The melons here have been superb here in KY..we get Missouri melons from the river delta farms and I go through at least 2 a week. (the dog loves it too)
I've got to share a relevant story...I wasn't sure whether to put it here, or on the cat's thread...but here we go...
My sister in law is trying to tame down a semi feral kitty. It is a fuzzy, grayish brown tabby with black points...(you all can see where this is headed)...They live in town (well, what passes for a town) and she's been feeding it right outside the back door. They've gotten to the point in their 'relationship' where the kitty is letting her pet it just a bit, and she stepped out the door the other evening, gave it a quick pet and headed down the steps....and froze.
Something didn't 'feel' right about the kitty's fur...she slowly turned around to see an equally surprised raccoon sitting up on its haunches by the food bowl. The raccoon gave her the once over and calmly proceeded to continue eating. You have to know my sister in law...she's not been exposed to wildlife, farms, or any type of outdoor activities...she's still in shock.
Heidi Chronicles: Spring Fling 11
Oh Mel, I laughed at that. It had to be scary for her after realizing it was a coon....but so cool at the same time!
DH keeps telling me "do not go outside without your contacts, I do not want "stray kittens" which are coons or skunks brought in the house!!! I had a stray kitten the other day...could swear I heard meooooow so very tiny.....no, it was a baby bunny!
I have yet to have a good melon this season!
>>no, it was a baby bunny!
LOL Debbie!!
I have not seen the girl and her kit again. .. but then - i'm at home now, so i'm not seeing anything but dry grass and dead plants.
I am really careful now when i go out.. i dont want to spook her in case she gets in protective mode with the kit in tow...
It's funny -- that one night they were on the back patio.. i was hearing noises [as i was trying to work] so i got the flashlight and lit up the area she was snacking on the slipped BOSS ... i could see the rocking chairs rocking back and forth -- and there was the little ring tail, playing around the chairs. Guess they like to play more than eat. I have small containers about the yard for my seedlings.. the little bugger was playing with that too. i could hear the sound of plastic being clanked around.
^_^ lol ^_^ Here kitty, kitty!
One foggy night, I cornered an armadillo in the yard when I was actually trying to get my new dachshund to come into the house. I am ever so glad that I hesitated before picking "him" up. He was asleep in the office chair beside DH when I came into the house shaking at the thought of all of those claws and sharp teeth..
O Melody - that's super funny. :)
Armidillos don't have teeth....just a long sticky tongue I think. AND...the claws are big...but can't do much on the short stubby legs. I think you would be safe. It would most likely just roll up into a ball on you! Lol
Glad I am not the only "visually impaired" one.
OMG, melody,
That is hilarious! That story is an absolute treasure. I'll bet you could sell that one, like for one of those 'Amusing Anecdotes' in Reader's Digest. (Is that magazine even still around?) It's a bit short for a short story, and I think any attempt to elongate it would detract from the story, but it's perfect for an anecdote type spot in a magazine.
Yep, definitely time for glasses (for her). Actually though, I really can see how that could happen if one weren't paying close attention, because the night Kitty (also a brown tabby) showed up for the 1st time at the front door, my 1st thought was that she was a young raccoon, a yearling. It was only a minute later that I did a double take and realized she was actually a cat which just happened to be almost the exact same color as a raccoon.
I loved ALL of your stories of that moment when you almost brought wildlife in - or actually did so. Such adorable stories (and slightly scary, June).
There is an ad showing on TV in my area. As is often the case with the really cute ones, it only seems to run very rarely. I've probably seen it 3 times max. I've been wanting to tell you about it, and there will surely never be a better time. The add is for an optical shop, might be Sears Optical, can't recall. Has anyone else seen it? It goes like this:
A woman in her nightie is seen entering a room through a sliding glass door. It's dark out. The woman closes the door behind her and heads across the room saying something like, "Come on, Kitty. Come back to bed with Mommy." The camera pans to the woman's feet where trailing along a few steps behind her is what is very clearly an adult raccoon.
It's almost as if they've met some of you. ;-)
OMG, I haven't laughed so loud in a long time as I did at all these "close encounters." Thanks everyone, I needed that!
Everytime we see an American Toad my boyfriend or I say "there's your/my boyfriend."
A bunch of years ago I lived in a condo with a very small yard. I many flower/plant in containers. One summer I had heard this "screaming" noise I was not familiar with, and it turned out to be a toad near my front door.
Towards the end of the season I started hearing some odd call at the back of the house which I thought must be a bird I was unfamiliar with. I kept running to the doors at the back to look out at the feeding stations, but nothing.
Finally, I crept up slowly to the doors/windows thinking maybe I would see it if I didn't scare it off. There, on the window sill on the inside sitting on the ledge next to the door, was my toad, screaming to get out. I guess he'd come inside in one of the containers I brought in. How he got up on the window ledge I don't know, but I think he was waiting for his chance to leap through the door.
Haven't mistaken any critters for any other critters, but I do tend to me much more careful at night when letting the dogs out after having racoons and possum in that yard. We live in a different house and neighborhood now, and we have a different kind of critter population out there. Still go out every night with a flashlight, and I'm supposed to be "downtown!" Hargh.
Stay cool everyone. I have had a possum rescue for a few weeks in a large cage on the backporch. Yesterday she was so hot I was putting ice packs in there with her. Today I moved her into the basement. A few day ago we lost a squirrel who got trapped in this heat in a have-a-hart trap. We have a super-abundance of rats this year for some reason (I do feed the birds a lot and have had to stop/cut back) so I thought I was doing "the right thing" by trapping. I only caught 2, but we also bagged a possum and 2 squirrels. The second squirrel was caught in the shade, but it could have been trapped for up to 2 hours. It wore itself out, found it early afternoon with heat stroke, and it died with a squirrel rehabber late that night. :/
Hate to be a debbie downer, but there's a tidbit for people who deal with wildlife in this heat - don't use live traps - the heat together with the stress of capture can cause dire consequences.
Be well critter friends.
A.
I don't know what I was thinking. I thought I heard a cat calling. Kitty was inside already, so I went to the back door to check for Cocoa. There were raccoons out there. Again, I don't know what I was thinking. I really wasn't thinking at all really. It just came natural. I've come to think of Heidi as practically another pet now.
When I opened the door, I said, "Heidi, Heidi". I saw her stick her head out from behind the camellia where she was hiding, right beside the patio. "Heidi, come here," I said, as though I were speaking to a dog for whom such a command might make sense. Still holding the door wide open, hot, steaming air flowing in at a rapid pace, I called again. My tone was insistent but still very sweet, kind, and gentle, "Heidi, come." It was more a strongly held belief than a command. It was almost as though I willed her there by the sheer determination of my belief that she would come.
I had been half asleep when awakened by the sound of the cat meowing and was still a bit 'out of it' as I stood there in the doorway to Heidi. Had I been thinking logically, I would have known that Heidi always stands back away from the door when I open it, something she does in case Widget should happen to come tearing out again as he has done a time or two recently. I would have known that Heidi is not a pet. She's a wild animal.
Yes, she has become amazingly comfortable around me, but she is still not tame. I would have known there wasn't even a reason to call her to me. For what? I didn't even have food at the moment, and I surely didn't want her to come inside. It was as though I were still under the spell of sleep, at least to some extent. I really wasn't thinking at all nor even behaving rationally.
Heidi stepped out from behind the camellia shrub and stood there looking at me as though a bit confused by my behavior. Why was I standing there inside the open doorway calling her? What did I want? This was an odd behavior and something I had never done before, but I did sound so convincing, like everything was normal and like I really wanted her to come, and I had never harmed her before and...
As Heidi stepped out into the light and walked toward me, stepping across the patio and up to the open door, I snapped 'to', awakening fully from the semi-dream state I had been in. Suddenly I was fully aware of what I was doing, that it was out of the ordinary even to expect Heidi to come to me that way, me standing inside the house, the door open, no food to offer her. I was even more surprised to see her acquiesce, having the trust to walk out from her place of shelter and come to me even when I was not offering her anything. Wow. How incredible. I wished I could pet her now as she stood at my feet just beyond the doorway.
Of course, I did run back inside and reemerge with cat food for all, eggs for Heidi, and cookies for the others. Tonight I'm out of watermelon, but they have gorged on the stuff for days now. Divided over the course of two nights I gave them the very large, seedless melon I had purchased last week, the entire melon, 1/2 each night. It had been sweet but the texture was fluffy/foamy not crisp, just not right. By the 3rd night I had cut a large, seeded melon I'd picked up from the farmer's market. It was much better. The heart and surrounding area was near perfect, crisp and very sweet. The outer 3 inches or so were less perfect both in taste and texture. Over the next 3 nights I served them the outer portion of the 2nd melon.
They ate the last of the melons last night. Heidi always gets it 1st, the others getting what she leaves behind. It works best that way for many reason, including the fact that Heidi likes the juice at least as much as the fruit, maybe more, so she needs to get a turn at the melon before the younger ones eat in it, walk in it, bath in it, etc. Heidi is the only one who can eat her fill and leave a clean melon behind. Somehow the others always manage to have the juice black with dirt in a very short time.
Last night I left her out there with her usual pile of kibble plus a 12in wide melon 'bowl' full to the top with the combination of fruit and juice. Roughly an hour later I turned on the light and looked out, just curious to see if they had managed to eat all that melon in the one meal. I knew it would be gone by morning, regardless. I was surprised to see Heidi out there, alone, calmly eating watermelon. At the time, she was actually dipping her paws in between melon chunks and then drinking the liquid from them. She was holding her two hands together and drinking from them just as a human would do when caught w/o a glass, just as I myself have done a time or two to drink from an outside faucet in a pinch. She looked up, saw that it was me, and continued drinking/eating.
What rather amazed me about the whole scene was that she had been out there eating for an hour already and was still going. Heidi is a slow eater anyhow. At least, that is how she prefers to eat if nothing is pressing her to rush. On this night, with one of her favorite foods on hand, she was taking the time to thoroughly enjoy the feast. The others, there had been 3 yearlings out there with her earlier, had finished there food and were now either gone or waiting at a distance for her to finish. Either way, I figured they would return soon for there share of the melon.
Heidi always prefers to eat her kibble 1st, saving whatever else she is offered for desert. It's as if she understands the importance of making sure she eats the nutrition and calorie dense kibble 1st rather than risk being to full to eat it after 'desert'. Watermelon is one of the very few things she will make a small allowance for, eating a piece or two at the start of her meal and then returning to finish after her meal.
It was nice to see her enjoying one of her favorite foods. I turned the light off (last night), and headed back to bed.
Hi Amanda,
A belated but enthusiastic "Welcome!" I don't know how I missed your post earlier, but I apologize. That a cute story about your friendly Toad. Thanks for the warning for anyone who might be setting out traps. It's probably best to avoid even setting traps in this extreme heat if it can be avoided, esp during daylight hours and certainly if one will be unable to monitor them closely.
Incidentally, there are also a couple of opossums that show up out there from time to time to eat with the raccoons. I call them Snowball and Puddle because one is almost white, the other a more 'normal' dk gray with whitish trim and face. Unlike Puddle, Snowball is small and a bit misshapen, what we would have termed a runt in years past. As spartacusaby recently pointed out, it took me a while to warm up to the opossums, but I now find them quite cute, this despite my earlier assessment of them as having "a face only a mother could love".
Ruth,
I think I may have forgotten at the time to mention it, but I had actually forgotten about those days, when I found the opossums less than attractive (a bit repulsive actually). In those days I really never thought I would be calling them 'cute' and actually meaning it.
LOL, Cheryl, but then "back in the day" you also never thought you'd have a backyard raccoon buffet and miss them when they disappear for the winter... How times have changed, no? And in any case, the cuteness of possums is definitely an acquired taste which many folks never acquire.
I still laugh at the thought that brings a picture to mind of you chasing away those evil raccoons with a broom. I'd say that they have 'domesticated' you very well to their way of life!
It is so nice to reaad your words about those 'cute' possums. It just takes time, or rescuing a baby to soften a heart for them.
Hi Sheri,
I had forgotten about that time years ago when I went out on the patio shaking the broom in the air to try to scare Heidi away. That was one of our earliest encounters. I looked out my great room window about 10AM on Sat morning and wondered about the 'dog' sniffing around under my birdfeeder. Then it occurred to me that I didn't have a smallish, brown dog, and the area was enclosed by a 6ft privacy fence more than adequate to keep any neighborhood dog out. I did a double take and realized, OMG, that's not a dog. It's a raccoon, in the backyard, in broad daylight.
Well, that would not do. I was raised, trained really, by people who had my best interest at heart when they taught me to always stay away from raccoons. Always. They are mean and aggressive and carry rabies. They'll rip you apart. They have to go. I had a responsibility to protect myself and my little dog from those vicious creatures. I had to get out there and set that raccoon straight immediately. I had to let her know that my yard was off limits.
I ran out onto the patio in my bare feet, holding the broom high in the air and shaking it - but she didn't run. She just looked up at me for a moment, sized me up as harmless, and went back to eating the fallen seeds. Well, I wasn't going to take that. I ran to the rarthest corner of the patio, screaming, and shaking the broom, but still she ignored me. She had completely and successfully called my bluff, and I was bluffing, because I was not at all prepared to harm her. I wasn't even prepared to go beyond the bounds of the patio, not bare-footed as I was.
She contined eating calmly as I ran back for better weapons. I was not about to be ignored this way. I was a human, darned it. She was supposed to be afraid of me. That's the rule. Wild animals are supposed to run from humans. She couldn't ignore me that way. I ran back inside the kitchen and looked around for something to through at her. I grabbed a can of Campbell's soup, 2 of them. It was the only thing I saw at the moment.
Outside, I threw the 1st can. Not wanting to risk actually hitting her, I intentionally threw it well to one side of her. It landed a good 3ft or more beside her. She didn't run in fear as I had expected. She calmly walked over, picked up the can, and turned it around in her hands looking it over - as though it were a gift rather than a weapon. The 2nd can worked about the same.
I went inside and called the DNR to discuss the situation. I was afraid of her. What if I ran across her while I was outside working in the yard? Would she hurt me? Hurt my dog? I was afraid. Thankfully, the biologist I spoke with at the DNR was not one of those anti-raccoon types. He listened to my account and then told me she sounded perfectly healthy, no risk of rabies, and that she was likely just comfortable in my yard. That it was part of her area. He asked if I wanted him to send animal control to trap her. I did. I really, really did. Then I would be safe. My dog would be safe. My yard would be safe again. But what about her? What would they do with her. I didn't think she should be executed for the crime of coming into my yard on a Saturday morning. Would they kill her or relocate her? At the time I still believed in the myth of animals being relocated to those happy homes in the forest somewhere. I've learned a lot since then, most of it from folks here at DG, and some from Heidi and the others, so now I know better. Anyhow, he said they would probably kill her, since raccoons are not endangered. (I beg to differ, though not in the usual meaning of the word, not that the species is in danger of extinction but that the individuals are very much in danger.) Hearing that, my heart sank. I could not order her execution, no matter how much I wanted my safety back. I said, "no thanks, maybe she won't come back again." She did, as you know...
The real fun though was the day I broke the rake thrashing it into the ground trying to scare her away (again) - and then I threw the 2 sections of the rake and remaining pole at her, well actually way off to one side again to avoid hitting her as she clung to the fence again ignoring me, again able to size me up in an instant as harmless and unwilling to actually hurt her. Or maybe she didn't so much size me up as harmless. Maybe she saw me as having such poor aim as to be incapable of actually hitting her (since I kept throwing things 10ft to one side to be sure I missed). Yep, those were the days.
ROFL....hehe......that's such a hilarious story. I'm so glad that you two worked out your differences
Me, too, Sheri.
Me, too. It's been a long, long trek since those days. Now I think of Heidi as a pet, and, as Ruth pointed out, I miss her in winter when she not around as much - although the last year or so she seems to be staying around through winter, right there on the patio.
Yep. Definitely glad we worked things out, and glad folks here at DG helped me with that.
Ruth,
Good point - both of them. Honestly, were it not for your patient guidance, I might well not have that buffet today. You were a voice in the darkness that bid me go forward and reach out to them, an intelligent and knowing voice, a voice I trusted even when your words ran counter to all that I 'knew' about raccoons and wildlife, things learned so long ago they seemed part of the bedrock of my being. Turns out, we really can change even the most firmly held beliefs.
Thanks very much for the kind words, Cheryl. But you know, I pitched the "live and let live" gospel of wildlife to countless people over the years; usually it went in one ear and out the other, meeting no receptive material in between, and I often wondered why I bothered. Most people knew better, knew that I was frankly full of it; the fact that I was a professional, licensed as a wildlife rehabber, had taken innumerable classes yadda yadda was purely irrelevant. Their taxes paid my salary, it was my job to control the wildlife, and I should proceed to do so quietly, thanks a lot. A few, very few people were willing to try the things I suggested that would peacefully keep wildlife from causing the damage prompting their complaint IF those changes were essentially free and required little or no work on their part; but this was so rare I was tempted to nominate them for sainthood.
So honestly, when I read your first posts about the rabid raccoon who was ruining your bird feeders and likely to attack your little lapdog?.... Well, first I laughed, then I rolled my eyes, thinking "here we go again. You're retired, Ruth, and they never listen anyway; why bother?" I can't tell you why I responded; I'd read lots of other (usually worse) raccoon hysteria on DG and knew better than to waste my time responding. I think it was just so clear, even in those first genuinely frightened posts, that you didn't want to hurt Heidi that made me feel it just might be worthwhile to give it the old college try one more time. But OMG, who knew that was the first step toward unleashing upon Charleston the ultimate raccoon benefactor? You became that convert all of us "wildlife nuts" dreamed about but never expected to meet: someone with boundless empathy and an uncanny ability to intuit the thoughts of the animals around her. You have created a unique and very special environment where the raccoons feel safe and comfortable; as a result, you've observed things about their interactions and society that are unknown to those who study them. That's quite a feat for anyone, but the fact that you're a computer person by training rather than a naturalist makes it truly amazing. Your knowledge level surpassed mine long ago, and that's great; I always enjoyed learning about wildlife and always will. I'm just happy if I was able to play a part in starting you on this path; I've been loving the journey, too, and wouldn't have missed it for the world.
Cheryl I actually saw a "shove"this evening. I would not have known what it truly was if i hadn't been following the Heidi story. It was not a very graceful move but it accomplished the objective. The kits are coming now. There were 4 "adults"and 4 kits there this evening in the short time I stayed to watch. One from one mama and 3 from another. Have your babies shown up yet?
Cheryl -- due to me reading your stories for the past 4-5 yrs... i now come to enjoy having them come by for a visit, no matter or long or short... i was out tonight trimming my fuschias and she my girl when i was dumping trimmings in the fire pit... she is not afraid of my presents nor am I of her. Her kit - which may be a yr-ling, was not with her.
I ran back in to get her kibble, as she was eating BOSS... and then scared her off as the bag of kibble hit the wheel barrow with a clank. I'll check in the AM to see if the snacks are gone. She has not been touching the BOSS in the squirrel feeder for weeks now. i only see her about once a week now.
So -- I do have to thank you for your years of stories about these wonderful, misunderstood creatures.
Cheryl and Ruth - I somehow found this thread and I am enjoying the tales of the buffet. It is so wonderful to find like minded people out there. I know you exist. you are just few and far between.
We have always fed the critters. Every one. A few years back I had an opossum buffet several months one winter when a single possum came every night. I put one or two plates of food out every night. His favorite food was apple. I watched as he would pick up each slice and nibble it to nothing.
I do not have permits for wildlife rehab, but I volunteer with the piedmont wildlife rehab group. We have had a crow this season and the possum. It's a lot of work to commit to, especially when we already have a full house of critters who have their own demands.
The possum baby was such a lovely treat. A neighbor does "pest removal" and captured the baby inside someone's home. Pete, as well call all possums, was released on Saturday in the early evening near the headwaters of the Haw River in North Carolina. The woman who gave him to me asked me when I told her where I was going to release him, "Why so far?" Roads and kitty cats are the #1 causes of death in the opossum. Where Pete is now is far far from both.
Live long and prosper, Pete.
A.
Amen, Amanda, and great to have you with us! Pete is adorable (if that's him in the photo) as are all baby possums...well, at least to me. And crows are so smart it's almost scary: another acquired taste for many, but I thoroughly enjoy them. Yes, it is a huge commitment helping with wildlife rehab (esp. at the stage when the babies need feeding round the clock!); but it is so rewarding when they become big enough and healthy enough to release. It's hard to see them go, and yet happy all at the same time: an experience you never forget.
About Crows:
Have any of you seen this?
http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2011/05/us_military_spy_crows_binladen.php
http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2011/05/us_military_spy_crows_binladen.php
Hope the link works. There was a feature story on NBC, it was also featured on CNN. It is fascinating. Don't mean to hijack the Heidi thread, but in terms of backyard visitors, I decided last year to favor the crows over the hawks who came to prey on my birdfeeders mid-winter.
Hope to hear from Heidi and Bear soon. :)
A.
p.s. Edited to say YES that IS Pete the day he was released. :)
This message was edited Aug 3, 2011 3:05 AM
Fascinating link, Amanda: thanks! Though as I recall, every time the military have put into play a plan employing wildlife, it has backfired wildly (and quite humorously to the outside observer). That said, crows (or any corvid) are definitely smart enough to recognize individual humans, and I can easily believe they'd long remember one who had harassed them. Their population was taking a real beating from West Nile at the end of my career in the animal field, and it was breaking my heart; I always had to admire a species that can routinely best the "dominant species" purely by outsmarting them.
OH! I DO have a raccoon story to share.
When I lived in the condo and was feeding the opossum they were originally attracted by my birdfeeders. We'd get a random raccoon too, but they didn't stay and like many of you have mentioned, I was reluctant to get too friendly.
We moved to this big rental house 3 seasons ago in February. One night I DID see a raccoon out there in the mulberry tree where I have a platform feeder right across from the back porch. Of course I ran to wake up BF and we looked and looked in the dark to make sure - but I had gotten a good look before it disappeared up into the tree.
The next morning I was very surprised to find that the coon had left a giant pile of turds right there on my platform feeder. I thought that was very rude! I haven't seen a coon in this yard since, though we have had a wayward opossum now and then.
We are in a very highly urban area though this neighborhood is lovely old well kept houses and yards that have pecan trees, fruit trees of all kinds, giant oaks, etc. We are hemmed in by major roadways within a mile in any direction on three sides although we are about 2 miles from the city's arboretum. There is a waterway/stream on the opposite side of one of these major roads with at least 3 or 4 lanes in each direction, but the speed limit is 45 mph and the cars drive much faster.
Not the greatest wildlife sanctuary, though we do have an amazing diversity of songbirds and I garden for wildlife which means birds and insects and whatever else can come thru. Needless to say, not the place to release an opossum.
A.
Yes, that was highly rude! Also pretty unusual, since raccoons rarely "go" where they eat. Of course if it was his/her first visit to the feeder, something might have happened to scare the ..... out of him/her.
HA! Haven't seen it again. Maybe it was upset with my offerings and making a statement.
Anything's possible, though I usually think of the domestic cat when it comes to editorial remarks of an excretory nature. Infinite numbers of cat owners can testify to this after suddenly changing brands of litter or food on a cat who is particularly, er, resistant to change.
I'm pretty sure it was the raccoon who did the dirty deed. For reasons unknown to me, it's not uncommon for them to use high places as their toilet. I used to get big piles of raccoon turds on my roof and my neighnbor had big piles on top of the shed. I've also heard about them using tree stumps for their bathroom area. Apparently, groups will often make a place a communal toilet for all of them.
Really, Illig? That is disturbing. It would be most upsetting to have your roof or shed designated as the community toilet.
Interesting. While I had the opossum rescue I learned that they defecate in their water bowl. What tidy little creatures! Of course, that means you have to keep the water bowl clean, but in the wild I also learned that a place near water was the best place to release.
A.
p.s. Edgar the crow rescue from this spring came back to my yard this week. I am so happy to know it is him. :)
p.p.s. Where is Heidi?!
Gotta run. Wanted to drop a quick line to let you know that I, as Heidi's spokesman, am fine. I will get back to you soon. Promise. Just going through 'stuff' lately - life. No time to post. I'm so glad to see that you are keeping the conversation going in my absence, and I look forward to returning soon to join in the discussions.
You better Cheryl or I am going to start lightening some pictures! (smile) Miss you! Take care
ROTFLMAO, Debbie
Cringing at the very thought of you lightening all those patio pics. :-D
For sure, I will be back, because I miss you 'guys', too!
Please think happy thoughts for me 'n Elvis 'n Pookie around 3:30 today. We will be laying Elvis to rest in the back yard. He was such a good friend to us &,we will sure miss him. He went across the rainbow bridge yesterday morning.
Love & Poodle kisses,
Sheri & Pookie
Cheryl, please forgive my hijacking of your thread.
Awww, Sheri and Pookie.
What a beautiful day to cross the rainbow bridge. We are sending loving thoughts your way.
Amanda, Snoopy, Willie, Sally, K.C., and Rita.
Sheri,
No problem. Having gone through it myself not so long ago, I realize how awfully difficult it can be to get beyond the loss of a dog that has been ones friend and constant companion for so many years. My heart goes out to you, and I wish I knew something to say to even begin to make it better.. Although nothing but time will heal that wound, I'm glad you have Pookie there to help you through this. And your DG friends.
If you like, you can post a link here to direct people back to your thread - to pay homage and last respects to Pookie. It might be nice to keep all of the conversation together and in one place. During those 1st very difficult days after my Sassy died, I often went back and re-read posts from people who wrote in to comfort me. It was a way to fill the time and to feel somehow closer to her.
Take care. I'll try to drop by to see you (on your thread, of course, not in the flesh) later this evening.
Sheri and All,
When I posted today, I was at work, in work mode, pragmatic, and in a hurry to get off the net and back to my task. I hope I didn't mis-communicate. Of course, you are all welcome to discuss Elvis here. I just wanted to invite you to post a link here, so everyone would be able to find the Elvis thread.
When I lost my Sassy, I was devastated. I started a thread on DG to share memories & photos of her. That was a wonderful catharsis for me, and the many DGers who visited my thread were instrumental in helping me to deal with what I was going through. I spent 2 days home in bed mourning her passing. From time to time I would get up and go upstairs to my office to read the posts people had left and share more of my favorite stories from my life with Sassy. That was many years ago and before I started the Heidi thread or met any of you, btw, I didn't know anyone at DG at the time, but still I found the process of sharing Sassy's photos and life with folks here at DG more therapeutic than any professional session at any price. To this day, I am still comforted to know that I have that little 'Sassy book' somewhere here at DG, complete with pics, stories, and lots of wonderful and supportive responses from everyone. Because that was so important to me, I thought you might also like to have folks come over to your Elvis thread to read about your memories with Elvis, to join you in celebrating his life and mourning his passing.
I'm going to post that thread here now. Just realize that it doesn't mean you (all of you) can't discuss Elvis here, also, if you like. The Elvis thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1182193/
Well, here it is bed time again. I'm still having trouble trying to get things done now that I'm working again, still working on that challenge. I'll have to come back again another time, tomorrow evening if time allows, to get started discussing all of the posts folks have made since I was last here.
As for Heidi, she and those same 3 yearlings are still out there every night - or on the nights I make it out there at a reasonable time. Still no sign of kits, but I know they must be hiding the little ones out there somewhere. I haven't been going out to the buffet, btw, just still feeding them on the patio. My guess is they don't feel comfortable bringing the babies to the door, esp since Widget ran out there a few times in the past - and I'm sure they remember that. I'm being very careful to keep Widget closed away in the bedroom when I go out there (now that I know there could be kits around), but they have no way of knowing that.
Maybe I'll get around to going back there to the buffet before summer ends. Right now I desperately need to get out there and mow the grass - but it's just SO unbearably HOT out there this time of year, hard to find a time when I can stay out there that long.
Off to dreamland now. Keeping you & Pookie in my thoughts and prayers, Sheri.