The elephants that I knew were Tinker, Tila, Neeta and Czar. I did not realize how popular I had become with them until one day long after leaving my Aviary responsibilities. later in the day the elephants would move far to the rear of their large enclosure, they were ready for supper! I always was very careful not let any visitors see me feeding carrots.
Anyway this one afternoon,I was visiting with a couple friends who had never been to the zoo before. There were no other visitors at the elephant enclosure. They had moved so far back that they really could not be observed. I began calling Neeta (she had 1 missing tusk & was the easiest for me to remember her name), and held up a small handful of those sweet baby carrots. I really was not expecting what happened next. Now remember this was many months after I had to stop volunteering.
Much to my surprise, Neeta raised her trunk (to smell no doubt) and then with those big African elephant ears held out, she trotted all the way to me. I felt so honored and learned why it is said that "an elephant never forgets". My friends were very impressed too. ^_^
Heidi Chronicles: Up To Our Ears In Kits
What a sweet story, Sheri,
I'll bet Neeta still hasn't forgotten you.
This afternoon at one point I counted 10 kits all in the center area at the same time. I had only taken a handful of cookies out with me, so even though I broke them into 1/4's I ran out quickly. The kits were all coming to me looking for treats. I looked in my bag and saw the container of marshmallow fluff, but I didn't have anything to put it on. Determined not to let that stop me, I used the plastic top, folded like a taco shell, to scoop up a blob of the stuff. Then I flattened it back out again and held it by the clean end for the kits to take a bite of the fluff off the other end. Their faces were priceless. The 1st time they got a bite, some of them seemed for a few seconds to think I had tricked them as the thick goop glued their mouths to their hands for a second or so. LOL. I couldn't describe those moments if I tried.
It was like a moment of terror as they found themselves all gooped up followed by sheer delight as the sweet goodness reached their taste buds followed still by a quick return for more as soon as they finished licking it off of their faces. The kits behaved amazingly well, too. Some were in front of me. Others were on my right side. I could move the top around from kit to kit letting each one in turn take a bite off the blob of fluff - like a person taking a bite off the top of an cone of soft ice cream or a mound of whipped cream. The others all waited very patiently for their turns. Even as I moved around to the front group, the side group would wait patiently and so on.
And then it was very dark and I had to leave.
Awwww! Priceless!
The description of kits discovering marshmallow fluff is priceless! And love the image of Dr. Heidi conducting a class in human anatomy with you as the demo; with Dennis interjecting comments, of course, about which parts dispense cookies.
It's very encouraging to hear how much Dennis' mothering skills have improved. And you're right, of course, she really is a combination big sister and mom.
Awww, how sweet. I can almost see them sitting around you waiting for the gift to come around again. Truly a priceless experience.
I am wondering though where were the adults? Surely they too would have wanted the marshmallow goody.
Hi Sheri,
The adults were eating on the other side of the buffet. Many of the adults, including most that were there at the time, don't come to me. Heidi was there, but while she will come to me, she only gets in the mood for sweets on rare occasion, and even then she doesn't eat marshmallows or marshmallow fluff. She mostly likes frosting and sometimes s/w cookies. But most of time Heidi is on a strict and very healthy diet. Two of the yearlings were there, and while they like treats, neither of them will come to me. One will come close. The other keeps well back. I didn't get the opportunity to get close to most of the kits last year, so this is the result.
It's a good thing that the adults didn't come over to join in. While kits will sit quietly to receive their treat, adults often become competitive, each trying to reach over the others to get the next treat. This leads to snatching of treats as they try to get it before the others. While they don't intend to harm me, such fierce competition leads to an unintentional bite or scratch as they rush to beat each other to the treat. In their hurry, sooner or later one will overreach biting the fingers while trying to grab the treat or scratch me as they rush to snatch the cookie with there hands. Any time 2 or more adults come together for a cookie, I will drop the cookie and let them duke it out. I've learned this lesson well. Even the sweetest and most gentle among them can get 'dangerous' when they start competing for a treat. Again, they don't mean to do it, it's a haste makes waste situation. There's just no time to worry about being gentle when one is competing.
Even if only one adult had come over, they would have ruined the marshmallow fluff party. While the kits were all happy to bite chunks of fluff off the mound and then wait for their next turn, an adult, being wiser and having a much larger mouth, would have taken a larger bite grabbing the plastic top and trying to wrench it from my hands to take it off into the brush and eat it all. There are a few cooperative adults who might have eaten the fluff w/o grabbing the top, those that are comfortable with me like Dennis, Bast, and Cissy (none or which were there at the time).
The marshmallow fluff event didn't go on very long. It was almost dark when I started it. Soon it was so dark that I had to leave or risk walking back when I could not see the ground in front of me. About 1/2 of the kits also didn't join in the fluff thing. They stayed over with the adults where they were eating kibble. Some kits, the more adventurous ones, watch me closely and hurry over when they see me giving out treats. Other kits are less observant, so they don't see what's going on a short distance away and thus don't join in. Still others are too timid to come over to me.
The mm fluff party started when one of the kits came up beside me looking for a treat, and I held the mm covered lid out to him/her. Others quickly saw this and came to join in. By the time I left, there were approx 5 in the party group and another 5 still eating kibble w/the adults.
Just before I left, I looked up across the buffet and saw 2 kits standing side by side and watching the action around me intently. They reminded me of 2 children watching and discussing from afar. You could almost see them whispering to each other and pointing. They looked very interested in what was going on such that in time they may have made it over to me, but by that time I needed to go. Before I left, I filled the top one last time and then tossed it over to those 2 kits who hadn't gotten any yet. Just as some of those other kits might have made their way over in time, it's possible that one or more of the adults might also have made it eventually if I had stayed long enough, but for the reasons mentioned, I'm glad it didn't happen that way.
Good question. Thanks for asking and giving me the opportunity to clarify as others may also have wondered about this.
One of the kits. I think this is one of Dennis' kits. When I'm taking pics, I always think I will remember who is who later, but not always.
that's so cute..."Look ma, kibble!"
Such a cutie
Thanks, KyWoods!
What a cute label for the photo.
Edited to add 'thanks' - which I was surprised I had omitted to start with.
This message was edited Sep 4, 2010 5:48 PM
Thanks, June!
Like I was saying, sometimes by the time I get inside and download the photos, I am often surprised to find that I can no longer recall who is who (and what was going on at the time of each pic). When I'm out there, it's all so clear, but I take a lot of pictures, and by the time I get back inside that large collection of photos, lacking context, can be difficult to make heads or tails of. And it gets even worse if I get busy with other things and don't download them right away.
That said, as soon as I saw the thumbnail for this picture, I immediately recognized it as Petey. I would know that cute little stance anywhere. That's Heidi's face in the background.
It strikes me that you could use ALL of your birthday coupons to gather food for Heidi's Family as you probably would not eat from all of those fast food places before the coupons expire. I am sure that the kits would love the rich food...
Petey like like a little butter ball! I noticed the watermelon nearby. Was that a big hit with the kits? Or did Heidi eat it all?
This weekend is much cooler here I hope yours is more enjoyable outside also.
g'nite,
Sheri
Hi Sheri,
It's that time of year now when the price of some things such as melons and grapes have plummeted. That was one of those old fashioned types, a full sized watermelon over a foot long with seeds. I found it on sale in a box with smaller melons for only $3 and grabbed it. It wasn't perfect but was a very good melon and very sweet. That was the very last end of it. didn't get to see Heidi eat any of that watermelon. I did see her eat 1/2 of the other one I had a while back, a smaller, personal melon.
Believe it or not, Dennis ate most of that melon, the parts I gave them, that is. Last year when we had lots of watermelon, Dennis wouldn't touch it. This year when it was scarce, she suddenly started eating it. She drank the juice and ate the thin 1/2in strips I cut off the rind and left inside (this year they didn't get 3in or so around the edges, just the last 1/2in). Dennis got there 1st most days and ate the best parts of the melon before Heidi showed up. I got a video of her chowing down on the melon. I'll post that soon. I don't think I've shown actual video footage of them eating melon before, so I think it will be unique.
It's definitely not cool here yet. Hoping it will be cool tomorrow. Thanks.
The power went out here at 5PM and was only recently restored - so even though I had a great night at the buffet, I couldn't write to tell you about it. It got pretty hot in here. Even Widget was panting a bit - and I was sweating and fussing where that cold whether was. After the power went I had no internet connection and no working timepiece. As a result, I had to guess at when to go out to the buffet. I ended up getting there pretty late so that there wasn't much time before it would be dark and I would have to come back in again.
I had missed the day before, so the raccoons probably arrived early and were probably very happy to see me. Dennis met me at the door and walked out with me. I wondered where the kits were. As I was setting up my things and feeding and petting Dennis who was beside me (on the right), I saw out of the corner of my eyes another raccoon coming up to me on the left side, coming right up to my side. I grabbed a handful of kibble and turned to see Dennis' 3 kits running up beside me like eager children coming for treats.
It seemed as though I had made big friends 2 days earlier with that marshmallow creme. It really seemed like that had broken the ice so that when I arrived tonight the kits had come running up to me like so many children running to see granny.
On my left side I put down 3 little handfuls of kibble each a few inches apart for the 3 kits. These were Dennis' kits. They sat there beside me eating for a minute or so and then started looking for treats.
It was wonderful. Suddenly, after all this time Dennis' kits and I were old friends. Suddenly now they were unafraid. I spent the next few minutes breaking cookies in 1/2 and taking turns giving them 1st to Dennis on my right and then to each of the 3 kits on my left. Once again the kits were very well behaved each waiting his or her turn as I handed out cookies and then stepping up to my side to take one. While cleaning I had found some old, stale choc covered grahams (from ages ago). They were individually wrapped but still stale, so I fed them to the kits, too. It was wonderful but brief. Soon I was out of cookies and it was getting very dark, so I had to leave.
I looked back and saw the kits still there beside my seat as I rounded the corner headed to the house. Even seeing me stand upright and walk away had not frightened them away.
June,
That's an interesting idea. Some of the coupons probably are appropriate for the raccoons - like the ones for drinks, for instance. I'll have to go through them and see which ones might be good for things the raccoons will eat. That is a good idea though, if I can find suitable food for them. I don't think they are all that fond of fast food. They don't tend to like burgers or fries or even fried foods, although they will eat fried chicken (for which I don't have a coupon). Broiled chicken would be great for them, but I don't have a coupon for that either. But I'll definitely check to see what I do have.
When I pack my bag and head out to the buffet each afternoon, I have no idea what I will see. Some days are rather mundane, just a gathering of raccoons eating, same as many other days, nothing unique, and no one interacting with me. Some days like yesterday may be quite special with lots of interactions with sweet kits. And then there are days like today, days chosen by the universe to reveal yet another tiny bit of the puzzle.
It all started out pretty ordinary. 45 min before sundown I realized, too late, that I still hadn't made a grocery run for cookies and now we were completely out, out of cookies on the very day after that wonderful day when all the kits (all of Dennis' kits, that is) had come up to sit at my side and eat cookies. And now I was about to go out with no cookies. I couldn't let them down that way. My mind spinning wildly I searched for anything I might use as cookie replacements.
I still had 1.5 containers of that marshmallow creme that had been so popular a few days earlier but still nothing to put it on, and now I didn't even have the plastic top as I had left that with them previously. I needed something to put the mm creme on, but there wasn't a cookie or cracker anywhere in the house. I ended up taking out the dog cookies (large sample pack from 3 Dog Bakery. They look like chocolate s/w cookies but are made with carob and peanut butter, lightly sweetened with honey, no salt, no sugar). Raccoons love sweets, so I wasn't sure if they would go for these cookies as I they are not sweet at all (I tasted one).
I also took out a bag of Widget's dried chicken snaps. (Luckily, I had stocked up on treats for Widget before I lost my job.) I figured I could use the small quarter-sized dog treats to dip and serve the mm creme. Chicken & mm don't sound like such a good combo to me, but I figured I would let the raccoons decide for themselves. They like both items separately. Maybe they would enjoy them together. And, who knows, maybe I've just invented the latest gastronomic sensation. They might be serving mm on chicken appetizers next week at trendy restaurants in NYC and LA once word gets out. Just remember, Folks, you heard it here 1st. :-)
I sat for a while before the branch atop the fence finally began to jiggle wildly, a sure sign the raccoons had finally arrived. A second later a kit stepped out onto the top of the fence and stood looking at me. "Come on, Sweetie!" I called to him. Immediately, the kit bounded toward the post, and a second kit appeared in his place at the top of the fence just above the wiggling branch. And then a third kit joined the procession followed by a Mom. "Heidi!" I called out, "Come, Heidi" as Heidi followed her 3 kits down the fence and into the buffet area.
For at least a week now, Heidi has been eating on the other side of the buffet, keeping her distance from me, although I don't know that it was personal. Today, upon seeing her, I had called her, and today she had come back over to eat by me. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but it certainly seemed an interesting turn of events, especially since when Petey refused to relinquish her dish to her, she actually chose to come all the way over and sit down beside me - even though there was no food there. She just left the kits on the other side of the buffet and walked right up beside me. She sat down beside me as though she were a human with something important about which she wished to speak with me. Surprised but more than willing to accommodate her, I tossed some food at her feet, and she began to eat.
Petey ate at Heidi's dish for a little while before coming over to my feet, nibbling food along the way as is his manner. I dipped on quarter-sized, dried chicken chip into the marshmallow creme and then held it out to him. Petey opened his mouth gently and waited for me to slide the treat inside. He gave the savory-sweet combo two pseudo-thumbs up, BTW. Apparently, the chicken balanced the sweet mm creme perfectly. It was a huge hit. Petey didn't care for the dog cookies but came back for 3 of the chicken and mm appetizers. One of the other kits enjoyed both the cookies and the mm appetizers. The third kit showed no interest in either.
Still, it wasn't quite as enjoyable as the day before feeding Dennis' kits. Petey came up to me for his 3 treats, but the other 2 kits having only very recently even gotten the courage to come to the buffet at all were unwilling to interact with me. One of the other 2 did come and sit beside Heidi for a while though, and considering the circumstances that was incredibly close to me for that kit.
Heidi and her kits had been eating for a while when they heard something in the forest. Even the kits stopped eating and turned to the forest to look. Whatever was coming was of great interest to all of them. I moment or so later I saw a raccoon moving through the forest foliage at the far corner of the yard/fence. I could only see bits and pieces of the raccoon concealed as she was by he branches. I couldn't see enough to make an ID, but I knew that it was most likely Bast as that is the point from which she enters and exits the yard.
(I have to take a break now. I'm going to 'send' this part, so you can get started reading if you like. I do have a significant revelation to make and will try to get back soon to finish. I realize all may not be able to wait up for the culmination of tonight's events. Still I want to let you read what I have so far.)
...continued...
(Oops. Sorry. I fell asleep last night. so continuing w/our story now)
Suddenly, and before I could see the other raccoon well enough to make an ID, Heidi and her kits ran into the area of brush around the old, rusty tractor scoot. They didn't leave the buffet area entirely but just stayed there hiding out in the tall brush. I must say that I was quite confused by this behavior. Heidi, after all, is the boss of the area, so I could not make sense of why she would be hiding in the brush, no matter who was coming. Why would Heidi be afraid of another raccoon - and surely with her senses she knew this new visitor was a raccoon. She probably even knew who it was. So why would she be afraid? It didn't make sense.
I'm not sure now which happened 1st, whether I began to hear the noise 1st or the visitor stepped out of the foliage and onto the far end of the fence allowing me to finally see that it was Bast. It had been some 4 or 5 days, maybe even a week, since I had last seen Bast. She looked good, so good in fact that from this position I could not see any sign of her former damage. She looked like a normal raccoon. Her coat looked very nice. Through the foliage I could barely make out the shapes of what I figured were the kits following her.
Then their was the noise, the sound of an unhappy kit. It wasn't trilling. It was 'mewing' loudly, making a sound almost like that of a frightened or injured kitten, but louder. The sound was not constant but intermittent with a short period of repeat. At this point I somehow knew that Bast was bringing the rest of the kits today and at least one of them was not happy about something. Was the kit perhaps afraid to traverse the long thin branches to make its way from the trees to the fence? I didn't know. I couldn't see it yet, could only hear it complaining - loudly.
Bast stood at the top of the fence in the very spot where she had 1st emerged from the foliage. She was waiting patiently for the little caravan of kits to make its way down the branches and onto the fence behind her. The kits certainly were taking an awfully long time getting down from the trees. I had watched kits, even very young kits which these were not, make there way down limbs and trees for 5yrs now, long enough to know that these kits should have been down and well on their way across the lawn by now. What on earth was taking them so long.
And the sound, the sound of the complaining kit. The sound grew ever louder now as it approached the yard. My mind spun wildly now, searching for answers to the many questions, trying to make sense of the scene playing out before me. The sound was eerily reminiscent of Screech, but Screech was gone, or was he? Was that shrill, bleating, mewing sound emanating from within the foliage actually coming from Screech? Was one of the small bodies now shrouded by foliage from the tree branches actually that of Screech? It really did sound a lot like him. Maybe Cissy and Screech had chosen this moment to return to the buffet. Maybe they were bringing up the rear behind the little caravan of Bast's kits. I couldn't believe it. Couldn't imagine how Cissy and Screech had managed to survive all this time in the forest alone with Screech bleating and mewing and screaming loudly the entire time. Wow. Cissy was certainly impressive.
Bast and the kits were making their way across the yard now. I couldn't see very much if anything as Bast had chosen a route that kept them under cover of shrubs and brush the entire way. I could only plot their progress by the movement of the foliage along the way. As Bast and her family made their way toward the plot of brush adjacent to the buffet, Heidi and her kits quietly moved from the brush toward the fence. It was almost like the changing of the guard, Heidi's family leaving as Bast's family moved in.
As they passed each other Heidi spoke to Bast. She didn't growl, didn't speak long, didn't raise her voice, but her words were decidedly disapproving as she chided Bast about things beyond the understanding of the human mind. All the while the still unseen kit continued to fill the late afternoon air with its cries even now when it was on the ground somewhere hidden by the shrubs and brush around the willow tree.
(sorry. Need another break. more soon. I apologize for the inconvenience. It's just the only way I can get this large post done - in pieces.)
...continued...
Hanging on, waiting for the next installment. This must be what those serial novels are like. OH! the anticipation!
LOL, Catbird,
I'm back now to try to finish the story. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Heidi continued to voice periodic misgivings as Bast and a couple of kits moved out into the central buffet area and began to eat. These were definitely Bast's kits. Just as I had noticed the 1st time I'd seen them, they were tiny replicas of Bast herself, same unique color and pattern, same coat, same shape, an adorable collection of miniature Basts.
Then another kit scurried out from behind the shrubs near the willow and came toward me. This was the kit that was mewing loudly. Something was wrong with it. It wasn't moving right, was sort of dragging its back portion along. I looked the kit in the eye as it approached me. It seemed completely undeterred by my presence as it came right up beside me to eat from the food I had put there for Heidi only a short while earlier. It was sitting down now, beside me, alternately eating and then bleating and mewing before eating some more.
Finally the 4th kit came out and joined Bast and the other 3 across the buffet from me. It was odd. Bast and 3 of the kits were some distance away from me, yet the noisy kit had freely chosen to locate himself so close beside me and so far away from the safety of its Mom and siblings. This, too, was oddly reminiscent of Screech's behavior. I recalled her coming up to me many times, even walking across my feet a time or two as though I weren't even there. Was this Screech? It would make sense. But then why was she with Bast, and where was Bast's 4th kit? Where was Cissy? My mind spun wildly like the tires of a car stuck in mud. So many questions, and no answers. Such confusion.
It was clear now that all of the caravan had arrived. There was no Cissy and no 4th kit. This was it. I knew that Bast had 4 kits as I had seen them clearly that night when I found her nursing them on the patio. Bast had 4 kits, and 4 kits had accompanied her to dinner tonight. These then must be Bast's kits, the loud and slightly challenged one included. Now it was all starting to make sense, all starting to take shape in my mind.
This was why for so long now Bast had shown up each day with only 2 kits. Until now, she hadn't felt comfortable bringing the 'disabled' one with her. When it was younger it had probably been unable to navigate the trees and/or travel so far. Even today it seemed to struggle to get down from the trees and onto the fence. But what of the 4th kit. There didn't appear to be anything wrong with it. Why had only 2 kits been traveling with Bast all this time and not 3.
Then I realized, the 4th kit had been chosen to stay behind with its sibling rather than leave the disabled kit alone in its nest while the family went to dinner. Since the kits all looked identical, it was quite possible that they had rotated the position of the one who stayed to care for the disabled sibling. I would not have known the difference.
It was all happening so fast. There was so much to take in. I looked up now from the kits to see Heidi sitting on the bank watching everything. She had not gone anywhere but was sitting there on the slope just beyond the overturned pool, something I had never seen Heidi do in the history of the wildlife buffet. She was sitting there watching the kits, watching the noisy kit, a look of grave concern clear on her face.
For just a moment, they ceased to be raccoons. They looked just like 'us' now, Bast on the other side of the buffet area with her 3 healthy kits, failing for the 1st time this entire season to come over to greet me upon her arrival or even to look at me, her head consistently down and looking at the ground as she ate. She looked almost embarrassed, but, of course, that would be ridiculous.
And Heidi sitting there on the sidelines watching the noisy kit dragging itself around by its front end, the extreme concern on her face every bit as visible as if she had been human. It was clear that what she was seeing and hearing here before her was cause for grave concern. Heidi's kits were gone already. She had taken great care to Sheppard them out of the area before the arrival of Bast's family. Only she herself remained looking on with a worried eye even as the kit's loud mews continued to pierce the quiet of the buffet.
The kit left my side now and went to join its family across the buffet. As it did so, I watched, trying still to discern just what was wrong with it. The kit wasn't so much dragging its back end as I had at 1st thought. The back legs were actually tracking in a walking pattern and were catapulting the body forward, but the back end of the kit wasn't clearing the ground but was wresting on the hind legs as it walked, impeding their motion. The kit moved a short distance and sat down again before moving some more. There was little difference in its sitting position and its walking position except that the hind legs stopped moving and without the movement of the hind legs pushing the body along the rear dropped only slightly. The hind legs when they moved reminded me in some way of the conveyor belt like tires on military tanks. The motion of the legs, turning and propelling the body along even as the hind end never stood upright. The kit continued issuing the loud mewing sound, and off to the side Heidi continued to voice her misgivings.
...continued...but this time I'm still typing...
I don't recall the point at which Heidi disappeared over the fence. I was so busy watching the 'injured' kit. I couldn't make out just exactly what was wrong with him, whether his hind legs were somehow malformed and unable to hold up his body or whether some error in the formation of his spine had rendered him unable to walk upright. Was it a birth defect or disease? Hadn't I read somewhere that one of the early signs of rabies is paralysis of the legs? But the legs weren't actually paralyzed. The legs were moving, but something, somewhere in the complex system we all take so for granted, the system that allows us to walk, was not functioning correctly. Still, the kit managed to get around and did not seem to consider himself disabled.
Beside me the kit had been on dense grass. Once the kit got over there on the other side of the buffet area where the grass was sparse at best, he began to dig with his front feet - and dig and dig and dig, his nose down in the hole. I'm not sure what he was doing, whether he was still eating or just playing. Perhaps this activity just pleased him. Now I understood all those small, cone shaped, holes I had seen all around the buffet area the last few days. The front end of the kit worked quite well, and he seemed to enjoy digging - much to the chagrin of that portion of my yard.
As I watched the kit, I experienced great conflict as my mind swung wildly between wanting to pick him up and hug him and tell him it would be alright on the one hand and wanting to run from him lest he had rabies on the other. I still had the treats with me, so I broke the dog cookies into 1/4 sized pieces and tossed one to each kit. The 3 'normal' kits refused them - of course, 2 and possibly all 3 of them had been eating sweet, 'human' cookies for a while now, and thus may have found the dog cookies a disappointing substitute. The disabled kit, however, reached out with his hand, picked up the cookie, and quickly gobbled it right up. I tossed him another, and even though it didn't land exactly in front of him, he had no difficulty recognizing it. He retrieved it quickly, and the cookie was gone in a minute.
Over the course of the time they were there, I gave the kit 2 more cookies broken into pieces. Each time, he saw the cookie immediately, and ate it. Eventually, he even found the 3 pieces his siblings hadn't eaten. As I watched this kit, I became convinced that, unlike Screech, this kit didn't seem to be mentally challenged. In fact, he seemed quite bright - except, that is, for the mewing sound. After they had been at the buffet for a while though I noticed that the kit had quieted down now. By this time he was almost silent. He seemed to holler out when walking and especially when climbing down from the tree and to grow more quiet as he settled down to eat - and dig holes.
A couple of times the disabled kit attacked its siblings, but the attacks were brief 'snaps' and seemed less like the crazed attacks of Screech and more like the kit was either (1) overly defensive of his area perhaps due to his disabilities or (2) possibly spoiled by the healthy kits giving him his way all the time. Of course, given the speed with which raccoons more, it's possible the other kits were actually starting the trouble and perhaps I just didn't see that part.
The 3rd and final time the kit pressed his belly to the ground in a defensive posture and snapped at one of his siblings, I noticed that Bast went running to break it up. The two kits backed apart before she got to them. After that 2 of the kits retired to the forest. I wasn't sure if they left of their own accord, possibly afraid of further attack, or if Bast had sent them away, but after that only 1 other kit remained with Bast and the disabled kit. The kit that remained got along very well with his sibling such that the two were often seen eating side by side and there was no more fighting. Watching them, I though, if one kit had been chosen to always stay with the disabled sibling, it must have been this one. The family seemed sharply divided into 2 groups of 2, each group getting along well with its own members but not so much with the other group.
After a while it grew dark, and I had to go, but I did not stop thinking about what I had seen.
...continued...
It was very clear to me, as clear as if she had been a human with whom I could communicate verbally, that Heidi had been very seriously concerned about Bast's kit. I wondered what exactly her concern had been. Was she worried that the kit might have a communicable illness like rabies, something that would infect the others? Or was it just the noise the kit made that caused Heidi such concern? Or was Heidi concerned about how the disabled kit would ever survive the harsh life of the forest? Was her concern some combination of these things or something else entirely. It was times like this that I would most like to be able to speak with Heidi and avail myself of her wealth of knowledge, but that was not to be. Whatever information I gathered, I would have to piece together on my own with only other humans to assist me.
Although there were stark differences between their two conditions, I could not help but notice the similarities between Screech and Bast's kit. It certainly seemed quite odd that after 5 yrs without such an occurrence, now 2 kits had been born the same year but to different Moms and each with a condition that caused it to make unwanted noise. Bast's kit, so far, was not anywhere near as loud, as noisy, as disruptive, or as constant as Screech had been. Bast's kit was noisy, especially by raccoon standards but not so noisy as to make me want to scream - as Screech had been. Still, both made more than enough noise to summon a predator from far away - and to send any prey items running, as well.
The sudden occurrence of two such similar kits seemed more than coincidence. I could think of only 2 maybe 3 explanations off hand: (1) Communicable disease, although with none of the other siblings or the parent showing problems this seemed unlikely, (2) Birth defect due to distress in utero, although even if one considered that both Cissy and Bast had reasons for possible distress while pregnant, it still seemed oddly coincidental that both kits would end up with such similar defects, and (3) Birth defect of genetic origin.
The latter option seemed intriguing to me given that only recently we were discussing the possibility of Trouble being the new 'father', and it seems we've had a number of kits born with slight defects since HRH's disappearance. Now I realize that, if we are correct that Bast is not Heidi's daughter, then for her to breed with Trouble should not have resulted in the same genetic issues as for Cissy and the others. Cissy and Trouble are virtual siblings albeit from different litters. But, honestly, we don't know who Bast's parents were. She could be Heidi's although that seems unlikely, or she could be the daughter of one of Heidi's children's children, perhaps one who left years ago to join another group. We don't really know her background. It's something to think about. Remember Precious last year, so small and with the damaged or defective foot? I had previously passed some of these things off as possibly due to Heidi's advancing age, but now with defects occurring in the litters of much younger mothers, I'm tempted to wonder about genetics and possible inbreeding.
I really felt for Bast as I had for Cissy before her. I thought how, if she were human, her child would receive special schooling and devices, a wheel chair perhaps, to enable her to maximize her potential, but as a raccoon she would get no such help. Her mom would patiently look out for her now, but in time she would be on her own in a difficult and often harsh world...
There were a number of humorous moments tonight, moments that had me giggling aloud - or maybe it was just my mood that had everything seeming funny to me. I took the camera with me in hopes of getting photos and videos of Bast's special kit. When I saw the bush atop the fence jiggling, I reached for my camera hoping to show you what this looks like to me: the jiggling bush, the raccoons appearing at the top of the fence followed by the raccoons coming down the fence to the buffet, the whole grand entrance. By the time I got the lens cap off, turned the camera on, and set the dial to video, Heidi and one kit had already come down the fence. Petey had come down alone a few minutes earlier and had already taken ownership of Heidi's dish. I hadn't put any other food in yet, so Petey had the only food available.
By this time I had gotten the camera into place and was trying to 'tape' the other kit as it came down the fence. By the time I finished taping, I put the camera down and looked at Heidi for the 1st time, and the look on her face was priceless. That was my 1st laugh of the day - but there would be more. Normally, and I mean for 5 years now, when Heidi arrives, or any of the raccoons really, I toss them food. This time I had been so caught up in trying to get that intro video that I hadn't really though about Heidi. And, again, Petey had her dish. With the other kit at her side, Heidi had walked up to a spot in front of me and a little to the right of Petey. She stood there waiting to receive food and apparently trying to understand what the hold up was as I was sitting there taking videos and ignoring her. The look on her face when I finally put the camera down to look at her was quite quizzical and seemed to suggest that she might be trying to figure out if I had suddenly taken leave of my senses. I chuckled and tossed her some food.
Bast arrived almost immediately after Heidi. Today she had chosen to bring only the usual 2 kits. It was interesting to note that, unlike yesterday when she brought the 4 kits and kept to herself, today she came right to my side where I put food down for her (the left side. Dennis pretty much owns the right side now). It was also interesting to note that this time Heidi didn't speak at all when Bast arrived. She didn't fuss, didn't gather her own 3 kits and shepherd them back to the forest, didn't sit on the bank watching with concern. This time as Bast arrived, Heidi just continued eating as she normally does. Bast had left the special kit at home, and everyone and everything seemed back to normal. I had to wonder now if part of what Heidi had said to her the day before was that she must not bring the special kit to the buffet until/unless it learned to be quiet, because otherwise it jeopardized everyone's safety.
Dennis and her 3 kits also showed up tonight.
(I'll try to get back later to add some more details of the day including the 2nd thing that made me laugh out loud.)
So Cheryl,
Do you have any work underway in interpreting the Raccoon language?
Once again, I wish to thank you so much for sharing all of the happenings with the Raccoons with us. I know that you spend a lot of time wording well and proofing, etc. I just want to be sure that you know how much joy you bring and the appreciation that I and many others have of your efforts
Sheri
Lots of puzzling stuff here! First, I really doubt that Bast's kit could have rabies, for lots of reasons:
1. If he/she is scrapping with siblings, they too should be infected; but they seem fine.
2. The hind legs are not truly paralyzed.
3. With rabies, once it reaches the stage of paralysis, the brain is already turning to mush and vocalization is neither very likely nor maybe even possible.
I suppose it could be a spinal injury causing pressure/compression on one or more discs. Or it could be a genetic defect.
It is interesting, and a bit worrisome, that there have been several possible genetic defects in the kits in recent years. It's certainly possible, as we've discussed, that continued inbreeding is beginning to cause problems. And there's no reason to think Trouble as sire was the first incident of inbreeding. If HRH was the reigning male for some years, as seems likely from the girls' reaction to him, he probably bred with his own daughters as well. This is not at all unusual for animals in the wild. We routinely live-trapped litters of feral kittens in given neighborhoods, year after year. In many cases, most or all the kittens in a litter would display a recessive genetic trait like polydactylism (extra toes). To have that high a percentage of young displaying a recessive trait is clear evidence of ongoing inbreeding. I suspect it's much the same in raccoons; animals in the wild tend to have a sharply defined territory for life (or at least until they're ousted), and newcomers typically are most unwelcome. This is a prescription for inbreeding.
In other words, kits with genetic defects could have been occasionally appearing all along. The difference in the equation is that in recent years you've been providing a reliable source of good nutrition, especially during the times mothers are nursing young. When food is scarce, kits who are significantly impaired, either mentally or physically, simply won't survive. If the mother slows everything down to accomodate the disabled one's needs, no one will survive; she has an overwhelming instinctive need to ensure the survival of the most viable young and herself. [Remember Heidi's reactions to Fraidy that first year of the buffet; she clearly did not expect Fraidy to survive, and did what she had to do attending to the needs of the other kits first. I've always believed that Fraidy would not have become an adult without your help.] Please understand, I'm in no way suggesting that this means you shouldn't feed; you know I support that effort with my whole heart. But there may be side effects; that's all I'm saying. At the same time that you're vastly improving the health of the raccoon community as a whole, you might be making it possible for the genetically challenged to survive, at least while in their mother's care. I'm not into value judgments, so have no idea if this is a good thing or a bad thing; it's simply not what would likely happen without the nutrition you provide. Mother Nature has all our lives in her hands, but she cannot be a sympathetic mother; the survival of the species always, in the natural world, comes before that of the individual.
And all that doesn't explain the fact that Bast in particular does not seem to be the product of inbreeding, though her coloring does suggest that HRH is somewhere in her genetic background. But then genetic ooopses can happen even in the absence of inbreeding; and her kit may be injured rather than the result of a genetic misfire.
Like you, I sure wish you could sit down and share a coffee with Heidi and discuss it all; she could teach us so much!
Hi Sheri,
Thank you so much for the wonderful compliment. I have to admit that a compliment now and again really does help to keep my inner writer motivated. I really do appreciate it. :-)
Composing the posts really does take much longer than one might expect. I don't do much editing though. Although it is difficult for me to just let things go errors and all, I feel it's a sacrifice I have to make in order to find time to get the writing done. So with rare exception, I write it composing as I go and then hit send w/o even proof reading.
Sometimes when I return I may read a sentence here and there and am often amazed and frustrated by the number of errors, mostly typos. Frequently, I manage to drop the last and 1st letters from words when typing. This can have more serious effects than you would think. 'It' comes out as 'I'. 'She' becomes 'he'. 'They' turns to 'the' and so forth, and sense these are all real words the spell checker remains blissfully happy. I'm sure when you guys read it you must wonder what i was thinking sometimes. Typos. I also leave out words entirely. This can even change the meaning completely. Several times I've found sentences where the omission of the word 'not' changes a sentence like 'It will not work' to 'It will work'.
As for trying to map and decode raccoon language. That's an interesting idea, and no small undertaking, but, no, I've not started down that path. At this time I really don't have the time for that - not if I'm going to get that book written! I need to finish my current projects before starting any new ones, especially of such magnitude. I'll keep that idea in mind though in case the time & situation present themselves in the future as it would certainly be an interesting endeavor.
I'm not entirely certain that it's even possible for a human to decode the raccoon language actually. I suspect that I'm not hearing the subtle nuances in enunciation that, using an example from our own language, separate words like 'affect' and 'effect', 'candy' and 'dandy', or 'candy' and 'campy', for instance. There are many reasons why this might happen. A few that come to mind are: (1) some sounds may lie outside the frequency and volume range that humans can hear and (2) it is now known that somewhere in the 1st few years of life we loose our ability to hear those building blocks of sound/speech which are not part of our language.
We naturally tend to believe our senses thinking what we hear is what is there, but this is often not the case. Sounds which lie outside the range over which our ears operate are 'clipped'. They exist in the 'unedited' version and may be heard by other creatures whose ears are sensitive to those sounds but are edited out of what we hear. To us, it's as though they don't exist. Once the things we can't hear are removed, many words may appear identical when they really are not.
Even more interesting is the relatively new finding (Item 2 above) that while we are born with the ability to hear all of the hundreds of sounds which comprise the basic building blocks of language (those within our hearing range, that is), within the 1st few years of life we loose the ability to discern all but the relatively small number which make up our own language (the language spoken to us and around us). I don't recall the exact numbers, but there are several hundred of these basic sounds from which all human language is formed, yet most languages only use around 100 or less. Within the 1st few years of life we loose the ability to hear all of the hundreds of others which are not part of our birth language.
I discussed this in greater detail some time back. It's now largely believed to be the reason why people of one language cannot pronounce certain sounds in another language no matter how hard they try. They can't hear the sound because it doesn't exist in their language and thus their brain has long since omitted that sound from those it can discern. I think this same thing is likely to happen when a human tries to listen to raccoon words. Many of the words end up sounding the same, but I'm fairly sure they are not. I believe that I am unable to hear certain important nuances of sound within their language, and w/o these distinctive nuances, many words become the same. And by 'unable to hear' I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with my hearing but rather that these sounds, for one reason or other, are probably not 'available' or discernible to humans just due to the limitations of our hearing.
I'm sure that you are correct Cheryl.
I know that Elephants communicate in extremely low frequencies and have sat fascinated watching shows about this. A recording is made and then modulated to "our" frequency level and found to have lots of low rumblings on it. In the case of Elephants, they must be able to communicate in a way that would carry long distances.
All so very interesting!!
Cheryl you open up my mind with your reasoning and depth of thoughts on any one subject as you write to help us "see"what you are seeing and understand the many directions of your thoughts on those each of those happenings or subjects. Did that make sense? For example I am soon to be 63 and though not a stupid person I tend to see subjects(or topics) in a simple black or white with the normal shades of gray underlying in each . I don't tend to delve deeper than the recognized shades of gray but of course I know there are many more. I guess I just don't use my brain to its fullest capabilities. I love how much thought(depth)you put into anything you see and then try to get it across to those of us that follow this thread so religiously. As far as I am concerned............your words are a work of art.......a picture I can see. Thanks!
One of the kits I feed has a problem also. She is from a litter of 4 and is the last to arrive as she seems to have what I would describe as possibe severe hip dysplasia to her right hip and less severe to her left. She doesn't seem injured so much as when she walks the right foot(and leg)folds under her body. Other than having to work harder to get where she wants she seems to be handling it well. She doen't do any crying so I don't think she is in pain. Though I have only seen her 3 times as I don't often stay after putting the food out. The reason I am thinking hip dysplasia is because my chow/corgi dog(Angel)has it and the way she walks is alot like the racoon but not so severe a dipping of the leg under the body. When she was a puppy I kept telling her vet something was wrong because most dogs don't cross thier own back feet when walking! Sure enough she only had 30% of the ball in joint on one side and 5% in the other one. She is 10 now and the only time she crosses her feet when she walks is if she is really tired. Good ole glucosamine to the rescue.
This message was edited Sep 7, 2010 4:32 PM
Hi Ruth,
You've been with me pretty much from day 1 on the Heidi threads, so you know my paranoia where rabies is concerned. I've come a long way over the years with respect to the subject, but deep down it remains my 1st thought any time a poor, unfortunate raccoon suffers a bad day or, heaven forbid, sneezes or gets a tummy ache. Were it not for your calming voice of reason, I'm sure I would have pronounced them all rabid years ago. They don't even need to have rabies symptoms, a bad hair day will do.
Deep down the more rational person inside of me didn't believe it really was rabies, but I still have to deal with the terrified child inside screaming, "OMG! It's rabies! Run for your life!" Mostly, I just needed to hear your reassurances to the contrary. Thanks for that.
Your thoughts on how my own behavior may be effecting the raccoon populations are interesting. This is something I guess I need to think about some - and maybe keep an eye on the future incidence of possible birth defects. I think I might start charting this (offline).
There are other variables to consider such as which raccoons show up at the buffet beyond their initial yearling season. The 1st year there was only Heidi, and she had one possible birth defect even before I started feeding. (Even though we believe her problems were likely due to factors such as litter size, her mothers age, and the availability of nutrients, for the purpose of studying defect in the population, I think she needs to be considered along with all other possible defects since we can't know for sure.) The 2nd year there was only Heidi and Juliet and no observable defects.
After that Heidi began allowing the yearlings to return in subsequent years. The 2nd and 3rd years as I tried at 1st to keep pace with the burgeoning population, the numbers really got out of hand at times. Then I learned, somewhat by accident, that by limiting food, I could influence Heidi to control the population. This year the population at the buffet has been much more reasonable in terms of both the number I can feed and the number who can fit into the physical buffet area w/o fighting.
I guess what I'm saying here is that changes in the number of observed defects from year to year may be due to several variables only 1 of which involves actual changes inadvertently caused by my feeding activities. Some apparent changes may just be due to things like changes in who sticks around long enough for their kits to be observed and even normal fluctuations from year to year. Also, with only data from 3 years (since more than 2 adult raccoons returned to the buffet with their kits), there really isn't enough data to be statistically valid. (Do you like how I use science to rationalize things?)
Still, that I am influencing the population and that some effects will likely be positive and others negative, is a valid point and one which I really should keep in mind as I continue. I'm going to make a chart (on my computer) of all of the observable defects to date and going forward so that I can watch for any sign of a consistent and ongoing increase. If my records appear to show such an increase, I may need to seriously reevaluate what I'm doing.
Thank you for being so gentle and reassuring in your handling of the topic. That really did help to make the whole subject more palatable for me. Right now I need to get to bed. It has been a super busy and physically taxing day today, so my back is in revolt right now. I may want to revisit this topic again later once I'm rested. Thanks also for keeping me straight.
As always, Cheryl, your evaluations are insightful and right on target. As you say, it is very important to remember that you are seeing only a small sampling of the raccoon population; and given the compassion Heidi has shown to injured raccoons like Bast, it's possible she's allowing mothers with genetically challenged young to visit the buffet in preference to others with entirely healthy litters. Thus your population may not only be small, but skewed as a sample. We know that she was relatively hard-hearted about Fraidy that first year - as nature dictated she must be - but in later years she's grown to trust that a reliable food source is available, and that has clearly changed her attitude in significant ways.
Also, we humans have no reliable way - in the absence of Xrays and detailed vet exams - of distinguishing injury from genetic defect. This means there's a real possibility of cataloging a kit's problems as genetic, when in fact he/she may simply be seriously injured.
So I'm just saying that while your reliable source of food may have some unexpected influences, and while it's certainly worthwhile to keep records of observed problems with the young, I'd be reluctant to draw too many conclusions from the data you collect. While the food you provide may make it possible for a kit with severe genetic problems to survive while they're with their mother, it's highly unlikely that they will survive once on their own, or especially that they'll be able to successfully reproduce and thus pass on any problems to another generation. Can you really imagine Screech surviving on his/her own (it's pretty hard to catch prey unaware when you're screaming to announce your presence), much less bearing and raising young? I just can't see it. So at worst (for lack of better terms), you're giving kits with problems a chance to hang on to life a bit longer than nature might intend; what's the harm in that? If their mothers are willing to accomodate their needs, it can't hurt to help the mothers with the burden.
And the very important other side of that coin is that your feeding makes it possible for genetically viable but catastrophically injured animals like Bast to not only survive, but go on to reproduce the next year. To help those with such an incredible will to survive is a true blessing, as is helping a one-of-kind matriarch like Heidi to go on ruling and reproducing at an advanced age. Cut yourself some slack, Cheryl; statistics are wonderful but what you do is magical.
As for rabies, that small voice that tells you to run like h... at the thought is a vital survival tool. Since you run for the computer to discuss it rather than running for a shotgun to protect your hearth and home, this is a good thing. I'm happy to provide a sounding board since I'm unfortunately one of a very small group of people who have had to deal with the disease and its victims in real time. Honestly, in all the years you've operated the buffet the ONLY time I've been remotely concerned about rabies was when the aggressive Cruella and company were terrorizing the group. Their behavior was clearly abnormal and did worry me a bit. But over time, their behavior stayed consistent and they did not appear to you to become noticeably ill over time. This makes rabies unlikely, since those suffering from it deteriorate visibly and quickly in both appearance and body control. And rest assured that if your observations ever start the red flags flying in my mind, I'll let you know posthaste and immediately.
I have to quote you here: "Cut yourself some slack, Cheryl; statistics are wonderful but what you do is magical."
This is quite true for all of the above stated reasons.
I had a 1PM appointment yesterday and lots of other things to do. From 1PM until I fell in bed and 'passed out' later that night, I was running to and fro, standing in a long line, jogging through the grocery store to finally pick up those cookies (got lots of them, too), bending every which way to get a ton of last minute photos from all possible angles/lighting of some flowers I'm eager to paint (and which will likely be gone by today), and so on and so forth.
I wasn't doing anything all that extraordinary, but it was a lot of activity and bending for me since until very recently my back and knees had kept me from doing much physical stuff. Even when visiting the grocery store, I had been forced to use the motorized carts until about 2 weeks ago when I discovered that I can now walk the store (YAY!) with my current meds. So with all that sudden activity, I had a great day but ended up very sore and barely moving by evening.
Tired from all that unaccustomed activity, I went to sleep early - as soon I finished feeding the critters (raccoons and cats). Around midnight I awoke to take Widget out one last time (and deal with the cats who came in when we went out), etc. By that time I didn't feel so great but wanted to be sure to respond to Ruth's post before going back to bed. Even so, I really didn't get to say all that I wanted to say because my back was hurting and sitting upright to type was making it worse. (I knew it was just due to all that activity & was a sign I needed to continue to get more exercise, but it was making it difficult for me to concentrate and type my post last night.)
I said all of this to explain why I sounded the way I did in my last post. I find that moderate to severe pain also effects my tone and the way I come across in my post - even when I try to prevent this. Even as I was typing my post I was aware that this was happening but was powerless to write blissful, happy thoughts when my mind was heavy with pain. I was aware also that, as you were unable to see across the net to realize that the slightly down, negative tone of my post was actually due to my pain, you would naturally think it was due to how I felt about the subject at hand. This is yet another reason why I decided to cut it 'short'.
So, basically, I'm fine and am not upset about the subject we were discussing. Any sign of negativity, sadness, etc you may have detected in my post was merely a reaction to my tiredness and pain at the time of the writing. BTW, much as I expected, I'm fine today although still a bit tired and sore. I'm going to let myself 'rest' today by doing less physical activities but am also going to make a concerted effort to get more exercise from now on, probably on alternate days to allow for rest and recuperation in between. Hopefully, with time I will now be able to improve my tolerance for physical activity. Just wanted to explain my tone last night. At the time I was even too tired and sore to react normally to Cocoa. When he came in looking for a hug, whereas normally I would have been happy to see him and eager to cuddle him against my cheek, I just could not force myself to bend down to pick him up or even to pet him. He probably didn't understand my mood either.
As mentioned, yesterday afternoon during my whirlwind of activity, I stopped by the grocery store and grabbed an armload of s/w cookies (and a bag of animal cookies for dipping) for the raccoons. I had been out of cookies and punting for days now and was eager to get out there to deliver the sweet treats and see the happy faces, but even though I went out to the buffet at the normal time, incredibly no one showed up.
Well, almost no one. Actually, one of the yearlings did show up with her 2 kits. Although those 2 kits were unwilling to come to me, they were thrilled to receive the cookies. Actually, one kit did slowly make her way up to my hand once to get a piece of cookie. Once there, she stretched her neck as far as she could to reach the cookie. Just as she was about to take her prize, she apparently caught a whiff of my hand. Even as her nose was right up against the cookie and she was poised to take it, in an instant her eyes grew wide with terror and she took off running into the brush off to one side of the buffet area, ran off without taking the cookie with her. Poor thing. I would characterize her reaction as, "Eeeeeeeeek! A h-u-m-a-n!"
At such times, it always strikes me as odd that the kit/raccoon gets all the way to the cookie and then runs off w/o it at just the very moment when he/she might easily take the coveted item. Still, I guess it's a lot like reaching the item one is pursuing only to find a large, venomous snake holding it out to us. Yeah, I guess in such a situation we, too, would scream and flee w/o stopping to take the cookie.
Of course, I tossed her the cookie (piece) and tossed a few more to her and her sibling (and the yearling) before leaving. Like most kits they were thrilled by the sweet goodies.
I had been looking forward to the opportunity to pass out cookies to all of my new, little friends. Who would ever have thought that neither Dennis and her kits nor Heidi and her kits nor even Bast and her kits would show up on the given night? In the case of Dennis, the fact that I hadn't been able to give her cookies for days now might have factored into her decision to take the kits elsewhere that day. Oh, well, not to worry. There is always tomorrow - which is now today.
Hi Friend!
I hope that you are just taking a writer's break and not sick or having a pain flare up. Just wanted you to know I am thinking of you and remembering you in my prayers
Sending a big hug (way round the back-as my Grampa used to say),
Sheri
I just wanted to let you know that I'm fine but am having some pain right now such that between the effects of the pain and the extra meds, I find that I'm unable to write anything intelligible. I get all tongue-tied. My words come out all wrong and confusing.
You don't need to worry about me though. It's the kind of pain that makes for long nights and wasted days but not the kind that kills you. I'm sure I'll be better soon. As I mentioned before (either here or on the cat thread), I find that my extra pain is cyclic in nature, and once again it is right on time.
I'm just touching base to let you know that everything is ok. Not to worry. I'll be back soon.
Judy,
I loved your last post. I have another browser window open in which I've been trying for an embarrassing number of days to write a response. For some reason I just cannot seem to get the words to come out right. I write it. Edit it. Rewrite it, and all to no avail. I cannot seem to express what would seem to be a few simple ideas. When I read it back, each time it comes out confusing and having lost the intent.
Sorry for the delay. I wanted to let you know that I didn't forget you and I'm not ignoring you.
One thing I would like to tell you though - and think I can manage to express right now - is how much I appreciate not only the compliment (which was very nice and much appreciated) but also the very specific information you expressed about what you like. Believe it or not, while I've known since grade school that people (teachers mostly) seemed to like my writing, I've never really known why. I never thought about it really until I started trying to rewrite the Heidi story into a book. It was only then that I realized this dilemma. It's risky to try to alter something people like, if you don't know just what exactly they like about it. If you don't know this one simple thing, what makes the story special, then you risk editing it out of the work. So thank you not only for the compliment but also for helping me to try to piece together just what it is that makes the story 'work'.
(I appreciate all those who have given me information on what they like about the story, btw.)
There is something else that I want to tell you, but I'll stop here before I get my tongue tied up in too many knots. Hopefully, I will be able to find the words to express the other stuff at a later time.
Ruth,
I also have a number of things I need to respond to you on. I will get to it. Promise. As mentioned above, I'm not ignoring you (or any of you). Just not able to do much in the way of intelligible self-expression right now.