Heidi Chronicles: Spring Fling 11

Ruth,

ROTFLOL at that Petey image. I sure hope that boy doesn't bring me any kits, but you never know. still lol.

As for Bast holding her own with the juvies, yeah, if you call stealing their food holding her own. Before her injury, Bast was never one to mess with, and in those days the others knew to leave her alone. From the looks of things, she's Bast again, the old Bast. When she had eaten about 3/4 of her food, she conveniently traded places with the yearling next to her (who was eating more slowly and still had a good 2/3 of her food) - and THEN, after taking the yearling's food, Bast had the audacity to lecture the youngster as though the youngster had taken HER food. Oh, yeah, she's back.

Although Bast still has the chutzpah required to command respect from the others - since, I think, that sort of thing is as much mental as anything - when she walks I sense that she is experiencing some discomfort. She seems a little stiff and maybe slightly arthritic. Understand that I'm talking about something very small and subtle, something I might not even notice were it not for my own injuries. It's nothing pronounced. It doesn't look like she is suffering just maybe going through the same kind of thing most of us experience sooner or later, a little stiffness here and there, achy joints when the weather changes, that kind of thing. It looks like average, garden variety, Motrin level discomfort rather than morphine level pain, and she definitely isn't letting it get in her way at all.

Oh, and, it just occurred to me...You 'guys' always seem to want me to try to get pictures of everything, especially things the raccoons do on the patio, things that are difficult to photograph through the glass in darkness, yaddah, yaddah. So, doesn't anyone want me to see if I can get a pic of Petey climbing on the outside of the glass door as viewed from inside the room? ;-)

And then maybe Debbie will lighten, brighten, and enhance it for us. ROTF

And then it would qualify as raccoon porn....

It's a pretty sure bet that Bast has lingering joint and muscle issues; those were super-traumatic injuries. And annoying as it probably is, you gotta love that chutzpah; I suspect it's a real survival asset these days. If you can pick up subtle signs of less-than-ideal-fitness, you can be sure the other raccoons do so as well; Bast could easily become a scapegoat, but with that attitude it's rather unlikely. Unless she really ticks off Heidi, and I suspect she's much too smart to do that.

Well, one time you try to be HELPFUL and it just haunts you years down the road! ROFL...I learned my lesson!

Now put a picture of Petey on that window! lol I will NOT lighten it I promise.

Debbie

Hi Debbie,

Now you know I just LOVE to tease you about that incident, right? It was just TOO funny because I specifically decided it would be ok to post that pick (years ago, the one you lightened for me) since it was too dark for the mess on the patio to be visible. I usually enhance my pics myself but specifically chose to leave that one dark to cover up my mess. About a minute after I posted it, the next post was yours - and you were beaming with helpful pride at having 'fixed' it for me - exposing all my junk, trash bag, leaves, etc. That was just TOO, TOO funny.

As for that pic of Petey, that was a multi-fold joke. You got the joke about you cleaning it up for me, but I'm not sure if you got the other part of the joke. When Petey climbs on the outside of the[glass] door, once his hip area passes the bottom kick plate, ALL manner of things come into full view from inside [through the glass]. I don't think DG would appreciate me taking a pic of that - or you enhancing it, if you know what I mean. (i.e. think Petey is a boy an now an adolescent boy at that)

Actually, I've been trying to convey to him that I don't appreciate him climbing on the door. Among other reasons, I'm afraid he will break the thin wooden bars [that make it look like the door is made up of individual glass panes]. Also, I'm concerned that the girls will learn to follow his lead, and several grown coons all climbing the door at once would not be good at all.

After only a few 'lessons', Petey now seems to be staying on the ground. Thus - and sadly, lol - it may now be too late for that Chippendales shot of Petey on the glass. ;-)

OHHH yes, I got the full part with the Petey Peep show! TGhats why I was laughing about so hard. Petey and his centerfold days....lol

Perhaps its time for the super soaker to come out and get that after poor Petey...."Spring centerfold...Petey wet and wild".

I still laugh over that picture I ligtened up!

Liz,

If it bothers you having the critters dig in that one area, I thought of something that might help to deter them. Depends on how much you want the cure though as it may be worse than the disease, just depends on your situation and which 'pain' you prefer. Anyhow, mixing sharp, uncomfortable material in with the soil at the surface might make the critters less eager to dig there and also make the earth worms think twice about coming up to the surface in that area. I'm thinking materials like crushed eggshells, crushed and broken oyster shells, broken clay pottery and flower pots (small pieces), that sort of thing. Not all of them, one of them. Just a thought. If you decide to try it, I would try a small area 1st to see if it works.

Thanks for the suggestion, Cheryl, but I've decided to view the digging as a shallow rototilling - trying to make lemonade out of lemons. Although I wasn't too pleased that my "friends" dug up some things I planted last weekend! Our city has their free compost giveaway, this Saturday, so I'll put compost on top & hope that it will work its way into the awful dirt more easily, since it's been "tilled". Besides my husband would probably have a fit if I "littered" the garden, any more than it's already littered by all my gardening stuff.

The strange thing is this is the first year we've experienced this digging, only in the front bed, in the seven years we've lived here. The only change is the removal of the cat food bowl, from the nearby porch, which the raccoons & skunks used to frequent. Now, that my semi-feral kitty is very geriatric & in "hospice", he's happy to stay inside, so we no longer need the outside bowl. I do feel a bit badly for the mama skunk, whose brought her baby's to eat the past few years. Of course, if you asked me a few weeks ago, after my siamese mix was sprayed, I might have been singing a different tune... especially when we discovered his adventure, in the middle of the night, when he jumped on our bed! He wasn't too thrilled about the bath he got the next morning!!!

Oh, Liz,

ROTFLMFHO at the cat vs skunk vs bed story! Oh, poor kitty - and OMG I can just imagine the trauma of being awakened by that smell. LOL. I can just imagine that no one in your house was very happy with that skunk. Oh, but the babies sure do sound adorable. I've never had the 'pleasure' of seeing a skunk in real life before. They look so cute and fluffy on TV and in pictures. I can only imagine that the little ones must be too cute for words - but that SMELL! Oh, how horrid. (I do have a notion of what the smell is like since my vet told me it's quite similar to the odor my dog had once after her glands were expressed and the stuff managed to get all over her long fur. No matter how much they washed her, they could not get rid of that wretched odor. I was tempted to leave her at the vet's office for a week or two.)

Last night when I went out to feed the raccoons, Bast walked up to me, where I was standing in the center of the patio, and before I even realized what was going on, she very gently and politely stood before me and reached her face/nose past the bag of food I was holding. She put her face against my hand longways, her nose gently touching my wrist, the hairs of her face brushing against the back of my hand. She held her face there for a moment before stepping back to look up at me.

At the moment I was tired, and incredibly sleepy, having been awake much of the prior night due to nightmares. I was surrounded by hungry raccoons, and my leg ached considerably. I wanted to get everyone fed and get to bed. I wanted to take a load off my aching leg and let my heavy eyelids rest. As a result, although her actions touched me greatly, I didn't give them her the time she deserved. I spoke to her, called her name, and then set about feeding everyone - and went to bed where I was sound asleep almost before my head fully settled on the pillow.

Today, when I had more time to think about it, her actions really spoke to me. It was almost as if she wanted me to 'know' that it was she, as if she wanted me to remember her - and, of course, I did, but perhaps she couldn't tell that from my behavior.

Tonight, I called her name. She looked up at me, and then she left her food and walked over to me where I stood, again in the middle of the patio. She walked up to me and just stood there at my feet, looking up at me like a small dog might have done. So, naturally, I rushed inside to get her some grapes. I remembered that grapes were one of Bast's favorite items. Bast, like Heidi, will not eat just anything. She has only a very, very few favorites, and grapes are high on her list.

When I arrived on the patio again, this time with a handful of grapes, 2/3 of the raccoons scattered as they always do when I go out there. The patio is small, and only a handful of raccoons like Heidi and Bast are comfortable being so close to me when I'm standing upright. Bast just walked right up to me as though we were old friends - and we ARE, but I didn't know if she would remember.

I haven't been hand feeding the raccoons in ages, not since I started feeding them on the patio and not even for a while before that, but this was Bast, and somehow with her it just seemed ok. I bent down towards her and held out a grape, and she took it in her mouth every bit as gently as any of my pets. She stood there inches from my feet and body and maybe a foot from my face. She stood there eating grapes and looking up at me from time to time, making eye contact. Her face, her eyes, her body all said she was as comfortable there with me as she was anywhere.

I fed her some grapes by hand and put the rest of the handful on the patio in front of her. She ate all of the hand held grapes 1st before eating any from the patio, a most unusual behavior for a raccoon, virtually all of whom will opt to eat from the hand only if the item isn't available elsewhere. Bast almost seems to enjoy the special treatment of being fed by hand, and since she shows no sign of fear, there is no reason for her to prefer to eat from the ground. Bast enjoyed being 'taken care of' back when I was making such a big production out of feeding her when she was injured. Later when she was well, I could tell that she missed the special treatment, and sometimes she would try to get special treatment again. She enjoyed being spoiled, and with all that she went through, she deserved it.

Tonight when she finished eating the hand held grapes, Bast stood inches from my feet slowly eating the grapes from the patio, and again, totally unconcerned about her proximity to me even with me standing upright. To make sure the others didn't bother her, I stayed there with her at my feet until she finished the grapes. When I turned to walk back to the door, she followed me. Even when I was back inside, the door closed, Bast stood there looking up at the door as if waiting for me to return. I turned off the light, and walked away, and now I'm about to turn off this light, and go to bed. I'm totally beat. It was nice to spend some time with Bast today though, like seeing an old and dear friend again.

That just warmed my heart 100%. I have missed Bast, she is so very special. I remember my fears of loosing her with her injury. I think that is why I pulled away from reading for a bit.

Sweet dreams tonight Cheryl

Debbie

Thank you, Debbie,

Honestly, I thought we might loose Bast, too. I really did, but I wasn't going to give up on her as long as she didn't give up on herself. She's a fighter, that one, and I was happy for the chance to be there for her. Sorry about the bad stuff, but it goes with the territory. It's a true story, and I can only tell the story that I see acted out before me. It's real life, full of good times and some bad.

Glad you came back - or at least stop by some time. :-)

A very good night to you as well.

A little while ago I looked out just to see if all the food had been eaten. Bast was standing out there on the patio just a few feet from the door. She didn't appear to be eating or doing anything really, just hanging around - again, like a pet dog. So, of course, I had to fetch her another handful of grapes. lol. she played me well, huh? Ok, now I'm really going to bed.

Oh lord, Liz, the idea of a skunk-sprayed cat in bed with you is just appalling. Love the "shallow rototilling" viewpoint: very healthy way to look at the situation!

Cheryl, I can't believe you've reached maturity without smelling a real skunk! When one is hit by car, that aroma hovers over the roadway for miles. They are absolutely gorgeous animals, and the babies too cute for words. They all, including babies, have just a bit of that musk about them, however, even when they've not sprayed. I always admired the rehabbers who worked with baby skunks in their house, but knew that was a task for which I'd never volunteer.

The good news is that they really don't spray without provocation. I'll never forget the advice given to me before I went out on my first skunk call by the guy who trained me. "Talk to it like it's a cat, Ruth; they love that, and if you keep talking gently they don't spray. And they warn. They do this little dance, stamping the ground with their front feet, then turn their back on you and cut loose. Don't wait for the turn; run when they start to stomp." And you know, it works; I just kept sweet-talking to the pretty black & white "kitty," and I never got sprayed.

Hi Ruth,

I have never even SEEN a skunk nor even heard of anyone in my family/area seeing one. There aren't even any skunk stories in the area, you know, stories from 'the old people' about encounters with skunks. I really don't think we have them here along the coast; otherwise, it seems like someone would have seen one by now. And I even grew up in a rural area some 30+ miles outside the city, the kind of place where you would expect to see wildlife. Oh, and I've never seen one as roadkill either. That should tell the tale, as I would think if we had them around here, one would occasionally get hit by a car, unfortunately. Nope, no skunks in this part of town. We've got raccoon, opossums, squirrels, foxes, wild cats, even wild hogs, and gators, but no skunks. No bears, wolves, coyotes, ground hogs, or any of the other ground hog like critters either. There are tales of panther sitings but no hard evidence of their continued existance in the area. That's about it. We are 'short' a lot of critters that you folks farther inland have.

I love the story of how to make friends with the skunks, temporarily, at least, and how to know when to run. You know, the part about talking to them like cats makes a lot of sense really. That's how I talk to all of my wild and semi wild and even tame but scared critters - to let them know that everything is ok, and I mean them no harm. Works with raccoons and with feral cats, makes sense it would work with skunks, too - of course, the risk if it doesn't work is much lower with raccoons and feral cats. lol.

All this talk of skunks reminds me of something I saw on tv recently involving another creature with a somewhat unique and very effective defense mechanism, the porcupine. I know porcupines and skunks seem quite different, but the similarity is in that both have such unusual and yet highly effective methods of telling others to get packing. Anyhow, I saw this program on NatGeo where this young lion was trying to make a meal out of a porcupine. Being young and inexperienced, the lion figured he could catch and eat the porcupine with little trouble, but it didn't work out that way at all. It was cool to watch the porcupine ever so calmly eluding the lion by just keeping its backside aimed at the big cat. The lion tried a time or two to find a way past the porcupine's defenses, but after he got a couple of those spines/spurs in his foot, he backed off, and the little porcupine quietly waddled away to safety. (We don't have porcupines here either, btw.) You gotta love it when the little guy wins every now and then.

Just FYI, we are under tornado warning/threat all day today. Last night the air outside was hot, thick, steamy, and just felt ominous. When I opened the door to let the cats in, it sucked the door right out of my hands and slammed it shut. Last night it was 80+ degrees at midnight with 91% humidity. Tornados have been on a rampage throughout the south lately as you have probably seen on the news. They have killed almost 200 people in the past few weeks, many in AL, GA, and NC. So far we and FL are about the only states that haven't been hit or hit hard. Today we are in the bulls eye, and it's scary stuff. We are also expecting severe T-storms with large hail (thinking how my car would prefer to be home in its garage rather than the open parking lot where it can be pummelled).

On the news this morning they showed houses in AL that were converted to splinters overnight by tornados. They said if you don't have a basement, you are pretty much a sitting duck if one of those comes through. We don't have basements here. We are too low, and the water table is too high, so it's just not an option here. Well, I'm going to get to work now, and try not to think about it. Whatever happens will happen. I've been protected this long...

Praying for your safety!


You don't know how glad that you should be that you haven't experienced skunks☺ I had a dog (a Hovawart-super smart dogs) that liked to wear skunk spray. She was a farm dog and she was so good at her job that I didn't have any trouble with deer, rabbits or raccoons in my unfenced gardens. We slept with the windows open and around 2am every night; she would get sprayed and the stench would drift in the windows. Ugh! I think that she had some kind of agreement with the skunk family that used her water bowl. I moved it out from the carport and the nightly smells moved too. I finally started spraying her with perfume every day and she stopped visiting with the skunks.

Thank you very much, June!

By some time early in the afternoon, the death toll from the tornadoes had been updated to nearly 300, over 200 in AL alone. Unbelievable for a few weeks of tornadoes especially outside of tornado alley. The poor folks in AL, like us, probably can't have basements, the one place of relative safety. It was pretty scary today knowing what the tornadoes had already done in neighboring states, and now to be in the supposed bull's eye ourselves.

Yet again, we have been very lucky. We really only had some rain. I didn't even see or hear much thunder, and to my knowledge there were no tornadoes. The tornado watch has ended. Of course, that doesn't mean they can't still come by. I was a little worried just because of what was happening so close by, but at the same time it was difficult to believe a major tornado might come through here. There hasn't been one in the area in my lifetime, nor to my knowledge has there been one in my parent's lifetimes. We get the very, very rare Cat 1 every decade or two somewhere in the surrounding area, but it has always been so light as to only damage a roof or maybe a shed and a tree or two. But then again with global warming we may be entering into uncharted territory now such that no one can be sure what will happen.

How funny - and awful - about your dog. I can only do my best to understand based on the tale's of others, but having never seen much less smelled a skunk, I doubt I can truly understand the experience. I could tell from the passion in Ruth's response to Liz above that this is something only truly appreciated by those who had been there - and, frankly, I'm glad to have been spared that one. :-)

Liz,

Recently, last weekend to be more precise, you asked if I will be getting home early enough to spend time with the kits. I actually wrote you a lenghty, too lengthy really (and I'm sure you won't have any trouble believing that.lol), response shortly after you posted the question. However, that was the day when my network went offline due to what I presume was a problem with the carrier. I was offline all weekend after that. I learned of the problem when I tried to send my response post, and somewhere amidst the multiple reboots while trying to resolve the problem, I lost my unsent post. You're probably lucky though. ;-)

The short answer is, yes, I actually get home a bit earlier than before. I get home well before dark. It probably doesn't seem so only because I've been challenged in my efforts to get back in the swing of things and get used to getting up early and working a full 40hr week and in nearly back to back 8hr increments at that. Between knee pain, sleeping issues, and low energy, I've been taxed to the limits. For weeks there all I did was work, feed critters, sleep, and try to get back to sleep.

Things are slowly getting better now all around. It seems a bit of a moot point now since Heidi is back already and has been willing to stay after dark - although once fed she disappears rather quickly - but I am home early enough to spend time out there with them before dark - if I could stay awake, that is. Also, by the time the kits arrive, Heidi will be shifting to a later arrival time anyhow.

See what I mean? The short answer. LOL.

Seriously, Cheryl, no skunks??? That's fascinating; I've known skunks everywhere I've lived on the east coast, from here in western NC up to New England. Let's just say that the smell is unforgettable, and simple soap and water don't touch it. You can be driving along with the windows open, and even at high speed, when that aroma wafts in you know some poor skunk bit the dust on the roadway.

Cute story about the porcupine. Can't you just imagine the little guy chuckling to himself as he waddles off into the distance? Porcupine 1, Lion 0.

We had the tornado/hail warnings here last night; thankfully all we got was high wind, torrential rain, and nonstop lightning sound & light effects. My partner has carefully examined the house, and made careful plans to head for the laundry room with the animals if tornados are ever sighted in the area, because the laundry room is the only one without any windows. Now this is a TINY laundry room; you have room to stand directly in front of the machines, that's it. We have two dogs weighing 40-50 lbs. each, four cats, and one of the dogs is predatory (the cats live on a separate floor). Picture all that in a teeny laundry room together. Now realize that it's a circa 1935 wood house set on a rock wall foundation; I can't decide if it would implode or just be sucked up, or both. All you can do in the event of tornado is bend over and kiss your b... goodbye. Oh well, whatever gets you through the night...

You can build a reinforced concrete block closet in the garage (or a shed in the yard). They are not hard to build, but do take one or two strong backs to put together so might be best to hire a crew to build it. The door has to be 'tornado-proof'. They are expensive, but worth it as a normal 'strong' door just won't do.
This link give you the idea, but if you build one, please reinforce the ceiling/roof. It was just dumb of them to not do this.

http://n74tg.blogspot.com/2007/05/tornado-shelter-roof.html

Thanks, June,

Wow. Such incredible information. I think I will hold off to see how the weather goes for now. As I mentioned, tornadoes have historically been virtually unheard of here. In my lifetime there have only been a scant handful and all cat 1's which did only minor property damage. Unless weather cycles and/or temp changes bring on some previously unknown weather patterns, we are probably fairly safe here - except for the hurricanes, that is. If the kind of weather the south saw this year becomes a new norm, I may have to reconsider though.

As soon as I read the word 'build', I knew I wouldn't be doing it personally, as I can barely handle like to moderate housework. Oh, and in case I didn't mention this before, I am not allowed to build anything inside or out w/o prior approval by the architectural review board. Frustrating, but it's either deal with the HOA or live further outside the city, and I don't feel prepared to handle the country life w/o help, so HOA it is. And whereas I can get some things past them, there is no way to hide even a small construction project especially if hired hands are involved, not to mention delivery of building materials.

I appreciate the excellent information. I'm going to hold off for now, but I will tag the information in case I should decide I need it later.

My DS got around the HOA by telling them that he was rebuilding the existing closet in the garage due to moisture damage☺

June,

Right now I wouldn't build it anyhow. Like I said, unless things change dramatically, the chance of us actually having a severe tornado is so small as to be negligible. Right now I have neither the money nor the energy for such a project, especially when it would likely never be used.

As for the HOA, realize that different states and municipalities have different laws and ordinances covering these things, and HOA's even w/in the same town vary greatly in both their rules and their strictness. I can't get around the HOA that easily. No matter what kind of project it is, whether repair of an existing feature or not, I have submit design plans for architectural review before I can do any kind of building project. I was severely reprimanded some years ago for assembling a vinyl rose arbor, no nails required, in my backyard. I had no idea they would even consider that a 'building project', but they did. A neighbor was fined for cutting down a tree that had fallen on his roof w/out discussing it with them 1st - as they must also be consulted before any trees are cut down, apparently even ones that have already fallen but which are still partially attached to the roots.

But, honestly, that's a moot point, because as stated I would not be interested in building anything right now. It just is not worth the cost and energy expenditure to me at this time, not when I weigh the fact that there hasn't been a single serious tornado within 50miles or more of here in my entire lifetime. If I find that the weather seems to be changing, I may reconsider, but not now.

I"m back in Wisc after being gone a few days... i left a 'plate' of food for my raccoon monday before i left, and last evening set out a chx leg bone - with quite a bit of meat still attached. An egg [i've been buying brown, hormone free, cage free eggs] about a halfa cup of kitten kibble and some cottage cheese. every morning, all that is left is the shell. she licks the 'plate' clean.

Cheryl -- wonderful story about Bast... as you know, i too was one that didn't read as much last summer when she was injured... I know 'nature happens' but i just can't witness [read about] it. so glad she is back.

just throwing this out there... i paid 3.99 a gallon yesterday. Ug.

Terese, we crossed over the $4.05 mark....most places are a few cents higher than that. My husband drives an hour each way to work....its killing us.

I have so enjoyed the new Bast coming, her demur (haha) self...batting eyes for grapes.

We actually have....sunshine...today. Still cleaning up the town from the storm. Hurricane force winds up to 83 mph....just wind and rain. Some people lost their roofs, quite a few trees on homes.

Enjoy your weekend....
Debbie

Terese,

What a nice feast. Isn't it wonderful to share a bit of our bounty with a wild friend? I've so enjoyed it. It's more fun when there are only a few. Right now I have a huge crowd again, too many, and am hoping Heidi will see the need to trim it down soon.

I used to buy the very good, cage free, eggs from hormone free hens. When I switched back to regular eggs, Heidi let me know that she could tell the difference and was displeased. She does eat the regular eggs now, when she's in the mood, but she clearly preferred the quality of the other eggs.

Yes, I did know that you disliked that part of the story. Still, as much as I hated to see people driven away and as much I understood, I had to tell the whole story, the true story, as it unfolded before me. What was going on at that time was so intense and so dramatic that I could not have kept it to myself, nor could I have told a different story while it was going on. I couldn't even pay attention to other things at the buffet while the Bast story was playing out before me. It simply was the story at the time, the only story I had to tell. In retrospect, I'm glad I did tell the story if for no other reason than to document it for posterity.

I'm wondering now, should I leave that part out of the Heidi book? But then, would Old Yeller and Bambi be the same without the sadness? Is it perhaps the sadness which makes the happiness brighter still in comparison? Curious. I don't really know.

Debbie,

I sure hope your DH has a car that gets good mileage. I put just under $60 in my Honda the other day, something I never thought I would see, and am starting to miss the Civic (This one is an Accord, a 4dr, and automatic, so doesn't get such great mileage as my old 2dr, std, Civic did.) When attending the Citadel, I drove around 100 miles/day minimum, sometimes 2x that when, in summer, I found myself with a 8AM class and a 10PM class the same day. Thankfully, gas wasn't nearly so high then.

To save money, I quickly traded in my 8cylinder Firebird for a Honda CRX, a tiny, tiny car that only seated 2 people and which reminded me of a toy car. I must admit that I was always a bit fearful of a collision with a larger (real) car, but that little car got about 50mi/gal and made a huge difference in my gas budget (compared to 12-15 for the Firebird).

The gas thing is scary though for those of us for whom driving is a must not an option. There is no public transportation from here to where I work or even to the grocery store, so whatever the cost, I will have to pay it. I am frustrated sometimes when people on the news speak of driving as though we all have the option of taking the subway or bus or trolley. It just isn't so.

I'm glad you've enjoyed hearing about Bast again. She seems determined to be a big part of the story. More below.

As I've mentioned the throng of raccoons out there on the patio these days is a bit daunting. I'm not afraid of them, as they always move away giving me space, are never pushy or 'grabby', but the crowd is just less intimate than the handful I'm accustomed to - and they eat like the horde they are.

Last night as I stepped out, food in hand, and moved toward Heidi to feed her 1st as is customary, another raccoon stepped boldly up to me. I was just about to push this other raccoon away when I realized it was Bast. "Bast!" I said, drawing back the arm that had almost shoved her away. I am always happy to see my old friend.

I have said a great deal about this, but ever since that one year when I took care of her while she was injured, Bast has wanted to be the center of attention again. I really think she enjoyed the attention. Every year when she returns she steps out of the crowd and comes to me as if to say, "Remember me? It's me. Bast. I'm not one of the 'others'. I'm special." Once she was able to fend for herself way back then, I tried to back away. I didn't want her to be dependent on me, and she's not, but like most of us, she still enjoys being treated like she's special.

Last night was one of those nights when I would have like to have a webcam, except for the mess, so you could see what I hope to describe. Bast walked up to my feet and stayed there standing sideways against my shins. I ended up literally bending over her to feed the others waiting around the edges of the patio. I was in the central area of the patio when Bast came up to me as she did. I put Heidi's food down 1st just to the left of us, and then in an instant, decided to put Bast's food down right there where she stood, right there in the middle of the patio - and so I did.

I wasn't sure how that would work out. Not one of the other raccoons is even willing to eat anywhere near the middle area. They all feel much more comfortable around the outside of the patio. They will come into the central area to wait for me and to gather around me, but they prefer to eat on the other 'circle'. I think in the central area they feel too exposed both to anyone (else) who might come from the house and to each other, since anyone in the middle is sort of 'trapped' there being unable to 'exit' without finding a way past the others eating around the other edge of the patio.

There is only so much real estate around the outer edge of the patio though, and some of that is taken up by plants and such. It doesn't help, either, that the raccoons can't eat too close to each other w/out arguing. you know, the usual "don't touch me. she's touching me" stuff you get from kids. Early on I tried to solve the space dilemma by putting some food 'stations' in the central area, but long after I turned the light off and left, I found that no one was eating from the central piles of food even though they were fighting over food around the edges. I've since stopped putting any food anywhere but the edges - until last night, that is, when I put the food there at my feet for Bast.

Bast, unlike the others, was totally comfortable eating there in the center. She is not afraid of me nor of them, so the center is perfect for her. She doesn't ALLOW anyone to eat near her anyhow, so in the center she has lots of space to call her own. Talk about attitude, just the night before she ate peacefully at a spot on the edge while the 2 piles of food on either side of her sat untouched (because the others know better than to come that close) even though there were raccoons waiting to eat.

Bast actually seemed to relish the attention and 'special-ness' that came with being fed in the center of the circle. She had always wanted to be special again, and now she is. I hadn't been too sure how it would go when I 1st put the food there, but it worked out perfectly - for all.

I wish you could see Bast because she is so laid back, almost comically so. She makes me laugh but in a good way. She ate so calmly even as I bent over her to reach and feed the others around the outer area. I stayed out there for awhile, for as long as I could stand up w/out too much discomfort, and the entire time Bast ate there only inches from my feet. There was nothing tense about her even with me standing there over her, even with my shadow falling upon her. The entire time she had an air of "Look at me. I'm special again. I get to eat in the center and with the human."

Of course, it goes w/o saying that I went back inside to get her some grapes. I had purchased 2 bags of the red grapes on sale, the ones they like best. I pulled 2 sprigs off of a bunch and took those back out with me. I fed them 2 Bast by hand. I dropped a few on the patio in front of her, but she made it quite clear that she preferred to be hand fed, preferred the attention, the ceremony, and the special-ness of receiving her grapes 1 at a time and by hand.

I tossed one grape over to Heidi to gauge her interest. She quickly grabbed it, so I pulled off a small bunch still attached to the stem and tossed them over to her. One of the others made a quick move for that bunch which landed a bit to one side of Heidi. Heidi let out her characteristic grumble but made NO attempt to grab the grapes. Still, although the coveted bunch of grapes sat there 'unguarded' while Heidi finished the one she was eating, the other raccoon backed away, and no one dared touch those grapes. It was clear testimony to Heidi's continued power over the group. A few minutes later, Heidi picked up the bunch of grapes and ate them.

In between feeding grapes to Bast, I tossed a few to the others. I went back for another small bunch. When those were gone, I had to tell them that we were saving some for tomorrow. While I was feeding Bast the grapes, something next door scared the others, and they all scattered, disappearing from the patio. Only Bast remained there with me. She seemed quite undaunted as she stood there as close as Widget might have stood had I been feeding him some treat. She stood so calmly. It was nothing short of amazing to observe.

The grapes ended, and as I backed away, Bast went with me. It was a total reversal of the norm. She remained so close that I was a bit uncomfortable even though I'm not afraid of her. It was like she was invading my personal space. But she wasn't being at all threatening. She was acting just like a pet. I thought she was going to go inside with me.

As I stepped inside the door, she stood on her hind legs holding her hands out toward me. I've no idea what that meant, but it told me that while her one leg will never be normal again, she is clearly well enough now to be comfortable standing (and balancing) on her 2 back legs alone, and that's a big thing for Bast who for the very longest time could not eat with her hands because her back legs could not hold her weight. I've also noticed that this year she stands upright at all times, yet another improvement since last year she had to sit down about half of the time to take the weight off her legs. She has come a long, long way.

It was difficult to leave with Bast standing there looking at me, but I forced myself to turn the light off and walk away. I was tired, and I needed to save some grapes for another day.

Keep the bad times in with the good - it makes the book more reality based than fantasy based and will lift the spirits of those that have known crippling injuries and lived on with the help of others. I was half afraid that she didn't make it through the winter since she didn't come to the patio with the others. I am so happy that she is well and strong.

Be careful that she doesn't try to take Heidi's place as that seems to be something worth fighting for and she would be the one to do it. Heidi had those bite marks at the same time that Bast returned. And Bast may be doing things out in the forest that you don't know about. I am sure that Heidi is old enough to be losing her dominance some year soon. It is a sad thought, but it is a reality that has to be faced...

June,

I know what you mean. I was much more worried about Bast taking over before her injuries. I think that cooled her heals a bit, but you never know.

Bast isn't back to 100%, and it appears now that she never will be. That's why I'm glad to see that she is able to do things like stand the entire time she's out there and stand up on her hind legs, things she couldn't do even last summer.

Her stance is a bit 'crooked'. She stands 'right' on 3 legs, but the one hind leg, the one I always believed was broken, didn't heal quite as straight as before. She stands on the inside of that foot rather than squarely on the bottom as is normal. It's clear from looking at her that the leg will never be completely right again, but she is able to get around well on it, and that's what matters.

She does still have a scar on her right hip. That was where one of those giant swollen areas was, the things that made her look like the hunchback for a while and probably went a long way toward making me believe she was done for. The swelling is gone now. The scar tissue has shrunken, and hair has grown back in to cover all but a relatively small portion which as I looked at it last night I suddenly could see very clearly was in the perfect pattern of a bit mark, two semi-circles with space between them representing both upper and lower teeth. Back when she was so badly injured it was not clear just what had happened where. One could only speculate, but she now bares a permanent marker to tell the story of what really did happen.

Yes, of course you should include the story of Bast's injury; those who aren't comfortable reading it will simply skip it, as folks did here. It's an important chapter in the history of the diner, revealing a great deal about Heidi as well as about Bast. Nature is many things, and constantly kind is not on the list; that's the real world. The story ends happily, which is wonderful for kids. But frankly, kids these days are pretty darn aware of the down side of life, thanks to the world reaching them daily through TV and internet. They grow up a whole lot faster than we did; I really think that's a shame, but it's true.

I suspect you're right that Bast is now "differently abled," to be PC, to the point that she wouldn't attempt a coup; and that's a good thing, much as we've all grown to love her. Certainly I don't think she'd attempt it unless she was sure she had your complete support, and I don't see that happening, ever. I think you can enjoy allowing her to feel special without feeling any guilt or worry. There are many miraculous moments in this tale, but the Bast chapter is perhaps the biggest miracle. You quite simply saved her life, and she well knows it; that makes her relationship with you unique, and impossible to explain without the attached history.

Ruth & June,

Thank you both for your opinion on the issue of Bast and the book. I really appreciate your views on this.

Ruth,

I do think from Bast's behavior around me now that she does realize that she probably wouldn't have made it if I hadn't been there to help her, not just to provide the food as I do for them all, but to keep the others away from her so that she could eat (and seek out the highest calorie food I could find for her in an effort to keep her from starving back when she was in such pain that she would only eat a few bites).

At one point I recall that she was truly a rack of bones. That was the point at which I really became concerned that she would not make it. She couldn't afford to loose another ounce and still have the energy and resources to heal. Eating was such a struggle for her then. It took her a while to choke down even a small amount of food. The others were not going to allow her to eat. They were going to take the food from her, and then she would have starved. Holding them back while she ate was a constant battle even with the vinegar/water.

Now, she absolutely seems just like a small dog, a pet. She seems to understand that one need have no fear of someone who saved you from almost certain death. When you are really, really sick, too sick to help yourself, that when you find out who your true friends are and who you can trust. Those who take care of you when you can't take care of yourself can surely be trusted when you are well. I hadn't really expected an animal to get that. I guess I insult their intelligence, for it seems quite clear from Bast's behavior that she does get it.

Tonight I put Bast's food in the center again. She seems to like it there. Then I went back inside and emerged with a folding stool and a bag containing all the loose grapes that had fallen to the bottom as those don't usually keep well.

Sometimes raccoons are afraid of anything new, any break with the routine, so I wasn't sure how Bast would handle the stool. Not only was she fine with it, she stood there sniffing it as I was unfolding it - just like Widget would have done. All the while, I had been holding this bag of grapes. I guess she wanted to communicate to me that she really wanted a few of those grapes. As soon as I got the stool assembled and sat down, Bast grabbed my leg and squeezed it gently.

It's humorous in retrospect. She didn't scratch me or hurt me in any way, but she scared me. I just wasn't expecting that. She reached out, put one hand on either side of my leg about mid calf and then sort of gently but firmly squeezed her two hands together. She didn't squeeze by closing the individual hands as if squeezing a lemon. She squeezed the two hands together while holding them both rather flat, like squeezing an accordion (except that I don't know how one grips an accordion or if ones hands actually remain 'flat' in that case). I must have conveyed my fear as she quickly let go. After that she kept her hands to herself.

It's like she now has no fear of me and doesn't understand why I would have fear of her either. Her behavior right now is so sweet and seemingly innocent that it makes me laugh in retrospect at her sort of hugging my leg and me momentarily freaking out. Once again, tonight, she left her food and left grapes on the floor and stood there at my knee very obviously wanting to be hand fed and just wanting attention.

Consider yourself....hugged.

Auhhh, Debbie,

I hadn't thought of it that way. What a sweet perspective. :-)

Tonight I was late getting back out there to feed the raccoons. Last night I was late, too, so late, in fact, that the raccoons had all given up and left. The past few days have just been 'crazy'. Tonight Heidi was gone by the time I got out there, but some of the others were still out there as was Bast.

I gave food to everyone who was out there. A few others arrived before I finished. By that time I had run out of food in my bag. I went back in for more food and then watched them a few minutes through the door. Bast had a pile of food, and 2 or 3 newcomers did not. I was curious to see how well Bast held up under the situation.

Actually, the new ones who didn't have food yet, didn't go near Bast. They tried to get food from some of the others. It all looked promising in terms of Bast's ability to handle herself. The others certainly don't seem to see her as a push over by any means.

A few minutes later I went out and gave the others food. I also have bast some 5-10 grapes and tossed one to each of the others. When I left, Bast left her food to follow me back to the door, a fact I lamented as another raccoon took her food while she was gone. Once inside, I decided to use this opportunity to again observe the group dynamics.

I watched as Bast slowly, calmly, and peacefully insinuated herself into one side of another raccoon's food, eating with the other raccoon, neither of them fighting. Huh? Well, that seemed to go well. After that I went out one last time to give Bast another pile of food, this time in the center area as that seems to work best for her.

A little while later I looked out there again and found Bast wandering around sampling some of everybody's food - and they all seemed to accept this. Interesting. This time I caught a glimpse of Snowball out there eating with some of the younger raccoons. I've seen Puddle out there a few times, but I haven't seen much of Snowball in a while.

Tonight I checked on the raccoons fairly early, shortly after dark. I was surprised to find no one out there, not one raccoon even though it was totally dark out. I wondered if this had anything to do with the fact that I had been out there earlier. In the hours just before dark I had mowed the lawn and done some serious pruning and weed removal. Whenever I do substantial yard work cutting things down and 'rearranging' their environment it tends to leave them feeling uncomfortable. In the wild such changes might signal danger of some kind, so they are reluctant to waltz on up to the patio like nothing happened. Of course, it's also possible that I just checked for them too soon, before they arrived.

After that I took a nap. When Widget finally managed to wake me, it was after 11PM. When I turned on the patio light again expecting to see no one, there at the door sat 2 raccoons calmly waiting for dinner. By the time I got out there, others had arrived, including Bast. I was happy to see Bast. I hadn't seen her since my last post. A few nights I had gone out there to feed Heidi but had not seen Bast. It looks as though Heidi has been 'removing' some of the extra raccoons out there, cutting the herd down to size before her kits are ready to come to dinner, and I was afraid she may have cut Bast from the pack this year. Thus it was good to see Bast again. Heidi eventually showed up, too. Even with Heidi and Bast there were fewer than 10 raccoons out there. I haven't seen Petey in a while now. I was pretty sure she would send him on his way once the kits arrived.

Bast was her normal self, following me around like a small dog, standing on her hind legs to sniff my pockets - w/out touching anything. I gave her a handful of grapes and gave Heidi the remains of a watermelon 1/2.

I did get a quick photo of Bast last night. I had been wanting to show you how good she looks now and also show you her scar. By the time I ran back for the camera she was almost finished eating. Whereas any other time she would have been eating up close to me and facing me, once I got the camera she insisted on eating over there (actually only 2ft away.small patio) where she was partially blocked by the bucket. Moments after I got this one picture, she left for the night, so this is it, but at least I got a picture.

Note how 'normal' she looks now. This is why I didn't even notice her at 1st when she returned this year. She looked just like everybody else. It was only when I looked at her face that I thought, "Wow. that raccoon sure looks a lot like Bast." Even then I actually thought it might be Bast or it might be a daughter of Bast since she did have kits last year. It was only after seeing the scar on her hip and the leg that isn't quite right that I knew it really was Bast herself. She looks so normal now.

Look how she has 'plumped up' and filled out nicely since her injury and how nice her coat looks now compared to that dry, straw-like fur she had a few years back.

Also note the scar on her hip. It's difficult to see in this photo, but the circle is actually an upside down semi-circle with some random scar tissue below it. In addition to the circular scar there is also a semi-circle scar below it, like a smiley face. This is just a scar now, no open wounds, no swelling or drainage, just a place where the fur hasn't grown back. The two semi-circles, top and bottom, really look like a bite mark when viewed up close.