Heidi: Now Where The Heck Are Those Kids?

Hey, HRH! Wait up! HRH!
Sweetie, could you get me some more of this nice cat food? Please, for me.

This message was edited Jul 8, 2007 6:49 AM

Thanks, Ruth! I really had fun that night. These guys are 2nd shift. I only see them on the rare occasion when I have time to linger a while after the regular crew leaves. I don't know WHO any of them are. Fraidy and HRH were there. They were the only ones I recognized. I had run out of food so didn't have to worry about feeding anyone, handing out treats, etc. I just enjoyed the show and sat snapping off pictures. Sometimes these guys are more entertaining than the other crew, maybe because there is less food by the time they get there so they have more "disputes".

Diva is scrappy. She managed to fight everybody off and keep that bowl of food even though it was the only bowl of food left - except Fraidy's and I had Fraidy covered because she was right beside me and none of them are willing to come that close to me. And we've already seen how well she handles the boys. She's very small, the size of Fraidy, but I must say that she is quite impressive. She doesn't let size get in her way.

That said, while she seems to be the queen of 2nd shift, she doesn't seem to have the chutzpah to show up while Heidi is around. Diva is the big fish in the little pond.

I hear you: their very anonymity probably makes the show more fun, because you have less investmest in them. What a treat: thanks!

And you know, Widget probably did wake you up because Heidi was in the yard the other night; his need to "go" was likely secondary at best. Nice that he did: Heidi got a late dinner, but you lost sleep....

It looks like word of my buffet is spreading. Last year when it was a secret hideout for Heidi and her kids alone was nice while it lasted, but...

Big fish in a little pond is a great power position, especially for a small girl. She's got spunk and potential; suspect we'll hear lots more about her in future.

Good news always travels fast, and you've got the best dinner service in town! As long as they keep separate shifts, it's probably workable...

Oh, well, it's the weekend so no real problem. I can sleep late, just have to skip some yard work - again. Since it seems Heidi didn't get to eat due to the rain, I'm glad I was able to feed her.

As to the rain, sorry to hear that you guys are still having the drought. I'd better stop complaining. Now that it rains every afternoon, sometimes I joke that I liked the drought better because now I can never get the yard work done - can't do it in early AM because I'm asleep, can't do it in late afternoon because it's raining, can't do it the rest of the day because it's so hot out I'll burst into flames. But now that I think of it, I guess I prefer the rain to the dust we had before. Hope the rain finds you soon, but not too much rain. You guys (NC in general) are always in the news with floods once the rain starts.

Yeah, every other year than this I've had the same complaints about when exactly I'm supposed to work outside. This year, I'd be happy to work my gardening around the raindrops. We keep a schedule of watering so every section of the place gets water once a week, in hopes that if the rain ever comes, the ground will be able to absorb it. Nice theory....

These guys are all fairly small. I don't think they want to take on Heidi and Juliet any time soon. Lately, Heidi and Juliet seem to be working together to defend the front line. Sometimes they won't let anyone past them to get to the unclaimed dishes. They are pretty vicous about driving invader out. I think that might be another reason why it's not a lot of fun on their shift. Lately, it's just the 2 of them eating over by the fence, Juliet partially hidden by weeds (that I need to work on) and Heidi behind the compost (some of which I need to move). I can't even take decent photos or videos of them - and all they are doing is scarfing down food to get back to the kids, anyhow. But soon...

Yes, soon, especially for Heidi's kids. The second shift guys look like yearlings, but whose??

Clever of HRH to move to second shift to avoid the bitchy moms, no? Not to mention flirting opportunity with sweet young things, and losing your dinner in the process....

I know what you mean (rain), now that we have the daily showers the weeds are growing at 3x the normal rate. I finally broke down and hired a couple of guys to do the front and sides. They do a great job - better than I do in terms of sharp, crisp edges and trees cut in cute shapes - and it's so not stressful when someone else does it. I'm thinking about letting them loose in the backyard, but am not sure how they will do with a cottage garden. It's a whole different world back there. They specialize in formal gardening which makes my front look good for the HOA; the cottage garden would probably make them loose their minds.

Ok, NOW when everyone else is getting up, it's time for me to sign back off to get a quick nap.

I don't know, Ruth. I need a program to keep track of these guys lately. OMG, what if more show up! Well, so far I have been keeping to the same amount of food and letting them duke it out. Time to go back to thinking in terms of feeding them "some" not "all" of their diet. While Heidi was pregnant and lactating I wanted to be sure she had good nutrition. Now it's time to think supplement.

HRH gets run off from his meal so often he takes it in stride very well. Heidi and Juliet aren't anywhere near so nice about it as Diva. They just spit and snarl and swat him. Diva was so cute the way she touched his shoulder and asked nicely...and he just said, "yes, mam" and walked away. He seems to think more in terms of enjoying any food he gets rather than worrying about what he doesn't get.

"He seems to think in terms of enjoying any food he gets instead of worrying about what he doesn't get...": the simple life of a male who has no extra mouths to feed. Must admit I truly enjoy the guys, be they dogs, cats, raccoons: they are so delightfully simple, probably because nature demands so much less of them.

As a fellow nocturnal, I'm also off to sleep now that the sun is up. And I wouldn't let the yard crew loose in your cottage garden if they're accustomed to working with formal: I can just envision neatly pruned native shrubs and wildflowers.... Great in front for the HOA, but the back sounds like a different story.

Yes, Ruth, I think that you are right about the yard work. The guys do a great job, but they get bent out of shape a bit even when the English roses on the side foundation spill over across The Line. It wouldn't do for them to see all of the salvia and gallardia and verbena and such spilling out all over the (intentionally) crooked paths in the cottage garden. LOL, when I 1st hired them I just wanted the trees shaped up and cut back away from the house, but the one guy was determined that 2 of the trees, one on either side of the drive, had to be retrained to be identical in size. I tried to tell him that wasn't necessary, but it was to him. Now I have matching lolipops and mushroom caps. It does look nice. I'm sure the HOA is happy. But, no, I can't let him into the backyard wilderness to start making formal shapes and knife edges!

boy -- did i miss a lot in the weee hours of the morning.

great photos Cheryl!!

that new Diva is adorable.... and HRH is such a good sport.

Thanks, Terese. Diva is a little devil-ess, and as for HRH, well, he really is quite a sweetie. Heidi and the others changed my beliefs about raccoons in general. HRH has changed my view of male raccoons. I had expected him to be - no, had been told he would be - mean, aggressive, combative. He is none of these. He's a kitten. Docile and very well mannered, he is never the instigator of nor involved in controversy.

I gave a lot of thought to and slaved over the perfect name for Diva. I wanted something indicative of both her fiestiness in dealing with the other ladies and her cunning in getting what she wants from the boys. I tried to find a woman, an actress, literary figure, or mythical goddess whose very name personified these traits. I considered Aphrodite - ledgedary beauty but no mention of fighting, Betty Davis, Joan Crawford, Gretta Garbo, Joan Collins - and her Dynasty character, Mildred Pierce, Elvira, Jezebel, Dehlila, Helen of Troy, and even Julia Sugarbaker (one of my favorite fictional, fiesty beauties). Heck, I even considered Paris and Martha Stewart.

In the end, I decided against each of these. Some typified beauty but showed no affinity for fighting to defend themselves; a few were plenty capable of taking care of themselves but showed no special moxy for manipulating the opposite sex. A few even met both criteria but had names that were only recognizable when used in full (Joan Collins, Julia Sugarbaker) and that seemed a bit much with which to tag the poor Diva.

So, alas, Diva seemed a decent substitute.

Ok, my bad, this has nothing to do with Heidi in particular or even raccoons in general, but that has never stopped me before...

Anyhow, I just came back from a quick run to pick up a truck load ($139 no less) of dog food, cat food, kitten food, cat treats, dog biscuits, and some bird seed. (See, I managed to get raccoons in there.) Anyhow, while there I picked up "Life, 100 Places To See In Your Lifetime". Much to my surprise, Charleston, SC was listed as one of those places! Ahhh. (Hey, look on the news I sometimes feel like we are only mentioned when we do something stupid; or maybe we only do...no that couldn't be it. Anyhow, it was nice to be on the list.)

Now, I only need to see 99 other places. If I start now and find time to see 1/yr, I'll barely have time to see them all in my lifetime. ;-)

If your're checking out the 100 places and need help getting around Charleston, give me a call. Ya'll come! We are very laid back and friendly here - well, mostly. (I just had to get that "ya'll" in there. I work for a company based in DC. When my collegues came to visit we taught them "Southern". Now they use "ya'll" when they email us - as a cute attempt to be inclusive.)

Oh, and BTW, CA, Utah, Alaska, and NY, Hello, you guys are monopolizing the list already! (Life's 100 Places mentioned in above post)

;-)

LOL -- Cheryl.. is it too hot to go outside today?? Is here [93°] .... just seems you are posting a lot more than usual and even during the day light hours. ROFL.

does Widget sleep more when it's hot? We will look at Buddy as he is snoozing mid-afternoon and just say "Dog Days" -- so rough to be a pooch on these hot days.

Well -- I got my nap in... how about you??

Upstate NY here is registering 91 right now....the dog is sitting in the pool and won't get out!

ROTFLMAO!!!

Terese, Yes, it's too hot to go outside here. It's JULY for heaven sake. It will be too hot to go outside here until at least October! LOL. I shouldn't admit this, but I am really starting to hate it here in summer. I start dreading it along about December, 'cause I know it's coming. Usually by mid to late July I have abandoned the backyard cottage garden entirely, seeing it only through the slats in my blinds, watching the weeds grow ever higher and thicker out there as they threaten to overtake the house entirely - at least, that is, I see it during those times when the water collecting on the frosted over windows grows heavy enough to run off clearing a line or 2 on the pane for a little while.

You probably have to experience this to believe it. It's not just hot, the humidity is so high sometimes that the air feels noticably thick and heavy. I walk through the house in the early AM to let the dog out and look up to see by moonlight that even at that hour (3AM maybe) the whole house is frosted over like a big, frosty beer mug. When I go out to take pictures I have to wait a few minutes for the camera lens to adjust to the temp difference and then wipe the water off the lens before I can take photos. Otherwise, I get an interesting fog effect in the photos.

Sometimes I think maybe it's just me. I mean, after all, it is true that lately I have become a little heat sensitive. But then yesterday morning at 11AM I ran out to pick up Widget's flea and tick meds. As I was sitting at an intersection I noticed the Panera Bread across the street and thought how odd that all of the outdoor tables were completely vacant and on such a lovely, sunny day. I wondered if they were closed since that place is usually packed and "jumping". Then I remembered, the diners can't sit out there now without being instantly vaporized.

Ok, enough of my complaining because I see on the news that the SW has some unbelievable temps and today even the NE (like NY, Debbie) has higher temps than we do. But, yesterday afternoon I ran the weed wacker and the hedge trimmer in the RAIN for about an hour because I decided the rain felt SO good and helped to keep the temp down, although I doubt it's all that good for appliances. Today I was wishing I could get another light shower for my yardwork.

Terese, LOL, I guess I just take things in spells. Sometimes I don't want to talk, and then sometimes I just can't shut up.;-)
Also, today I was supposed to do some housework, so I was procrastinating - a lot. Oh, and, yes, I did get a wonderful nap. Isn't it wonderful?

Widget is almost 2. He will usually sleep any time that I do; but the minute my feet hit the floor I feel a stuffed animal poking my ankle. It's Widget. He does that 24/7 any time my feet are on the floor. He wants me to play with him. He has a 40" storage bench full of stuffed animal dog toys of all types and sizes. I leave it open most of the time. He goes over there and "shops" for a toy that he thinks will surely entice me to play with him. Then he follows me step for step poking my ankles with it every single step. If that doesn't work, he goes back for another one. If I sit down - ANYWHERE - he brings the toy and puts it on my knee. If I throw it he'll go and get it, over and over and over and over until he drops. At 2 it's almost impossible to tire him out, and he never gets tired of that game, ever. Sometimes I find his OCD behavior hilarious. When I'm stepping over him and his toys while trying to do work, I get annoyed, but then I try to remember how I felt last year when he wouldn't play at all due to a neck injury and Dr's didn't know if he'd get completely well. I was afraid I'd never feel those little stuffed animals poking my ankles again. Then when his meds started making him feel better Dr's told me not to let him run and play even if it meant keeping him in his crate - because he might reinjure it before it was well. So now that he's well again, even when he drives me crazy I try to remember how lucky I am to have him up and running around playing again.

I've been thinking about that list of places to see. I think maybe they were hard pressed to find something in every state. I think maybe the only think to see here is the 19th century.

Debbie - LOL at your dog refusing to leave the pool! Today it's hotter there than here. Hope you have AC. I'm told that often folks in the northern climates don't have AC because it rarely gets that hot there, so that makes it especially bad for you guys when the temps do climb high.

Ok, time for me to go out and feed Ms Heidi and her "friends".

I know how you feel about Widget and his stuffed toys. Lucy our black lab goes through a LOT of stuffed toys. She will run and get one and keep dropping it on you until you play with her. If that fails she will bother one of the other dogs until they play with her or they snap at her. You should see the look on her face if no one wants to play! Such a pathetic little creature! I will usually play with her first thing in the morning and when I get home from work. Until she gets even the smallest hole and then she happily "unstuffs" the toy at which point it is declared dead and she gets to pick out another one from her toy box. I keep quite a supply of these on hand that I can usually pick up for about about twenty five cents or so from the garage sales during the summertime.

Cheryl,
No AC for us. We do have a window unit, that DH sometimes puts in in the summer. BUT the forecast has to show a long steady heat...not just a day or two! Now tomorrow and Tuesday are supposed to be in the 90's also....so that is steady enough for me!

Izzy got done playing in the pool and is now under the ceiling fan sleeping.

tetleytuna -- yep, sounds like the same sydrome, and I know what you mean about the "unstuffed" ones. We also have the armless, legless ones. Sometimes Widget will pull the leg off of a toy and then run around playing with the leg like he thinks that's a toy - until I take it from him. I hadn't thought of the garage sales for toys. That's a very good idea. A couple of Widget's favorite (that I have to through again and again and..) are pretty inexpensive, thankfully. If you have Publix there, they carry a litte beige stuffed dog or cat (about 6") that barks or meows when you shake it or toss it. Once activated it keeps barking for a few minutes. When you throw it, it starts barking when it lands so it's easy to track down. It's only $4 which is quite a bargain for such a toy. (We have one of each and are on our 2nd dog). WalMart has a stuffed dog hand puppet. It's stuffed so Widget will play with it and toss it around by himself - and it barks at him. I can put my hand in it and "fight" with him. When I work the mouth (and bite him), it barks at him in a variety of different voices - big dog, little dog, etc. He loves that thing and its only a few buck, 3, I think. They also have a ball - about 6"D for $3. Solid inside but stuffed outside with face and feet. When you drop it from even a few inches it starts vibrating, jumping up and down, running around all over the floor, barking and playing music - mine plays "Who let the dogs out". At 1st Widget (who is only 4.5lb) was terrified of it, but now he will chase it down and pick it up while it's still going crazy.

Ahhh, Debbie, what an adorable photo! That one's a keeper for sure. Speaks volumes!

Without AC, ouch, my heart goes out to you guys. I heard that the NE is expecting very high temps (higher than the south) for Mon and Tues of this week. Hope your DH puts that AC unit in - if not for you guys, then for Izzy.

I just came back from feeding the raccoons. At 8:30PM and dusk, the heat and humidity were insufferable! But I found a solution. Earlier I had put a can of Diet Coke in the freezer and forgotten it. Luckily, when it froze the end stretched out but did not burst. While carrying everything out to the feeding area I put the frozen metal can in my hip pocket hoping to help it thaw out; but I found that the cooling effect was worth more than the thirst quenching. While feeding the coons, I put the still frozen can of coke in my bra - can I say bra on DG? Hey, it was very, very HOT out there and sweat was raining off me. I was desperate for a personal AC unit! It worked! I stopped sweating, cooled down, and felt great for the rest of the time I was out there. You might think the frozen metal can would have been painful against my skin but I couldn't feel it at all. I guess since my skin was baking and the can was freezing the point of intersection was just right. LOL, hey, try it it worked. I think I might freeze a bottle of water and carry it out with me to work outside.

Oh, raccoons, almost forgot the TOPIC. Not a lot going on. Heidi, Juliet, Panda, Fraidy, Sugar, and HRH were there in that order. Fireworks were STILL going off in the distance. Heidi has been a little skittish lately. As usual, she ate and left.

Juliet appears to have a very bad case of PMS. Even though she had food, she spent the evening chasing others and fighting. (She's my Maggie) Every time Sugar's feet hit the ground this side of the fence, Juliet was on her and back up she went. Juliet tried to run Panda off, but Panda stood her ground. She's another scrappy little thing. Later Juliet got all huffy when she saw HRH eating on the other side of the area, so she went over, snarled at him, and smacked him up side the head for no reason at all. He slinked away with a sad puppy dog look, but he did find food elsewhere and apparently in a place that didn't offend Juliet so much.

Before the other arrived I gave peanuts to Heidi and Juliet. After Heidi left, which is when Juliet usually turns into a monster, Juliet ran out of peanuts and ran around trying to take them from everyone else. When Fraidy arrived, Juliet attacked her viciously, trying to force her back over the fence, but little Fraidy is learning to take care of herself in her own way. She knows she's safe if she makes it to my side, so when Juliet attacks her she just keeps running to me. When Fraidy arrived beside me like a baseball player sliding in to base, Juliet slinked away and returned to her dish. Later seeing that I'd given Fraidy some peanuts with her kitten food, Juliet returned and managed to scare Fraidy away into the veggie patch. As Juliet approached to take the peanuts I shook my finger at her and said, "NO!" She stopped and looked at me. I repeated it a few times, not wanting her to take Fraidy's spot. Juliet got the message. She turned and went back to her dish at which point I tossed her a few peanuts - since she had behaved. (It was nice to see that I could play the role of "leader" without scaring them away.) Fraidy returned to her spot and continued to eat for the remainder of the night.

There was a small amount of food left from Heidi's midnight feeding last night. Apparently no one else came by to find it. During the afternoon shower today it got soaked but since the dish has a crack in the bottom, ended up wet but drained - not swimming in water. After everyone else (this shift) left, HRH walked over to where the dish of wet food sat next to a dish of dry food. He chose the wet food. That was interesting to see because I'd always worried about trying to keep the food dry in a rain storm. Seems, as Karen pointed out, it's not essential. Some of the others showed a preference for dry, but judging from HRH's choice I think they will eat the wet food if necessary and some will even prefer it.

That's about it for tonight. Now where, oh, where are those little ones?

No, I don't think Charleston made the "top 100" only as sop to SC, Cheryl. It also made the book, "1,000 Places You Must See Before You Die in U.S. and Canada." Miserable title, fascinating book. Don't expect to get to see most of them, but all sound worthwhile. And yes, AK and CA especially seem to hog the listings.

I definitely remember that hideous heat and humidity from the many years of living around Washington, DC. Go outside and go blind because your glasses instantly fog over. Go outside in the middle of the night and still break an instant sweat. Now, after a few years of living in the mountains, we're spoiled: mid-80's with decent humidity seems really hot. Oh well, I'm visiting friends in VA later this month, so my memory of the misery will be vividly refreshed. And BTW, the frozen water bottle works great when you're gardening: thaws pretty darn fast, but if you keep several in the freezer you can stay cooler and well-hydrated as they thaw.

Be patient, everyone: those kids aren't yet two months old. It's still too soon, darn it. Remember that last year you didn't even know they existed at this age...

Ruth -- where do you put the frozen water bottle while you work? I didn't end up using the frozen can of soda as a drink; I used it as an ice pack to lower my temp. I was hard-pressed to find a place to put it such that it would be held securely against my body for maximum impact, hence the place I chose which I'm doubting is the normal place for such things. I'm going to try frozen water bottles as ice packs and am trying to figure out how best to keep them against skin somewhere while I work.

...desperation fuels creativity

Normal is irrelevant, you know; "normal" people probably think we're crazy to work outside in the heat. Well, your location works fine for soda cans, but water bottles are a bit large for that site, at least for me. I tuck the bottle under my shirt and under the waistband of my jeans; at your side is easiest to reach, but the middle of the back is least in your way and really good at cooling. Whatever works best for you: necessity is a mother.... of invention if nothing else

I have a suggestion for keeping cool that would be more comfortable for you. You know those gel ice packs used for keeping stuff in coolers? Keep several of those in the freezer and use as needed. To make it more comfortable to wear use one of those brown stretchy bands they use for sprains and such and wrap that around your waist or whereever you want your personal AC unit. :^)

>>You know those gel ice packs used for keeping stuff in coolers?

I just stocked up on those since both my kids just had wisdoms pulled.

I'd think "waist band" of shorts would be good... i'll have to think how i could get one to "stay" around my neck.

And as for humidity.... i dont do that well. once the dew pts hit 62, i'm miserable... and the A/C comes on... some nights even if it gets to the upper 60's, DH will say "It's cooler outside than it is inside, can we open the windows?" and i check the dew pts and humidity. NOPE, things staying closed up.

I recall my first time to Miami back in the late 80's, mid August mind you -- it was like a slap in the face. Now if i want to go "south" in the summer, I go see mom in Tucson.

and speaking of A/C -- this is the first house i have central air. our old house (where i lived from '73-85 and 89-'01) was an old home with baseboard heat [which i loved] but no air. when DH and I bought it form Mom in the late '80's we put in a "thru the wall" unit which cooled the front half of the house. [house was 22x65 with the master in the back half of the house] Some nights I slept in the living room....Sooooo - since i have it now... i'm using it.

Ok, I'm a couple of days behind, lol. But the ninja comment just tickled my warped funny bone, so.......


mg

And may I suggest my favorite Warrior Princess's Name?

XENA!



mg

Ugh I hate the way the thumbnails are being cropped now!



mg

oh yes -- xena would have been a good name too.

Lots of great ideas for my personal AC unit, folks. Thanks. I have some of those blue "ice" packs and (given my prior knee injury) plenty of the ACE bandages and such along with empty 16oz soda bottles and such. I'll try a variety of your suggestions. You guys are so creative! I also like the idea of putting it on your back: out of the way, better for posture and spine, and closer to the location used by medical personnel (back of neck due to presence of major blood vessels there and benefit in cooling blood to brain). After reading this I toyed with the idea of stiching a pocket to the back of a tank top to hold bottle (just for gardening) but then realized it would pull shirt backward and "choke" me. Oh, well, I'll keep working at it.

Loved the mutant ninja coon, mg! (where do you get these things?!)

Zena would have been a great choice! I started to ask you guys for input. Should have. I knew there had to be one or more excellent choices that illuded me. Well, given the rate at which new diners are accruing at Chez Raton Laveur Restaurant, I may yet get a chance to use that one.

As usual I fed the raccoons tonight. Heidi was waiting for me when I went out to take the garbage container around to the street, and was more than a little annoyed at being asked to wait patiently for my return. On the way to the street, I left the gate to the cottage garden open. On the way back, for one ludicrous moment I actually "freaked" at the "realization" that with the gate left open that way Heidi might get out and get in the street, maybe get hurt. (and then I heard the theme from twilight zone.LOL.) It's moments like that when you know it's time to take a break!

I didn't stay out very long tonight. It was swampy back there after 4hrs or so of thunder storms and torrential rain. Even when I was there it was sprinkling a bit. Heidi, Panda, Fraidy, and Sugar were there. Heidi was especially cranky with the others, apparently having had her fill of "youngsters" already for the day.

No special news or events today, just a woman sitting in the backyard surrounded by wild raccoons...oh, wait, maybe that IS special!

Yep, an ordinary day in the yard with the crew IS pretty darn special, with or without special events.

The blue ice packs do work really well also; I just like the water bottles because they also give you a cold drink.

I think Diva fits your new visitor quite well. Of course, remembering the old song, "Bette Davis Eyes," I thought for a moment of suggesting Bette Davis Tail..... but no.

I HAVE GREAT NEWS. First the bad, I spent last night in the hospital for "extra ectopic heart beats." Today they did all the tests, pronounced my heart muscle OK, started me on an anti-arrhythmia drug and sent me home. I am very tired. BUT--SATURDAY MAGGIE BROUGHT BABIES OUT--3 OF THEM. The cutest little things you ever saw. And they have her personality, too. When I was feeding them peanuts, they would snarl at each other to get to the nut first. Then they look at at me with those sweet little faces and I just have to give them more nuts, until I ran out. Then they frantically searched all the empty shells along with the bowl of bird seed. A couple almost came up to my shoe, but were afraid. It was 2am, so I told them goodnight. The way I found them was by watching the coon cam in the house. There was a mother and four babies out--I am "assuming" it is Sadie since I know she lives around here. All of a sudden there were SEVEN BABIES all around. I got peanuts, put on my shoes, grabbed a flashlight and headed out. As I got closer, the mother and 4 left (they had been there awhile), but Maggie and the the 3 stayed. Of course they were not sure of me, until the pnuts started flowing. They surely learn that sound of shell pnuts hitting the ground--and have great little noses to be able to find them. I don't know how long I was there, but I enjoyed every minute. Maggie would stand back by the tree and just watch me, I guess to make sure I wasn't going to hurt anyone. But she would occasionally come out to get a pnut for herself. I didn't feel any animosity, but I do think IF I had tried to hurt one, she would have done something. The pics didn't turn out too well for the middle of the night, but I'll ty to post some. So Maggie beat Heidi, who would have thought?? Well, then I missed last night, being in the hospital, so tonight I was out about 8:30 filling the coon bowls with dog food when out walks Maggie from the woods followed by two little faces. As soon as the little ones saw me, they took back off into the forest and climbed a tree. I never did get them back out--just too tired to stay out much longer. Maggie just kept coming, unaware that the kids left her alone. But she didn't care--just wanted out to get those animal crackers. I stayed out a little while talking to Maggie and fed her a little extra crackers, which she ate right up. Then I had to come inside and get ready for bed. Maybe tomorrow I can stay awake. That's all the pretty good news from here tonight. Karen