OMG - They're All Back!!! Welcome Home, Heidi!

Better to be safe. (I have been a nurse for 30 years)--get to the emergency room for some titres and treatment. Also, do tell them that you have been working in close vicinity with wild raccoons. Could be the flu (although it is NOT flu season), or any type of tick-borne or mosquito-borne disease. Our best friend lives in Michigan, and one of her dogs just came down with erchlica (a tick-borne disease). The sooner treatment gets started, the better. The titres don't come back right away, but they can start treatment after they draw the blood. Sorry to hear this. Karen

Is there a tratment for West Nile? Or do you just have to ride it out?

Thanks, Karen. I will mention the raccoons but as I've not been that close I don't think they had anything to do with it. I didn't mention this before but have noticed that "my" raccoons smell like Sevin. Think the city may be treating their area with something. Everytime they show up I smell Seven.

George, from what I read, there is no cure. Treatment consists of things to help you feel better and of trying to keep it from going to encephlitis.

This is what the CDC says about treatment Q. How is West Nile encephalitis treated?
A. There is no specific treatment for West Nile virus infection. In more severe cases, intensive supportive therapy is indicated, often involving hospitalization, intravenous fluids, airway management, respiratory support (ventilator), prevention of secondary infections (pneumonia, urinary tract, etc.), and good nursing care. So if it is that, get started on IVs, etc.
It could be lyme, etc. for which there is treatment. I would go tomorrow, esp. with fever and joint/muscle pains. Let us know. Karen

Thanks, will do. Actually, right now I feel all achy all over like with the flu but don't have any respiratory symptoms. Have been very thirsty. Drank a ton of water. Can't even look at food.

Going to pull the covers over my head and try to sleep. Thanks for being there.

Wow, scutler, sure hope you'll feel much better real soon: good thoughts coming your way!

I understand and share everyone's concern about Fraidy and the other small, shy coon; but, please, thinking of making a raccoon into a pet is not an answer. They are not domestic animals, they are wildlife and belong in the wild. It's truly sad when some of the young don't make it, but that is the way of nature: no species achieves 100% survival in the wild, at least not routinely. Feeding and maybe providing shelter outdoors is absolutely wonderful, if safety and common sense precautions are observed; but it is unfair to both raccoons and people to try to make pets of wild animals, especially indoors. Yes, there are a very few success stories out there; but the vast majority of attempts end in disaster for all concerned.

Well I'm feeling a good bit better. I did work from home today, but am up and about. Didn't go to the doctor. I hate to go to the dr, so if i see ANY sign of improvement, real or imagined, I'll wait. No fever today.

The coon family returned tonight for the 1st time since last Wednesday. My battery is almost dead so have to go, but wanted to tell you that I found something new that they LOVE - hummingbird nectar. I had noticed that the kids kept going after it any time i left the feeder out. Since I don't see the hummers around lately, I poured the remaining 2cups of nectar in one of their dishes. They ate that 1st and sqaubled over it, then one fella licked the dry container long after all sign of red had been "deleted".

I bet they would love the fruit flavored gatorade then. A squirrel rehab link suggested it to nurse an abandon baby with until I could turn it over to them. The little feller loved it.

Ok, got the laptop on ac power now. Forgot to mention that I make my nectar at double strength, so it's red syrup. I read that fruit is on their top 5 list. Don't have any fruit right now - if I did, I would eat it. So i thought maybe the syrup would work. It was quite a hit.

Tonight I noticed that Fraidy came farther into the yard for a very short time. Also even though they haven't been eating here since last Wednesday, they didn't seem starved, ate at a normal pace, so they seem to be doing pretty well on their own.

Recently, I started trying to get ID's for some of the trees back there that I don't recognize. Much to my surprise, the small tree leaning over the fence beside the gap where I used to toss Heidi's food appears to be a black cherry. Part of the muscadine vine is attached to one side of that tree (and many, many others). Near that is a 60ft oak that drops a plethera of acorns all over the back lawn and another large tree that has recently been ID'd as an American Beech. So just in that small section of the forest adjacent to my yard we have grapes growing on cherries next to thousands of acorns and beech nuts. It's starting to look like there is a lot more food back there than I ever realized. AND there are still countless small trees along the fenceline for which I haven't obtained an id.

In my back yard alone I've seen (and photographed) numerous Eastern box turtles, various snakes, tons of birds (and nests). I read that raccoons are one of the top predator's of cardinals (not that I approve of that behavior). There used to be tons of squirrels living back there. Squirrel's nests littered the trees along the forest edge. Lately, all of the nests are gone and I rarely see a squirrel. I believe raccoons eat squirrels, so am wondering if Heidi and her family have either eaten them or caused them to move to safer territory.

Anyhow, for now they seem to be finding plenty of food somewhere. As always it was nice to see them.

Hmm, interesting idea. I'll have to check for a non-citrus flavor as I've read they don't care for citrus.

ADORABLE photo of the little guy! So glad that you were able to help him!

Glad to hear the kids are back and are eating and getting nutrition from around the forest, also. My husband put up the infra red light tonight, and I got to see (and photograph) Sadie and another raccoon at the dinner and water bowls. I'll get them ready tomorrow to share==to tired tonight. Night. Karen

Karen,

I came home tonight expecting to see a picture of Sadie. ; (

Also, I've been meaning to tell you that from my experience you could put a floodlight out there near the food and she would STILL come. The seem to get used to the light very quickly. Years ago when Heidi 1st started raiding my feeder I tried leaving my 4 floodlights on all night to keep her out of the yard. That didn't work for even 1 night.

My coons were "no shows" again tonight. While I was waiting for them, Snowball showed up, however. There must be something yummy available in the local forest right now. Even when I left the nectar out (2 bowls of the stuff) along with dog food and fresh water, no takers. Oh, well, I'm glad they are able to find food on their own these days.

They were back tonight.

They "wrestled" with Widget, nobody was hurt. Only 5 raccoons tonight, no Fraidy. I think that now they are on the move most of the night, searching out food, etc. whereas before when they were very young they seemed to hang out just over the fence (perhaps in the dead tree there) most of the time. Now it seems as though they come by my place on their nightly raids, but now rather than their home base, my yard seems to be just one stop on the circuit, where they stop in if they smell something to eat, pass by if not.

Tonight I tested V8 Splash Tropical. No go. Probably contains citrus. No takers.

Good evening. I haven't been feeling well, so haven't been here a couple days. The coon cam is working pretty well. I have seen Sadie and Meanie and I think maybe one or two more. I am not sure that the one isn't the same one coming back. Last night there just seemed to be the two. Meanie came up on Sadie eating and growled at her, she didn't move, then he growled nastier and put his two front feet in the raccoon (dog) bowl, so she jumped and walked away. Meanie eats like a maniac for the first few minutes--using both front feet and jamming food into his mouth as fast as possible. (Notice I call it a HIM~) A couple of times Sadie (I think) tried to come back and he chased her away, until one time she just threw her hips at his and knocked him out of the bowl altogether! Way to go girl. He walked away. So she finished eating and left. The funny thing is that I know they like sweets, so I bought a big bag of animal crackers and I throw some in the dog food every night. Last night Sadie thought they were pretty good and she (who normally eats like a dog with her nose in the bowl), sat up and combed through the feed and picked out and ate all the animal crackers first. She actually is very neat. Sometimes taking two bites instead of eating it all in one. Whereas Meanie just shovels in the food, then stands in the drinking water and drinks. Sadie just drinks like a lady, usually no feet in the bowl. Those are about the only two that I can see habits in, the others (1 or 2) I can't tell apart. So the pics aren't great, since they are taken off my tv, off the video-lots of places for interference. Now, without further ado......here's Sadie...........
Karen

And one more. No one is there so far yet tonight, so guess I will have to record the action and head on to bed soon. Yuck, I wouldn't like the V8 stuff, either ;-)

Karen

Sadie photo 2:

By the way, did anyone see 20/20 tonight? An interview with Steve Irwin's wife. Nicely done, his message to the world was to help wildlife. I hope I am doing that with Sadie...helping them get beefed up for winter. I can't do much but feeding the birds, squirrels, chipmunks and raccoons (and once a possum) should help a little. Nice that we all are wildlife lovers. And, also, for those of you who also read Rascal--do a search on Sterling North and you will see that they are restoring his childhood home back to the way it was when he had Rascal. Nice. Karen

Karen,

glad you are feeling better. Sadie is adorable! I like that 2nd shot of her eating (the cookie?) I didn't see that interview, working pretty long ours now as the deadline for my project draws near. All of "my" raccoons eat like Sadie - like they have manners, maybe because they were all raised by Heidi who is also very neat and well mannered.

Last night I browsed for about 5 minutes and look what I found: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/630146/

Oh, my gosh, they were just the sweetest things. So sorry they had to be rescued, but nice that they grew up to be well adjusted juvenile deliquents! And the baby with the bottle was so precious, makes your heart melt. Well, mine will probably never know me and I guess that is how it should be. Just helping nature take care of her own. Still makes you feel good. Karen
(Now I am getting a little spoiled, I think I'll have my husband get the color camera. I wonder, though, with infrared light if it will still look black and white??? K

I am happy to see that (so far, at least) the raccoons are not causing problems on the nights when I don't feed them - even when I don't feed them for days on end.

I find that already I am starting to look forward to the day when Heidi will bring me a new set of "babies" to "raise" and spoil. ; )
I think that I have derived the greatest benefit from this encounter. Before that fateful day when Heidi walked out of the woods to "ask" for help in feeding her family, I looked at raccoons as "bad", to be feared and avoided. As a result of my wonderful experience with Heidi and her kids, I have learned to view them in a whole new light. I now realized what adorable and good natured creatures they are. They have enriched my life. There is just something about them. When I am with them, time stands still, I forget my problems, and I could just sit and feed and observe them endlessly.

As it seems this saga may be drawing to a close, at least for this group of kids, I'd like to say to all who have read and will read this thread that I am not necessarily recommending that others do as I have done. There are certainly risks involved in what I have done. If you have read the entire thread (set of 3 actually) then you know that we have discussed them. From the information that I've seen on the web it appears that SC may even have a higher incidence of rabies than VA, at least that is how the published data reads. Moreover, my county is reporting roughly 1/5 of the rabies cases for the entire state. Although I did not know this when I started this endeavor, Charleston County had in late spring 06 issued a rabies alert warning all residents to avoid contact with wild animals in the area. So I've been lucky, I guess. Each of you will, of course, need to decide for yourselves whether the benefits may be worth the risk. At any rate, I think it is important to be forewarned about the hazards, to know about the risks as well as the benefits.

Cheryl

Cheryl: check with your wildlife people in your area and see if they have used the oral vaccine. Not much, but that can give you a little bit of hope for the wonderful raccoons out there. Problem is that when you see a rabid raccoon, you mustn't look at it as an animal, but as a disease that has taken over an animal that must be stopped. And that is sad. I hope Heidi stays away from all those other guys. Do keep us updated as time goes by with the current kids and what happens when mating season comes along. I know for the last two nights only 2 raccoons have visited my station, so there obviously is food out there. But they are eating it all (and I usually put quite a bit for 2 raccoons). Funny how they pick out the sweetest things first. In any case, please do keep in touch now and then, we miss you. Hope your work project is going well. Karen

Thank you SO much, Karen. I'll still be here, and I'll do updates from time to time. I didn't mean to sound like I was ending the thread altogether, just that as the kids are nearly grown now and are off prowling around, perhaps in search of new homes of their own, less seems to be happening lately. But around here there is almost never a shortage of wildlife "fun" so I'm sure I will always have a story to tell, perhaps this one, perhaps another.

It is on my list to ask about the vaccines - but I'm afraid it's a long list. I often have to do the most critical things first and then sometimes I just have to stop and get 5 or 6 hours sleep before it's time to start another day. Last night i was up a bit late running some tests, and things seem to be going quite well for my project. Thanks for asking.

Now you just won't BELIEVE what happened today. This does not directly relate to raccoons, but indirectly is does. Much has been said about the possibility that the raccoons may end up damaging my house and property. I remain concerned and on guard for that possibility but am happy to say that so far they only damage the birdfeeder - and they did that all along anyhow. (Someday I'll find time to put up a proper post with a guard).

Well, Tuesday morning on my way to work I found that my car A/C was DEAD. It may be fall elsewhere but it's just high summer here. All week I've suffered through w/o A/C because I couldn't afford to take time to go to the dealership. I've limited my trips to early morning (when a bit stuffy and muggy but otherwise not TOO bad) and late afternoon (awful, the car has had all day in a parking lot to reach max temps). On the way home around 5ish I have to slip in and out of traffic and take side roads when I see the freeway is backed up because I can't afford to sit still - I at least need the hot air blowing on me at high speed!

Yesterday I couldn't turn the wipers off. Then I noticed the engine sounded funny. Then someone mentioned my tail light was out. So, today off to the mechanic I went. Well, he just had to show me the RAT's nest in the engine compartment and all of the chewed up wires under the hood! In the end, he had to replace a wiring harness AND the thermostat, a printed circuit card for the A/C, the radio, and the main computer that controls the car - all of which were damaged by electrical short circuits resulting from the chewed up wires! I was lucky to get away with only $600 damage. I'm told that many times the bill for this sort of thing is in the thousands.

I mentioned this because (1) it's my bit of "excitement" for the day and (2) in view of all the concern expressed about the possibility of raccoon damage, I find it ironic that it was an itsy, bitsy rat that ended up costing me a day off from work (not helping the deadline), 4 days of driving in sweltering heat w/o A/C, and $600 in repairs, not to mention the stress of dealing with the matter and wondering if my car would have to be euthanized! So I'd like to add this to my earlier comments about putting the risks into perspective.

Karen, I find that "my" raccoons show a preference for sugar and non-citrus fruit and fruit flavored things but do not seem to care for cookies, even chocolate chip cookies. They also showed a surprising lack of interest in (but would eat) such things as corn chips, cheese puffs, and tortillos. They also seem to lack the dog's love of things to gnaw on, having shown little if any interest in rawhide, hooves, bones, and other "chew" treats. They seem to like breads, and they love dog and cat food, dog biscuits, and cat greenies. They will "fight" over hbird nectar. When they come back I have a jar of grape jelly for them; I think they should love that.

Take care.Cheryl

Plain bread with honey should be a hit too.

I bet that would be. I have a hard time keeping bread in the house. SOMEONE always seems to eat it. ; )
I'll have to try to remember to pick some up along with some honey on my next trip to the grocery store.

Didn't see the little cuties tonight even though I went out there "armed" with Eukanuba biscuits and a jar of grape jelly. When they were too young to "travel" safely, they were always waiting in their den just across the fence, and they'd come out to "play" whenever I called to them. Lately, it seems like they are on the move, out roving about, seeing the world. They just don't seem to have time for "Aunt Cheryl" anymore. (sniffle, sniffle) It doesn't do any good to go out there and call them - they're out on the town. I only see them when I just happen to go out at the same time that they are making their rounds in my yard. Oh, well, I'll just have to wait for the next group of young'ens.

Rats can do an amazing amount of damage, can't they? I've seen cars whose wiring was completely destroyed by them, and walls they've eaten/tunneled through. Not to mention the laundry list of diseases they can and do pass on to humans, from the plague on through history. I'm more than half convinced that when our species has destroyed the environment and self-destructed, the rats and roaches will inherit the earth.

My DD had that happen with a squirrel. They found acorns up under her engine, nice and toasted...and several chewed wires. The cost? Well, the wires were under $3.00...the labor, about $450 to find the wires in the first place....and fix them. She no longer parks her car in the front yard under the oak tree!

Yep, Kent (hubby) found acorns up under the motorhome engine when he was fixing something. Squirrels or the chipmunks. And something interesting: This afternoon I watched last nights video of the raccoon feeding. One raccoon looked a little weird. Then it occurred to me--he didn't have a tail. On playing it back, I did see that he had a little stump with 1 ring. I wonder if he was born that way or it happened in an accident (fight or trap??) If you can see it on the picture, I will post it. Karen

The coon cam has been intereseting the last two nights. Night before last, I discovered a coon with (I thought) no tail. On second look, it has one ring, very stubby tail, so, I call him Stubby. You can't really see the ring in the horrible picture, but you can tell the tail is short. Karen

Then last night, the opossum (call him Opie) made his second appearance. Karen
Here's Opie:

Hi Karen,

Stubby and Opie are such cute and descriptive names. Aren't the creatures of the wild so much fun to observe? I find the raccoons especially fascinating. No matter how busy, how tired, how ill, or how stressed I am, I find that while I am with them I am so spellbound that time stands still, nothing else matters, and I forget all of my cares - for a little while. They are oddly therapeutic.

Sorry, I've been abscent for a while. Things have been so "crazy" just lately - and bound to get worse fast. We have a big deadline coming up Oct 31. As that date approaches things will get increasingly stressful. I've had a few very good milestones, but there is still a lot to do and a lot that can go wrong...and the clock is ticking down...

Hope that things are going well with Sadie, Stubby, and Opie and that you are still enjoying your coonCam.

Tonight the "pack" returned for the 1st time since - I believe it was - last Monday or Tuesday. It seems their away time is growing longer with each absence. Widget and I had gone out around 10PM. I didn't see the coons, but Widget ran toward the feeder pole as though he were after them. I called to them repeatedly not really expecting them to be there but knowing that Widget's behavior indicated they were. For a few minutes there was only silence, and then, in an instant I heard the familiar sound of claws on wood. I almost couldn't believe my eyes as I saw 2 dark streaks streaming over the fence in the semi-darkness of the incredibly moonlit night.

And then acting solely on emotion and without concious intent, I suddenly exclaimed, "Heidi!" just as one might call out to their favorite pet seeing him again after a time apart. Of course, they had a little spat with Widget, and I had to put him inside and grab the goodies. All week I had been saving things for them, all the while fearing that they would not be back before it spoiled - carcasses (with plenty of meat still attached) of 2 roasted chickens, bones from 2 snack-size boxes of fried chicken, potatoes, biscuits, and I grabbed a stem of grapes, too - a veritable feast!

I was SO happy to see them. When they are away I always worry that something has happened to them. When I returned with the food, they had all gone back over the fence to hide - except....Fraidy, that's right. I had to do a double take myself. She wasn't on the ground. She was standing at the top of the fence, but it was still pretty incredible because she was the only one in sight. She was the front runner this time. Wow. And when I sat down with the food and called, she came down the fence and came over about 4-5 ft from the fence to grab some of the goodies. For an amazing while she stayed out there eating. Eventually, the others came back over the fence. Then she went back to the fence line. A few minutes later she tried to return to the center area (where the big guys eat), but they growled at her and sent her back. She and the other smallish sibling spent the rest of the session hugging the fence, but I made sure to throw plenty of good stuff over their way.

I was happy and quite surprised to see her come out of her shell a bit. I guess the time spent hunting and foraging has been good for her. And for the 1st time, I felt as though I might really have helped her. As long as she remained so reticent, so afraid to assert herself enough even to eat, I felt that even if I'd helped to keep her fed and thus alive so far, it was only a matter of time before she'd succumb. Now that she is starting to assert herself a little, I think, "maybe there is a chance for her", and maybe I did help to keep her going long enough to grow up enough to get some backbone and to make it. Just maybe.

They loved the chicken, BTW. It was very fresh and very juicy. I had just finished the last of one chicken today for lunch. As the carcasses included the backs, necks, ribcages, wings, etc and all of the bones, there was still some good eating on them. Needless to say, that led to more than a little growling. The coons were hungry, not famished, but hungry enough to relish a good meal. Several of them grabbed a section of ribcage and ran to one side to eat it. Oh, and I forgot to mention that all 6 were still together. Anyhow, they passed up potatoes and walked on grapes to get a section of chicken carcass.

And then another incredible thing happened. When the best of the birds was gone, Trouble came over to me. I think he came to see if I had anymore goodies, just walked right up to me like Sassy might have done. I was holding the snack box the fried chicken had been in. He walked up and sniffed it. His nose was maybe 8" from me and only the width of the 4" box from my hand, still the small box was between us. He sniffed the bottom of the box. I tried to lower the box gently, slowly so that he could see if he wanted anything from inside - there were a few bones in there. The moment I moved even a smidgen, he bolted and did not stop until several of the others were between us.

I was amazed (and terrified) that he came to me. He wasn't at all aggressive, didn't try to grab the box or anthing like that. It seems that he will come up to me as long as I don't move at all - I have to be a statue. I can't reach out to him (recall I tried that once) even to offer him food, even when he's already standing nearby. He has to come to me. I guess that makes sense. To harm him, I have to move, so that's his cue to run away. As long as I am still, I'm atleast one move away from hurting him.

And then I scared them away. They wanted water. All of the containers were bone dry. One guy kept putting his nose in the empty water bowl over and over as if the next time water would be there. So after I'd enjoyed some time with them and even knowing that such bold moves would scare them away, I went over to get the garden hose and fill all of the water bowls. Since they had already eaten enough to quell their major hunger, they would not come back. They always do that. Each has a balance point somewhere between hunger and fear. Each will leave and refuse to return once that point is reached. But knowing the food was still there, they would hang around on the other side of the fence, and would return to eat it once all the people and dogs and lights were gone.

It was nice to see them again.

I know you will probably worry that the having spent so much time near me the kids will try to befriend other humans and will suffer as a result. To be honest, I guess I worry about that, too. But I've noticed that they are changing. By now somewhere in their travels they've likely already had at least one unpleasant experience with other humans. So they've learned. They used to come running over the fence when they saw or heard me in the yard. Now I have to call them repeatedly before they will even consider revealing themselves, and even then they do so cautiously as if to say, "Did you call ME?"

Before when I went outside to break up their birdfeeder raiding party, 3 or more of them would greet me while hanging upside down from the feeder as though it were a jungle gym placed there just for them, the rest would be standing around grazing on the dropped seeds. Tonight when I stepped outside, they disappeared so fast that had it not been for Widget belying their presence, I would never have guessed they'd ever been there - which is more consistent with normal raccoon behavior. So they've learned to feed themselves; I've not been leaving food out for fear of feeding the rats. I've fed them twice in some 25 days or so. They've learned to disappear as deftly as ninjas, and not to reveal themselves until invited.

I think the one thing that I still have going for me is the fact that from the time they were helpless babies I've been calling them "Heidi, Heidi" and delivering food. They know that sound means food. Other people won't be calling them, and even if anyone wanted to do so, know one else knows the magic word, "Heidi". These days they don't dare show themselves unless I call them many, many times. They have to be sure I mean it. ; )

Oh, and when I was last at the store I bought them a big bag of raw, natural peanuts in the shells. When/if they come back I look forward to sharing that with them. (I'd better get to sleep. Yesterday I had one of those days inwhich I'd have actually been better off if I'd stayed home. At the end of the day I was farther behind than when I started - because I "broke" my "stuff". Have lots to do tomorrow to fix it and catch up.)

Good to hear about the kids. And, I guess, good to hear they are acting like "real" raccoons in the wild. But I am glad they are coming now and then so you can see they are ok. I am really enjoying the coon cam. I like to watch them interact, and their tactics against each other to get the food. I have a bigger food bowl now and a bigger water bowl since they liked to stand in the water. I don't think that any would come out when I am about, which (I guess) is good for them. Last night was the first night I saw little wet footprints on the wooden food bowl holder and heard something rustling in the woods when I left the house. The earliest they seem to come out is around 10:30, but generally after midnight, so I have to record the night action and watch it the next day. Last night a young raccoon came. I hadn't seen him/her before, but it was alone, no family with him. I wonder how old it is? Seemed to hold his own with the bigger coons. That's about all with my guys now. The opossum is not a regular, only now and then. Cheryl, what do you do? Work sounds stressful. I am a retired RN. Miss is sometimes. Karen

Hi Karen! I know EXACTLY what you mean about watching them. If the raccoon family stayed in my yard all the time, I'd never get anything done because I could just watch them endlessly. I can rarely find anything on TV to hold my imagination, but I never tire of watching Heidi and the kids. Glad you got the coon cam (cute title) set up. The rehabber from my area said that they have to rehab a lot of "wild" raccoons that people "stole" from the wild as babies, tried to raise as pets, and then tossed out when they grew up and became difficult to handle. She thinks that Heidi may have been such a raccoon, one that was handled and fed by humans as a baby, then sent back out to the wild as an adult - at least that seems to be the prevailing theory as to why she is so comfortable with "humans" (i.e., me) and thus willing to get so close.

Did you see that Trouble came up to me?

I haven't seen them since the episode above. On Friday and Saturday I made several trips out with food but no takers. I think they come by from time to time but it's just a matter of luck whether I happen to go out when they are around. I miss them, but am very happy that they are able (and willing) to take care of themselves. (I remember being warned that if I fed them they would never leave and would destroy my home if they didn't get food. So far, anything but.)

Nursing is such a noble profession. About 5 years ago I had my 1st ever major surgery and hospital stay. I have always been fiercely independant. I will never forget how vulnerable I felt when I couldn't even get out of bed without assistance, could not sip water w/o barfing, and was in pain. Most of all, I will NEVER forget the wonderful nurses who were there for me, always with a smile, always willing to help, never impatient, never making me feel like an annoyance.

Ok, here's my quick anecdote about the above. (It will probably bring back "fond" memories for you.). After my surgery, I was in PAIN so they kept me on MEDS. One time I woke up and I needed something (can't recall what now) but it wasn't an emergency so I didn't want to bug the nurses with that (annoying) buzzer thing. (Because I knew they were busy.) So (being completely plastered on the heavy meds), I managed to reach the phone through the bars (which they had put up on the bed to keep me from falling out - in my state). I (actually) called information and asked for the number for the hospital (that I was in). Then I called the hospital and asked for the nursing station on my floor. When they answered the phone, I proceeded to make my request. (LOL)

The nurse said (in a high pitched, almost paniced voice), "WHERE ARE YOU?!!!" "In my room", I replied. "WHY DIDN'T YOU USE THE BUZZER?!" she sounded like my mother. I started explaining that I didn't want to bother them, but before I could finish the sentence a nurse was in my room to scold me (gently) and let me know that it would be ok to bother them in the future, AND NOT TO CALL THEM ON THE PHONE! (Now that I'm off the meds, I'm not sure why I thought the phone would be less bothersome than the buzzer. Dealing with people who are "stoned" must be "interesting".)

LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Scutler, You must have been a Real "happy camper". :-D

As for my profession. apparently it is, excuse my slang, "a total buzz-kill" because long ago I learned never to mention it in public. (People run away and never return.) One of my collegues once said that whenever he is asked this question at a party, he makes something up.

Ok, here goes. (I know I'm going to be sorry for breaking my own golden rule.) By discipline/degree, I am an Electrical Engineer. By profession, I am a software developer and consultant. I design and develop software, not for business or consumer applications, but for control and analysis of very large scale electronics systems. For the 1st decade I found it very interesting, so much so that I couldn't believe they paid me to do this. I likened it to being paid to play video games.

Many of the same things that make it exciting, also make it stressful. I never do the same thing twice. Engineering is essentially problem solving, especially the application of math, science, physics, etc in problem solving. So every task is a new challenge, something I've never done before, a question to which I don't know the answer. Furthermore, there is no one to whom I can turn for answers. (It's like being on the stage alone.) I have collegues, but we work for different companies and each of us has his/her own task and each of us is the subject area "expert" in a particular area.

Each problem is something I've never seen before, something for which I don't know the answer and, for that matter, don't even know if there IS an answer or if the answer is feasible and can be done within a reasonable time and budget. THEN BEFORE I figure out the solution, I have to GUESS (educated guess based on experience with other problems, but guess none the less) whether the answer exists and is feasible, guess the correct approach, and guess how long it will take to solve the thing I've never solved before and how much it will cost. And I have to put all of that in writing and then make it happen. (Piece of cake, right?)

It gets worse because there is tremendous pressure to keep the time estimate low; after all, time is money, so if you're estimate is too high, you don't get picked for the team. On the other hand, if it's too low (and remember, it's a guess you pull out of the air), you work long hours to deliver on your promise. And don't forget, the whole thing was a guess, so all the while you are working on the thing, in the back of your mind you're thinking, "Oh, man, I hope I chose the right path (because backing up and starting over will take MORE time) and I hope I "guessed" right about this or that." In the end, it always works out (although sometimes as a result of long nights and lots of caffeine), but since each problem is different, you never know for sure...

Don't get me wrong. I'm not whining...much. I used to embrace the challenge and love it. A few years ago I just burned out. And don't think I don't realize that nursing must be quite stressful, as well. I mean, if you have a bad day people could die.

Anyhow, we have to deliver at the end of the month so the heat is really on right now. As always, I can't afford to let my piece hold up the show. It has to be finished. It has to work. It has to work correctly. (Whew, it's getting warm in here.) This is the part of every project where I dream of running away to the Bahamas to lie on the beach and watch the clouds drift by.

music, (hey, just ignore all that boring engineering stuff above. I was just making stuff up), I swear at the time it (calling the nurses on the phone) all made PERFECT sense to me.! I could not understand why they were so excited. I mean, that's what the phone is for, right? (Can you just imagine dealing with "high" people 24/7?)

OK, WHERE DID EVERYBODY GO??? I KNEW if I mentioned engineering everybody would leave! Happens every time! I don't know what it is. You say the "E" word and people just vanish. Ok, everybody, I was just joshing. Honest. I can't spell eng.i.n.. what? Come back. I just made the whole thing up. Really.

(And I didn't even mention the stress of working with men only. That's right. In my entire career, I had one (1) female collegue for about 3 months. Otherwise, all guys, all the time. Don't get me wrong. I like guys. But every now and then it would be nice to have someone around who speaks "female"! Someone with whom to discuss fashion, shoes, hair, and nails; someone who knows what color pistachio is; someone who feels my pain on those 'special' days. I once said to a boss (years ago), "That's it. I've had it. You have to hire me a woman to hang out with. I need someone to go to the restroom with me (because everybody knows we always go to the ladies room as a group. Right?) I have to go to lunch with guys. I have to go on trips with guys. I have been hanging around with a group of guys for SO long now that I don't even notice that I'm the only female in the room anymore. It's like I've been converted - OMG, I've become one of THEM!)