best not to eat anything that doesn't taste right'. I've not gotten the courage to eat anything from expired cans yet.

However, I have now cooked a number of very tasty boxes of rice pilaf with best by dates as old as June 2007. I inspected them closely for any sign of insect activity/damage. Finding none, I checked for any off odor. Finally, I cooked them and was surprised to find that they tasted great! I ate them last week and the week before, and haven't died so far. (If you don't hear from me again, it might be best to avoid boxes of rice marked 2007.) The only problem I've found so far is that in a few cases the flavor pouch had dried forming something like a block of bullion. Sometimes I had difficulty getting the hardened flavorings to dissolve properly in time to be stirred in well before the rice is cooked. Other than that, all went well, and the rice dishes were actually very yummy. So, if you find an old box of Zataran's rice or Uncle Ben's Pilaf, Near East Almond Pilaf or other flavored rice dish in the back of the cupboard, don't be too quick to toss it even if the date is long past. No kidding. So far all of mine have turned out great. If I hadn't read the date on the box, I wouldn't have known they were old.

Hi Sheri,

I can tell that the episode at Jeckyl Island was very special for you. I can relate as some of the moments I enjoyed with the raccoons are very special memories for me, like the summer when Dennis was a small kit standing at my knee to eat treats, and the time she used her two hands to explore my finger trying to learn all she could about me this strange, mostly hairless creature. They are wonderful memories.

The raccoons at the buffet usually take turns in a very amicable and cooperative manner when there's a group there and all want to come to me for a cookie. It's behavior one doesn't usually expect from wild animals, but it's actually how they behave.

I don't think Dennis qualifies as 'wild' anymore, lol. That's so cute how she followed you back and forth, and stood up, touching your knee, etc.!

I once tried 'best buy..." canned fruit that was past the date printed, and eeeew, it tasted like the can. Must have been the citric acid.

KyWoods,

I haven't tried any canned goods that have passed the 'best by' date yet. I think I'll keep them until I run out of food. Maybe they will taste better if I'm really hungry. ;-)

The info I read said that items past their 'best by' date may not be at optimum taste, texture, or color even if not acidic. If they don't taste good, I'm definitely not going to eat them. If they taste like metal, like the can, that definitely sounds like a very bad sign.

So far I've only found 1 rice mix that didn't taste perfectly normal (and very yummy). This one was a store brand. Don't know if that had any bearing on the subject. Made it tonight. It had a distinctly bitter aftertaste, so I tossed it out. All the others have been fine. So far, I haven't experienced any sign of GI distress - or strange neurological ticks.

A while back, when I 1st became unemployed, I pulled a number of expired cans from the pantry, opened them, and dumped them all into a bucket which I took out to the compost pile. That way I figured the raccoons and opossums could eat it if they so desired and anything they didn't eat would be covered with plant clippings and converted to compost. I only have a few cans left. If I don't eat them, I will put them to the same use.

I also put out fruits and veggies that have too many bad spots on them for us to eat, figuring that the critters will eat around them. There is one particular spot in the woods that I toss them all, so they know where to hunt for a treat.

KyWoods,

I do the same, giving the raccoons those things I know they will eat and putting others in the open compost pile where wildlife can access them if desired. I figure it makes a lot more sense to put things out for wildlife and/or compost than to grind them up in the garbage disposal or send them to the landfill.

However, lol, that's not much of an issue for me now as during this particular time I can rarely afford fresh fruits and vegetables and must be careful to eat every possible morsel of any I do get. Even Widget is complaining now because whereas he used to get a few bites from most of my meals, now there is rarely even a taste to spare for him, so he has to be content with only his dog food. I never realized just how much of my food he was actually eating until recently when I noticed how much more of his dog food he is eating now that I've stopped giving him any of my food.

Are you getting food stamps? Don't be too proud to apply--I was on them before, and it's a big help.

Hi KyWoods,

No, I'm not. To be honest, I hadn't tried that, not so much out of [false] pride as because I figured I wouldn't qualify. I believe you have to have minor children in the home to qualify (here), although there may be a provision for disability or age. As to age, I've arrived at the age where I'm no longer young but still not old enough to qualify as 'senior'. I'm at that in between age now. I also figured my prior salary would disqualify me, at least for a while. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to check out the rules to be sure though. (and I do appreciate your concern)

I'm not starving yet though. And I do still have plenty of food in the house that isn't past its 'best by' date. I mention that because I wouldn't want you to think that I've nothing left to eat but 3yr old rice. Things are definitely tight right now, but I do have enough to eat.

At this moment, I'm munching on an unexpectedly sizable bag of Cheetos Mighty Zingers. It's a sample bag, but as I mentioned unexpectedly large, larger than the vending size bags. It came in the mail today. When I became unemployed, I decided to try applying for product samples. I came upon the idea one day while searching for coupons to help defray the cost of pet food. I apply for available products online. It only takes maybe 5min a day. I respect the manufacturers, so I never try to make duplicate requests for the same product or anything shoddy like that. I always stay w/in the intent of the offer, and I only request items that I would use and, therefore, might be moved to purchase when I'm working again (if impressed).

Samples don't come close to making a dent in my expenses, of course, but it takes so little time to apply for them, and I find that I rather enjoy receiving the frequent small 'gifts' in the mail. It makes going out to the mailbox a lot more fun just to see what the mailman has brought today. Since I've been doing this I've amassed enough shampoo, conditioner, and styling gel/liquid such that I've not used any of my [purchased] stash of these items yet. I've also received a healthy supply of feminine products such that I won't likely have to worry about buying any of those items anytime soon (and I would otherwise have run out).

I've also received a variety of products including: arthritis/pain relieving products, vitamins/minerals/krill oil, dishwasher packets, laundry detergent, antacids and other OTC meds, and a variety of food and drink items including a few packets of coffee, latte mixes, and a number of much appreciated snacks. Most are sample sizes, but some are actually full size products (or coupons for free full size products). I also received a number of pet food and treat samples. They are usually small enough that they don't make much of a dent in feeding the raccoons, but the dog food packets will often feed Widget for a week while the cat food samples take care of the cats for a few days, and the pet treats are always a big hit.

Through the sampling program, I've also received a number of free meals at fast food restaurants. I had a free spicy chicken s/w at Chick Fillet, a free egg white breakfast s/w with coffee at the sub shop, a free doughnut & coffee at a nearby doughnut shop, and so on. Sometimes I just get a single item free, like a free shake or coke or iced latte. (These items and meals are truly free, no purchase necessary, just stop by and enjoy a meal or drink on them. Not bad.)

In today's mail I received (in addition to the bag of Cheetos - which I decided I don't like BTW), a dog treat (Better Than Ears pig ear alternative), and several generous packets of seasonings. And Dish Networks even sent me 2 free Pay Per View movie coupons. I didn't even watch PayPer View when I had a job. As you can probably tell from my various comments, when I do watch TV, I'm usually more drawn to science and nature programming (I'm such a geek).

When I do buy things from the grocery store, I try to catch them on BOGO sales, except for pet food which I stock up on when I find them at 'my price'.

I just find that fresh fruits and veggies take a huge bite out of the budget, so for now, to keep my costs down, I'm mostly steering clear of them except when offered on BOGO sale or when I find something deeply discounted because it's about to spoil - not spoiled, understand, just near the brink (then I either use it right away or freeze it). I think I will check out the rules for food stamps next week. Thanks for the gentle reminder. I've paid enough in taxes the past decade or so to warrant a little of it back in help for the hard times, I guess.

Now I have to go show Widget what the mailman brought him (the Better Than Ears treat). He loves an unexpected treat, too. Thank you very much for thinking of us! : )

Yesterday the sun managed to be out most of the day. Then about an hour before feeding time it clouded up, got dark, and then came the storm and rain. It rained so hard and so long that water is still laying up in places in the backyard, so hence the reason there was no story post yesterday. The buffet was closed due to inclement weather.

Sometimes I find that a day or two off from the buffet helps everything. Not only am I happier to see the raccoons again when I get back out there, but they also seem genuinely excited to see me and to see that the buffet is open - and it seems to draw a bigger crowd, but I never seem to learn that latter lesson.

Tonight was one of those nights. Everyone and her sister came out - and brought the kids. I ran out of food and had to 'punt'. With some 12 to 16 raccoons and kits all around me, I didn't dare try to go back to the house for more for fear they would all run back to the forest.

That one yearling, the one who often shows up 1st, was 1st again today. She got onto the fence far down at one corner and then walked the fence down close to the buffet trailing 3 fairly large kits behind her. She stopped there and looked at me for a minute or two before coming down the fence. This was the 1st time I had ever seen her kits, the 1st time she had brought them to the buffet or even into the yard while I was around.

At 1st her kits hid out under the weeping willow unsure whether to follow their mom over to the buffet to eat so close to me or not. They had probably been there before, perhaps on a day when I had left the food and split before they arrived. Eager to see the kits and too impatient to wait for them to sit over there by the tree a few days to get comfortable, I tried a different tactic. I broke a cookie into small fragments and tossed them carefully over to where the kits were - man, I'm really getting good at throwing things some distance and over and through foliage with incredible precision. It worked. Soon, through the gaps in the foliage, I could see the kits munching on the cookie pieces, and those kits actually understood where the food had come from despite the distance and objects between us. They began sneaking a little closer and I kept tossing either cookie bits or kibble either to them or a little in front of them to draw them out.

This is the point where I have to retract my prior statement, the one I made in the cat thread, I believe it was, the one about there being no ugly raccoons. I'm sorry, but those were some homely looking kits. I didn't think it was even possible for kits to be ugly. Have you ever seen a baby, either animal or human, who is so ugly it's almost cute in its ugliness? I know that sounds contradictory, but if you've ever seen one, you'll know what I mean. Anyhow, that's how I would describe these kits. Now that I think of it, I seem to recall thinking Dennis was none to attractive when she was little - so maybe there is hope that these kits will grow up to be attractive adults.

The kits didn't make it all the way over to the buffet only because Heidi and Petey showed up when they were on the lawn a little to one side of me (and the buffet). Once Heidi showed up, I decided it was probably best for the yearling and her family to stay off to one side to avoid conflicts, so I tossed them a few more handfuls of kibble where they were.

Heidi and Petey and another yearling were there for a short time when Dennis showed up with her 3 kits. Dennis walked around the edge of the buffet (past Heidi) to get to my side. Her kits, on the other hand, tried to walk through the middle which made Heidi very annoyed. One of Dennis' kits saw Heidi dish full of food as she was walking buy and apparently decided that looked yummy and tried to walk up to the dish - where Heidi was already eating! Heidi had already snapped at them for trying to walk through the middle of the buffet. She really lit into that one that tried to eat from her dish. The way I read Heidi's reaction to Dennis' kits (her body language and such in dealing with them) is that she finds their lack of manners appalling. Of course, that would be Dennis' fault for not teaching them proper manners, not the fault of the kits, but Heidi gets so frustrated with them she 'looses' it and starts 'yelling' at them. But we soon got everything straightened out and found an appropriate spot for everyone.

One of Dennis' kits braved a 'fussing' from Granny Heidi to come over and eat by me. The other 2 backed up when Heidi gave them 'heck' about trying to go through the center of the buffet. They ended up staying on the other side of the buffet to eat the scattered kibble I had tossed over there. Of the two who stayed over there, 1 sneaked through the middle of the buffet but well away from Heidi repeatedly to come to me for a cookie. He was so cute sneaking around and braving Granny Heidi's wrath that way.

By this time I was seriously low on kibble. Next time I looked up, here came Bast with her 4 kits - and I had a scant 2 shallo handfuls of kibble left on me. Bast came up beside me (opposite side from Dennis), and I gave her those last 2 handfuls. She was looking pretty thin, so I knew that wouldn't be enough for her, but it was all I had - and this time she wouldn't take a cookie. Thankfully (given the scarcity of food at that point), Bast's kits decided to head back over the fence and wait for her in the forest. If I had any kibble to toss to them up on the slope, they probably would have stayed, but maybe tomorrow.

Unlike some of the more well fed regulars, Bast was willing to pick up every bit of kibble off the ground, so that small amount of kibble lasted her longer than expected. By the time she was running out, Heidi left, and I was able to give her Heidi's dish which still had plenty. Bast is looking thin, but I guess she's doing ok considering that she's nursing 4 kits on her own. I've only seen her for dinner 2 times since that night she was nursing kits on the patio. She doesn't usually come out before dark which is when I'm out there. I hope she will start to come earlier so I can feed her. (She finished off the rest of Heidi's food and ate some of Dennis' before I left for the day.)

Forgot to mention a few details from last night's adventure.

As usual I was sitting on the Garden Buddy seat. It's about a foot high, if that, and is made of plastic with big plastic wheels such that it reminds me of some kind of outdoor toddler toy. To sit comfortably on such a low seat, I usually have my legs roughly 2 feet apart, feet placed such that my lower leg is fairly vertical, knees higher than my waist.

The garden seat is open on the long sides, the sides where my 'front' and 'back' reside. By this I mean that my legs extend over and down in front of one of these long sides while my derriere extends slightly over the other. The lower area inside the seat is for carrying tools and supplies. Since I leave it outside for my buffet seat, this area fills with water when it rains. Years ago I was about to use my drill to make drainage holes when I noticed that it actually makes a nice water container for the raccoons and other wildlife. It catches 2 or 3 inches of fresh rain water and ,with the exception of this kind of monsoon period we are currently experiencing, usually dries out just in time to receive a fresh shower. Thus it almost always contains water, and the water contained there stays quite fresh making it a favorite of the raccoons.

Dennis had been sitting beside me directly against one of the short ends of the garden seat. She was oriented slightly toward the back of the seat where she had been drinking water periodically. When Bast decided became thirsty, she walked right up to the front side and started walking through the gap between and under my legs. There was absolutely no hesitation to her movements as she did so. It was as if this were totally normal. She was, of course, just going between and under my legs to access the water from the 'front' of the seat, probably doing so to avoid Dennis who was closer to the back.

As Bast moved toward me heading under and between my legs, I experienced that, "oh, no!" moment. I was a bit uncomfortable having Bast access the water from this location. I didn't move, didn't make any sound. I'm sure my reaction was so brief and so subtle as to have gone completely unnoticed by another human, but Bast picked up on it instantly. Prior to that moment she had been walking 'through' and 'under' as though it were something she did every day, but the instant I cringed mentally, she stopped, looked at me for a moment while weighing the options, and then backed away to look for water elsewhere.

As soon as I did this, I was sorry. It was, after all, an incredible honor that Bast trusted me enough to be willing to quite literally walk under my body/legs and stick her head through the opening in the seat beneath me to drink, and I knew she wasn't going to harm me - well 98% 'knew'. I had only cringed inside and only for an instant, but that was all it took. If I was unsure, then Bast was unsure. I could not take back my doubt even though I tried to call her to return and drink the water.

It's a point of utter and complete irony that I am comfortable allowing Dennis to drink in that manner all the time. Dennis is really the only one I feel that comfortable around - and she's the only one who has actually bitten me, hence the irony. I know it isn't exactly rational, but I just feel as though I know Dennis well enough to feel comfortable having her in my personal space that way.

A little later after Dennis had left, I again noticed Bast l called her, motioning to the area just behind me. She understood and came around to the back of the seat to drink from it. That's a bit of a weird feeling, too. Bast has drunk from the back of the seat many times with me sitting on it, and she always does the same thing, drinking her fill and then stopping for a moment to take advantage of the opportunity to sniff my backside up close while she's there. I can actually feel the ultra light touch of her nose through the fabric of my pants as her her nose ever so gently grazes my buttocks. Remaining calm and still at such moments takes nerves of steel as at such times my mind is apt to play with me imagining her suddenly biting my backside for no apparent reason. Of course, that never happens. The few raccoons who are comfortable enough to drink this way (Dennis, Bast, and Heidi), always behave admirably, always drinking quietly and calmly and always sneaking a sniff or two while touching me gently with their noses once they've had their fill. But I'm here to tell you that no matter how comfortable I am around them or how tame you make think them, sitting still at such moments takes nerve and a whole lot of faith!