Heidi Chronicles 2012 - A New Chapter Begins?

Wow. Surprised I didn't hear from more people on this. We are 'live' here aren't we? Testing 1,2,3. Testing 1, 2, 3. Tchk, tchk, tchk (rapping mike lightly for effect) ;-D

I guess maybe you had to be there. It doesn't even sound all that 'wow' to me today, but it sure was a huge 'wow' at the moment - and for a while after. Raccoons, you have to admit, are cute as a bug to begin with, and raccoon kits are just, seriously, probably the cutest creatures on the planet. Seeing them in person and up close is such an endorphin rush - for me, at least - and I suspect it would be for most of you, too. Touching them and interacting with them directly is something one can't even afford to think about much less do.

I spent so many hours out there in close proximity to raccoon kits over the years, even hand feeding them, but I always ached to touch them, hold them, cuddle them. Sure I was able to pet Dennis and now can pet Heidi, and that's nice, but, oh, how I would love to be able to hold a kit in my hand the way you hold a kitten or puppy. There was a time, at the height of my time out there with the raccoons in years past when it was really all I could do not to reach down and scoop up a kit or two. I longed to interact more with them, so much so that at one time I even considered whether I could get a pet raccoon. A little research on the subject was all it took to know that would not work, as pet raccoons become extremely difficult to keep in captivity once they mature sexually, and spaying/neutering shortens their lives dramatically.

If you have never seen a raccoon kit 'in person', especially up close, I don't know if I can articulate just how magical the experience really is. Even though I've had it many times now, it still effects me in ways I fail to expect beforehand. Heck, even seeing the adult raccoons at the patio door usually turns my mood around any time that I am down. They just have this amazing ability to provide us with a hit of endorphins on sight alone - and the kits, OMG, there are just no words for what it is like to be around those incredible little tykes. I always catch myself at some point in the experience or afterward just grinning ear to ear like Gomer Pile. There is just something about them.

Thus, somehow, when the tiny little furball was backing into my kitchen, toward my feet, and ultimately into my hands, it was just a wonderful experience to have even that all to brief interaction. I guess it was analogous to having the brief opportunity to shake hands with a 'beloved' celebrity. It's all too brief, and you don't really connect in any meaningful way, but it somehow seems earth shaking just the same. I just hope that brief interaction with me was not too terribly traumatic for the little fella. I would have given almost anything to be able to let him know that I meant him no harm.

Wow, Cheryl - what a magical minute with that little baby!

Thanks, Liz,

It really was like the opportunity of a lifetime, raccoon-wise. I'm over it now, but I was riding an endorphin high for a while afterward last night, although I really did feel bad about traumatizing the little one. After I got back inside from feeding the adults, I wanted to round up some of Widget's tiny, plush toys, the one's he doesn't play with anymore now that he's getting older and take them out there for the wee ones. I still might do that.

What a surprise! And how Neat of an experience that was☺ I bet it will remember you (and I bet; in a good way)

Hi June,

"in a good way"? Really? I was afraid he might remember me in a negative way due to the trauma he experienced. I've been concerned that he might have come away with the idea that he somehow narrowly escaped death, thinking me a predator, as apposed to realizing I didn't hurt him. Interesting. I hope you are right.

Nah, I think that he will remember that everyone else was AOK with you being there and that you are the bringer of food and toys☺

Awwwh, June,

I like that. I sure hope you are right.

A few minutes ago I went to the kitchen to check for raccoons. Heidi, whom I hadn't seen for several days, was out there. She was standing right up against the glass pane, 3 tiny but very healthy little ones huddled around her. I grabbed the cat food, tucked a cookie and a practice golf ball in my pocket, and reached for one of Widget's toys, a tiny, 4in, stuffed donkey marketed for 'toy' sized dogs and perfect for a raccoon kit. I removed the donkey braying mechanism through a velcro opening in it's abdomen, and added the toy to the stash in my pocket before opening the door - gently.

As I opened the door, Heidi stayed there on the mat outside the door, and 2 of her kits, one still on the threshold ledge, stayed with her even as I stood less than a foot away. The kits began trilling, and I could see that they were afraid, so I began speaking to them softly and in a sweet voice in hopes of letting them know that I was not a threat. With no other raccoons around, this time Heidi didn't send them away, so the kits stayed even as I stepped out onto the patio.

As gently as I could manage, I dropped the little donkey near the kits but not so close as to scare them even more. As I walked across the patio to give Heidi her food, the kits, still trilling, moved back behind the camellias for cover. I put the little ball and the cookie, broken into pieces, beside Heidi's food, figuring the kits would return to her once I was gone.

This, well actually the other night when I 1st saw them, was the 1st time Heidi had ever brought her kits to the patio door. In past years some of the others had brought kits onto the patio, but Heidi had never done so. Her kits in past years had not come to the patio until they were 'teens' or at least 'tweens'.

Cheryl this is getting so exciting. And still no camera nearby! I mean...just point and shoot, I can lighten it for you if needed (ducking and running). I know the flash would scare them right now...til they get to know you...but I can pull your leg.

They sound so cute, they really do

The kit who had backed into the kitchen the other night was not out there tonight. He and his sibling who I had seen hiding behind the baker's rack that same evening, come with a different group of some 3 or 4 yearlings who have not been traveling with Heidi lately.

Hi Debbie,

I do think of the camera, and I will get a pic as soon as I can do so w/o traumatizing the little ones. Right now I'm so focused on trying to get out there w/o running them off. Tonight when I was scooping up kibble, one of the kits climbed up on Heidi's shoulders where for a brief moment he was fully visible through the lower door pane. It was one of those, "oh, man, if only I had the camera in hand and ready to shoot right now" moments but was over too fast to act.

LOL, Yes, it is comforting to know that you are there to lighten and brighten a photo (and my patio) if I get one. Actually, the patio isn't bad lately. The landscaper has been cleaning it by-weekly. Now if only I could figure a way to get him to come inside the house to work his magic.

Wow, Heidi not only brought her kits, she brought them right up to the house! That's trust!

I can't help but wonder if Heidi in the winter of her life is making sure that her kits know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are to be trusted.
Sad to think of but entirely possible as smart as Heidi haS PRoven to be in her parenting skills.

Chery; I am still following this thread and am thrilled you are still the racoon whisperer. I know after all you you have been through the last few years the comming and goings of Heidi and the rest have helped you get through. There is nothing as healing(both mentally and physically)as the warm feeling watching Gods creatures, Laughter of course is right there at the top and you seem to have benifitted in both of these from the visits of Heidi and the others. There is no doubt in my mind you have helped increase the lifespan of the group so there will be many more years of warm feelings and interactions.

I have seen a couple of kits recently but they are not really tiny,I'd say almost 1/3 size of the yearlings..Still very adorable though as they all are.


Judy

Just a little info on the "lifespan". I think Heidi falls in the middle of this, because she is more cared for than a truly "in the wild" raccoon.

Life span: In the wild, raccoons rarely reach their potential life span of ten to twelve years, but a tagged female was known to live in the wild 12 ½ years before being shot. Because conditions in the wild are so harsh, raccoons are lucky to survive five years and have the mean life span determinations of 1.8 years for Missouri raccoons and 3.1 for Alabama raccoons. In captivity, on the other hand, raccoons can live a stress-free and long life - the record was a male that lived seventeen years and twenty-seven days (MacClintock 1981).

Hi Liz,

Sure is (trust)! As you no doubt know, Heidi is ultra careful with her kits.

Hi Sheri,

Who knows for sure. Heidi is definitely very, very intelligent, and she does have her own agenda. She's looking very healthy though, so much so that I'm even having some difficulty telling her apart from the yearlings now that she has lost the baby weight. I think part of the reason she has become more willing to bring her kits up to the house is that for the past 2 seasons Widget has totally stopped sneaking out the door to try to run the raccoon off the patio. This year he doesn't even appear at the door to bark at them through the glass. I've taught him to expect a treat if he stays put on the bed until I return, and now he stays there quietly awaiting that treat - and leaving the raccoons alone.

Hi Judy,

So nice to see you again! It is so true about how wildlife and all aspects of nature help to restore the soul. As for those big kits in your area, I've long noticed that raccoons north of us seem to start their breeding season earlier than Heidi and company. My guess is the timing is related to such things as when food will be most abundant in an area and the amount of time available before cold weather sets in. Around here, there is no rush to get kits up to size and trained before ice and snow force the family into semi-hibernation. Here they have all of fall and winter to continue their lessons, a killing frost may not occur until Christmas (or after), and some plants continue to bloom and bare fruit/seeds year round. Thus, I imagine, raccoons here are in no big hurry to get their families started early.

DreamOfSpring,
I apologize for answering you in the wrong thread. I hope that this one is the right one.
I was glad to find so much to read here and I'll probably read every word. Also your reply to me in the "wrong" thread (where selfish people may become annoyed), was heart warming. You have made my day. Thank you,
Lenore

You are VERY, very welcome, Lenore,

A warm welcome to our little, happy corner of the universe! I'm so glad you decided to join us over here - where you will be surrounded by others who think more as you do.

If you do decide to read some of the thread, note that the 1st post at the top includes links both to the prior thread and to the very 1st thread. I would highly recommend that you go all the way back and start from the beginning, although that will cover many years and be very much like reading a book. I recommend this because in all honesty, the early threads are the best, as that was when I was learning the most about the raccoons and journaling my experiences and observations. In the early years I used to sit out back with them for an hour or more, observing and recording their behavior. It was in those days that I used to hand feed treats to the babies. I also took lots of photos up close. Because they learned to accept and trust me, I was able to observe things many probably never see. I even learned a few things the 'experts' apparently don't know. If you do decide to read some of the thread, you would be doing yourself an injustice to skip those early years.

The very 1st thread is titled something like "Raccoons Getting A Little To Close For Comfort". I started it to ask for help in, believe it or not, getting the raccoons to go away. LOL at well that worked out and how far I've come since then. Like most people, I was afraid of them back then. I had been raised to believe they were, get this, mean and aggressive, vicious even. I actually thought they might jump on me and bite and scratch me 1/2 to death. How foolish I was and how much I've learned since then.

In my quest to get Heidi to stay out of my yard (she was even dropping by in daytime), I ended up speaking with a local wildlife rehabber who explained that Heidi was a female with tiny, helpless babies somewhere nearby, and that she was coming to my yard because she was desperate to find food for herself and get back to her babies before a predator found them. She needed to find food so she could produce enough milk for them. My heart melted as I pictured her desperation and fear of loosing her helpless babies. The rehabber asked if I could put a little cat or dog food out for her until her babies were older, and that's how it all got started. If you want to know more, you will have to read the story. (Over the years, I've been asked many times to write it all up as a book. I'm working on that now. )

If you have any questions or comments, either about the story or about feeding the raccoons in your yard, please don't hesitate to post them here. Oh, almost forgot to mention the videos. There are links in the threads to the videos, in the order they occur, so that they help to introduce the characters and 'illustrate' the story. I need to cull out some of the less interesting video clips, some of which were taken just to allow readers to see this or that raccoon 'in person'. Here is one of my favorites, a clip of Heidi's kits on the bottom limb of a tree, just above my back fence. It was taken at dusk, so it's a little dark. Although you can't see her in the video, at the time Heidi was in the yard with me. She was eating. She had left her kits in the tree about 15-20ft away, something she does the 1st few times she brings the kits along, so they can get accustomed to the yard before they come to the 'buffet': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiudfYA39pI&feature=BFa&list=PL2741D55AEE3B1576
Oh, and most of the people on this thread have read some or all of the old threads. A few have even been with us since the very beginning. Most of us enjoy reminiscing about the old days, so it's ok to discuss things from the early threads here if you do decide to read them - warning, people have been known to sit up all night reading the old threads.

Ok, now I really have to get to work. Talk later.

Dear Cheryl,
I have started reading your posts. It will take a while. Your writings could make a wonderful book.
I love your heart warming videos. Thank you.
I have many questions, but I'd like to read all your posts first. Actually I have found in them many answers already. So I will write to you again after I'll finish reading.
So Long for now, Lenore

Cheryl -- sorry, haven't been posting much.

seems you have had a wonderful week or so....

Let the games begin now that the kits are showing up.

and what a joy that must have been, albeit a bit scary with that kit backing into the house... could not imagine if Widget or the cats were there.

Your 1st video in the series above actually includes the 'trilling' of the kits. Having been exposed to the wonderful world of Raccoon kits during my wildlife rehab days, I recognised it easily. If you have never heard their 'trill' before, go th the first video (link about 2-3 notes above and listen for it)

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy....the book is in progress, the
book is in progress!!! I will want 2-5 copiesto begin with!!

Sheri

I've had several interactions with the kits over the past 4 or 5 days. Just didn't have time/energy to post. The 1st 2 sightings (after my last post about seeing Heidi's kits up close) could be described as Ditto 1 and Ditto 2, by that I mean, against a million to one odds, the 1st, Ditto 1, which occurred, I think, on Friday night was a replay of the big incident with the kit that tried to back into the house, and the 2nd, Ditto 2, which occurred on Sat night was a replay of the incident with Heidi's kits.

When Ditto 1 began, I had just walked up to the door and opened it as any other night when suddenly I found myself looking at the backside of that same, scared kit with the adult raccoons all rushing towards the door and the kit cringing and looking like he was about to start backing up. It was all so 'Deja Vue'. I could not believe it could all be happening all over again, same characters, all in the same positions, all doing exactly the same things.

For 30 to 60 incredibly long seconds I stood transfixed trying to wrap my head around the fact that this was playing out all over again and trying to figure out what to do next. There was the kit, all fluffy, hair standing upright from fear, his backside right there on the threshold of the door less than 12in from my foot, and just like last time the kit was too focused on the big raccoons in front of him to notice me there behind him. I wanted to touch him. I wanted to just reach out and touch his back. Touch him. Yeah, that's what I would do. It had worked last time, although that time I hadn't done it so intentionally, but...

Then, in an instant, before I could even mobilize my body to start the process of bending down to touch him, the kit realized his error, became aware of me there behind him, and slipped away behind the baker's rack to the right of the door and was gone. So close. We had come so close to repeating the episode but not quite.

The next night, Heidi was back. I don't know if it was her kits - could have been as they were the right size - but as I stepped out the 2 small kits just froze before me, just stood there huddled together, staring right at me but frozen as though unable to move. They were cute as a bug, of course, so cute they melted my heart. I just wanted to reach down and scoop them up in my two cupped hands. When they finally did try to move to back away from me, it turned out that they were blocked by my wheel barrow. They huddled there before me for another 60 seconds or so - seemed like forever - before finally realizing they could slip away to the side. They didn't reappear after that, but I had enjoyed those precious minutes being only inches away from these 2 very tiny kits. These guys were at the age where they are just fluff with giant eyes. :D

(Last night I started writing this overview of my last 4 o so encounters with the kits. I didn't have time to finish it. The above covers the 1st 2 encounters. There are 2 more to follow. Right now I'm going to break this and 'Send'. I'll come back later to write the rest. Now I'm not doing this as a cliff hanger. When you think about it the entire story is one HUGE "to be continued..." I'm just doing this so you can at least read this part now, while waiting for me to write the rest - as apposed to having this part sit around on my computer, where you can't read it and where it is at risk of being lost before I get around to finishing it. So here are encounters 1 & 2. Three & four to come soon... )

Finally, patience pays off. Look what I got. This is Heidi and her 3 kits. The 2nd pic is a close up of the most assertive kit.

The other raccoons will come near me, but move away when I approach and/or get too close. Even though they only back up about a foot when I put their food down, that's enough for the babies watching nearby to derive that I am potentially dangerous. Heidi, on the other hand, doesn't even flinch when I bend over her to pour food. Sometimes she even raises her head to put her nose to my hand, all of which sends the opposite message to her kits who see that Mom is not afraid of the big scary looking "Sasquatch" - and it brings yummy food.

Great job Cheryl!!! Love these pictures. And...no lightening needed! lol You must have just been thrilled. I know I am to see them.

Debbie

Hi Debbie,

Yes, I was, but I've been working on this for several days now.

As I mentioned earlier, I still had 2 more kit sightings to describe. Those were the best and were the predecessors to the moment that yielded these pics. On the 3rd sighting, Heidi's kits all hid when I walked out to feed her. After putting the food down, I started talking sweetly to the 'invisible' kits, hoping but not really expecting to draw them out. Then suddenly the more assertive one (there is always the one in every batch) peaked out at me from behind a flower pot. I kept talking, and she finally stepped out into the clear where she stood for a few minutes looking at me. After a time, having satisfied herself that I was not that bad, she climbed up onto the large (seating) trunk - Mt Everest to one her size. She sat up there atop the trunk for a while watching me. I was only about 5ft from her, but she could plainly see that my foot was anchored a mere 10-12in from Heidi's face, and her mother was eating calmly.

I knew then that the kit and I were making great progress. The next night I opened the door to find her sitting in the chair, playing in catlike fashion with a morning glory vine which she had clearly brought with her to the chair and which was now dangling down the side of the seat where it made a great toy. When I walked out onto the patio, she did not leave the chair but only looked up from her game briefly.

Today when I saw Heidi up against the door with her kits, I opened the door and began talking sweetly to them w/o turning on the light and w/o stepping out. Although I hated to leave the door open on such a hot night and with possible mosquitoes about, I thought it was the right thing to do to give the kits a chance to see me w/o scaring them away by walking out the door. The kits stayed for a few minutes.

Then Heidi and they moved away. I gathered the food and walked out with them, still talking, still w/o turning on the light. The other 2 kits stayed this time, apparently emboldened by their siblings success in coming near me on prior nights. It was then that I decided it was time to go back for the camera.

I took the pics, some from inside the house w/the door open. Some from out there with them, all with no outdoor light, just the camera's flash. I lightened them a little myself before posting. For a while there I had stopped lightening the photos because (1) I didn't have the time and (2) I don't have a good editing program on this laptop. The 'enhance' feature on the program that I use on the laptop makes everything garish. I have to go in and manually tweak individual parameters to achieve soft, realistic lightening. Maybe someday I'll get around to installing my fav editing program on here.

Glad you enjoyed the pics. I'll get more.

what cuties.... let the games begin. still have that pool? what a great buy that turned out to be.

Hi Terese,

Yes, I do still have the pool. It's not in service right now, but I've been thinking about filling it again.

When looking at the pics, I couldn't help but notice the kits look bigger than they are. I'm thinking maybe it's that 'camera adds 5lbs' effect. Heidi's kits are very small still - making me think they were underweight at birth - but kits always seem to look bigger in pics, even bigger with respect to their mom. Strange.

They are cute little tykes. Heidi has a nice face, and she tends to make cute kits. Cute - but not 'clown nose', Rupert cute. :-)

I think i ti s the angle shot from above....regardless they are adorable!

Interesting thought, Debbie,

I think you might be onto something. We tend to think of photos as portraying the world as it really is, but that is not exactly true. Sometimes odd things happen when the camera attempts to 'smush' a 3D world onto a 2D surface. Sometimes things seen from odd angles produce strange results. Most of us have seen at least one photo of a horse or cow with a big head and small body or with a nose that's too big for its head. Cameras do at times produce unreal results.

I think it might actually be a combination of things, including both the angle as you point out and also perhaps the fact that their hair, which in real life is kind of thin and 'see-thru' with light showing through ragged strands standing upright at odd angles, nonetheless, comes out looking almost like a solid mass in the photos, a mass which adds a couple inches to their apparent size on all sides, both width and height.

Whatever the cause, this phenomenon is something I've noticed and commented on pretty much every year. Every year I see tiny kits in my backyard and am then surprised to see large, rolly-polly kits in my photos.

Hi Cheryl:

I read thru the last several days - smiled broadly while reading about the kit in your hands, and of course we believe you. Ha haha. :)

I can't imagine the rush you get, although it's the same with so many tiny creatures - hummingbirds, rabbits, squirrels, possums, butterflies lately, honey bees from the house down the street. It's a wondrous time of year. Thanks for the updates.

I've started a new job - what was supposed to be part time. I'm driving 60 miles one way and it's worth it - a ridiculously awesome job. Hope to start classes in a few weeks to finish the master's degree. In the meantime, the part time job became full time and just looking at the unread threads makes me tired when I log in.

Thanks for the photos. I'm suffering some raccoon envy, but I know with the rodents I can only feed the birds with the giant baffle and some squirrels in their box on the pecan tree out there. Now and then a baby rabbit comes thru and spends a couple of days in the yard. Rearing some black swallowtail caterpillars now on parsley in a butterfly habitat. More to come soon - prolly monarchs in a week or so!

xox
A.

Good to see you again, Amanda,

Glad to hear about your part time job, & that you will be working to finish your Masters. There is never enough time is there? I know.

About that kit 'in my hand', I used the term rather liberally in that instance. The kit backed up against my hands (placed there to keep it from continuing to back farther into the kitchen). I didn't attempt to close my hands around the kit or, heaven forbid, pick it up or even restrain it. I was trying to avoid traumatizing the little fella any more than necessary. What I referred to as 'in my hand' was those brief moments between the time the kit backed up against my hands and when he realized I was there and fled the area. Hopefully, everyone got that from the original account, but just wanted to be sure.

The kits are adorable right now for sure, but they will be growing up fast. Still it is nice to be able to see them and interact with them a bit. Oh, and, yes, I know what you mean. There is so much life all around us this time of year. Isn't it awesome? That's why I am eternally 'dream[ing]OfSpring'.

I'm starting to see signs of rat activity around the patio now. It's impossible to eliminate all of the rats in an outdoor area. The best one can hope for is to greatly minimize their numbers. Now that I'm feeding on the patio, rats from the forest are, unfortunately, being drawn to the area for want of food. I see their tunnels in the ground around the patio. I would be more concerned were it not for the fact that there are always more raccoons out there than food, especially since they come in shifts now so that the 2nd shift arrives directly behind the 1st (often waiting nearby in the shrubs) and will finish off anything the 1st group may leave behind.

Raccoons are relentless in seeking out every last morsel of food, so I'm pretty confident the rats will not get anything. Also, raccoons enjoy a good feast of rat, so they have been digging up the rat tunnels in hopes of snagging an extra snack. With raccoons after them by night and cats by day, I figure that should be adequate to hold them in check. I'm not happy to have drawn the rats up to the patio though, and I am concerned about snakes (that they may be drawn to the patio now, too).

The kits are getting incredibly comfortable around me now. Last night I didn't see Heidi's group but rather a group of 4kits, the ones that come with the raccoon that had the skinned area on her back in spring. They appear even a bit smaller than Heidi's bunch.

Last night the entire group of 4 was on the patio eating while I was out there. One enterprising little fella even came up close enough and was sufficiently comfortable to allow me to reach down and put a handful of food in front of him. Normally either the kits eat from their mom's food or I toss them a scant handful, but that one was so close and I could tell that he/she wasn't scared, so I reached right down in front of its face to give it a nice, big handful of food (all in a mound as apposed to the scattered kibble they get when I have to toss it).

I didn't take the camera out with me last night, but I stayed out there a little while, and that one kit stayed right there the whole time even with me standing and walking (towering over him) only 1-2ft in front of him. Before I left I reached down and gave him another handful as he had done a good job of eating the 1st.

Heidi and her bunch were back tonight, and OMG I was shocked at what she did. When waiting on the patio, Heidi sits right up against the glass pane, the last (or 1st) one on the side where the door opens. She sits there to maximize her chances of being seen and getting my attention should I walk by. She knows if I see her I will feed her.

In recent visits her kits were young enough to stick right close up around her there at the door, but now they are getting a little bigger and are starting to wander slightly as children of all types will do. Tonight when I got to the door and switched the light on, Heidi was sitting there up against the glass as usual, but while I could see one kit nearby, they were not with her at the door. I have no idea why she did this, maybe just to draw them near, maybe to make sure I saw the kits, too, and brought enough food for all. Who knows, but upon seeing me at the door, Heidi actually walked over to the nearby camellia bush (about 2ft away), collected her kits, and brought them back to the door with her to wait for me to open the door and come out.

Heidi is very smart. She knows I am going to open that door and come out, so it seemed strange to me that she actually went for the kits and brought them up to the door after seeing me. It almost seemed an extension of the fact that she knows I will feed her if I see her - does making sure I see the family with her equal more food? Not sure, but I saw her quickly gather them and bring them to the door. When I opened the door, one kit had a food on/against the door, so I opened it a few inches and waited for the kit to move - so it wouldn't end up doing a 'splits'.

Tonight there were lots of kits on the patio, so many I had trouble keeping track of who they belonged to. Heidi had her 3 plus a spare. Her kits were growling at the spare early on indicating it was not a sibling, but it eventually ended up blending in and eating with them. The bigger one that backed into my hands that one night was also there. I didn't see her siblings, but she came out from behind the pots to eat from a pile of food I had put not far from my right foot. Apparently, you guys were right (and I wrong). She seems the opposite of traumatized, being more comfortable around me than her siblings and even comfortable enough to come to the center of the patio alone to eat near me.

I could hear other kits in the shrubs about 20ft or so away where they were trilling very loudly and making that 'whoot' 'whoot' call asking their Mom to come to them. I couldn't see them. My guess is they were probably deposited there by one of the other adults, one of the ones who never seem to have babies. I kept hoping those other kits would come over to the patio, but they never did. Judging from how noisy and insistent they were though, I don't think they will be willing to stay over there in the shrubs while everyone else is eating much longer.

The small patio was very crowded tonight, and I could tell all the activity made Heidi nervous. With so many other adult raccoons around and me standing over them, it's just hard for her to relax and eat, because she has to keep an eye on everything to make sure her kits are safe. I made several trips in & out of the house for more food, the watermelon, and egg, the camera and stayed a while to take pics, all the while standing very close to (almost over) Heidi and her kits. If you imagine having a 'giant' like me standing over the kits, she would have to be a little nervous. Even if she trusts me, just my size, the fact that I could step on one, has to keep her on guard. I felt bad for her and was a little glad to leave them to eat in peace - as much as was possible with so many raccoons milling around them and those loud kits calling incessantly nearby.

I have tons to do tonight. Will 'develop' and post the pics soon, hopefully tomorrow.

It has been a good 2+ hrs since I 1st went out there to feed the raccoons. I stopped by the patio door to see if they had eaten everything and was shocked to see Heidi still out there eating watermelon, her 3 kits nearby. It was particularly heartwarming to see, because of what I had done earlier today.

This afternoon after eating watermelon, I had scooped all of the flesh and juice from the rind and put it in a container in the fridge - taking what Heidi usually gets and putting it away for me. My plan was to put it in a freezer bag in hopes of making watermelon granita or sorbet at some later date. It was an idea which had grown out of my interest in finding ways to save money by using things I normally toss - but as you know, I don't so much toss the left over watermelon. I usually eat the heart and save the outer couple inches in the rind for Heidi and the others. Still, today I decided to save all that extra melon for me, even though I did feel a bit selfish.

I ended up piling some rind sections with a bit of red attached into the empty shell (from which I had taken the melon to put away for later). A quick note here - Heidi doesn't care for those pieces of cut rind w/melon attached. She likes her melon in the melon bowl shell. I think she likes it that way because she loves the juice almost more than the melon. She likes to cup her 2 hands together and drink melon juice from them. She will do that over and over and over, which is why it takes her so long to finish the melon. She does eat some melon, but she drinks as much or more juice. She usually won't mess with the cut rind sections, since there is no way to catch the juice.

Tonight when I took the empty melon shell out filled with rind sections, Heidi saw it and thought it was her usual melon - filled with real melon and juice not rind sections. I was out there when she went over to it and reached in looking for juice and when she patiently removed all of the rind sections from the bowl and scratched hopelessly at the empty rind hoping to find or make juice. I was out there to see her disappointment as she walked away.

Immediately, I went inside to get the container of melon & juice I had put in the fridge earlier (the stuff I had scooped out of the melon shell after eating the heart, the stuff Heidi likes and for which she had been looking). I took the container of melon & juice out there and poured it all into the empty shell filling it up to the top.

Heidi didn't return to the melon while I was out there, not after her earlier disappointment. I had left hoping she would do so eventually. I would hate to think I had ruined it for her and ended up giving the melon up only to have it go to waste. I had gone to the door 2hrs later to see if the melon had been eaten. I hadn't expected any raccoons to still be out there. I was thrilled to find Heidi out there her two hands cupped over a nearly empty melon shell, still drinking the remaining liquid.

I guess I'll just have to find another way to save. Seeing Heidi enjoy the left over melon gave me a lot more satisfaction as it turned out than shuffling it about in a bag in the freezer while desperately trying to make space for something else would have. I think I can do without the sherbert I might never have made anyhow and might not have enjoyed if I did. If I really want to make frozen, melon desserts, I'll just have to buy more melon, enough to make melon from 'my' part and still save Heidi's part for her.

Ohhhhh migoodness the trauma/drama. :)

And I had anxiety yesterday over a bunch of black swallowtail caterpillars housed in a mesh enclosure. HA!

Cheryl I have to run - I hear the crows caaawwwing for breakfast. ;)

A.

Hi Amanda,

I had to reread that last line. The 1st time through I read 'cows'. Of course, I didn't get the cawing thing, not for cows, but mostly I was having difficulty fitting cows into my mental picture of your (& you neighbor's) yard. Oh, CROWS. I need to slow down and read more carefully. Crows. That makes a lot more sense. Glad to hear (no pun intended) that your crows came for breakfast.

I've had those caterpillars before, however unintentionally. I quickly learned that I can't plant dill or fennel w/o ending up with 'tons' of those guys - and no dill or fennel, just sticks covered with caterpillars. Once I realized those 'worms' were my lovely swallowtails, I let them have the herbs.

I don't know what I was thinking the other day when I made a grocery run. Now that I'm able to get so close to the kits and walk among them, I really do wish I had so cookies to offer them. I definitely need to fix that and soon.

That I can get so close to the kits now is incredible and most unexpected. This is actually a HUGE step beyond what I was able to do even back when Dennis and the others were kits standing at my knee. Back then even the adult raccoons would run if I stood up and kits would, as well. I've always had to stay seated, especially when kits were around. The most I could do was stand up to go back to the house for more food, and it took a while before I could even do that w/o sending the raccoons running for the fence.

Now I'm standing up and walking the whole time, my feet w/in 1-2ft of all those tiny kits. Now that really is trust - and deserving of cookies!