Heidi Chronicles: A New Year Begins!

Thank you, Susan!

Oh, no, we may have to 'show' reruns for a few days!

But, don't worry, for now I'm managing to at least put the food out for the raccoons. Oh, man, I was just thinking. I can't afford to get too sick. It would really be difficult to hire someone to come and feed the wildlife for me - not to mention the difficulty of finding someone to sit with them and play with Dennis. I have to take good care of myself. Some tasks are difficult to hire out. ;-)

Scutler, you are such a mess! LOL Hope you feel better soon. My new meds are kicking in and I'm feeling more human. Btw, gang, Dave has gone to 6 articles a day, so I'm gonna be a busy girlie! LOL I am have way too much fun with this!

Hi Ruth,

So good to have you back! You know, before they 'patched me up' recently I was beginning to think they couldn't fix me. Then once they figured it out they had me feeling fabulous in no time, so I'm going to try to keep believing that they will figure this one out, too. I've got way too much work to do to stop now.

I'm like 99.995 percent sure that Heidi is carrying the new kits. Before it dawned on me, I kept looking at her newly acquired girth and thinking how she looked just like she did last spring when she was pregnant. But I 'knew' that couldn't be it, right? So I kept trying to figure it out - big fur coat making her look fat, extra weight put on for winter, etc. I think she probably mated BEFORE that night when I saw her chasing Cissy away. Once she mated she knew (or her hormones told her) that the 07 kits had to go. I don't see her much. Only saw her one other time after I noticed she was pregnant. From the way she acts I think she needs to stay away from the kids. When she is here they try to come around her. She growls at them but they ignore her. I don't think she wants to hurt them by fighting with them so she stays away when they are here. The last time she was here Dennis walked right up and started eating beside her even while she was growling and snarling like a mad raccoon - but she didn't do anything when he walked up and ate with her. She just left a few minutes later. Oh, and BTW, now that she's pregnant she's huffing, puffing, grumbling, and coughing again. The other day I was looking at some of the 1st year pics and noticing how much Heidi has aged since then.

I think Blondie is in season now. The last time I saw her the females were treating her like a goddess and 'someone' in the forest was calling to her with that familiar clicking/chirping flirting sound. That's when it occurred to me. I wonder if the presence of so much readily available food may be prompting them to mate earlier.

Wow, doccat, seems like the articles must be a very popular feature. I know i read them frequently and have learned a lot already. enjoyed the potato article, BTW! Glad to hear that you are feeling better!

Cheryl,I am sorry to hear you are in so much pain. Guess we have to trust those doctors......what other choice do we have? Do get well ! I am sure Widget understands you are in pain and probably that is one reason he wants to be so close to you. He just doesn't understand where you are in pain and that his closeness isn't helping.
Yes it is good our beloved pets are forgiving. I love the new pictures and the stories that go with them. The "dark" one sure is expressive isn't he? Which one gave way to the other in that exchange?

Judy

Hi Scutler hope you are feeling better, where is the site for the squirrel pic's? thanks for the info. marie

Thanks, Judy,

Actually, I'm feeling a bit better for the moment. Today the Dr decided I should resume a very low dose of the Aleve - trying to balance the need to keep the inflammation down in my back and knees with the need to avoid further aggravation of my stomach. In addition, to deal with the acute pain I had last night, she added prescription pain pills. Much earlier today I took 1 of the pain pills and a single Aleve. So far tonight I'm doing fine. The pain in my back seems to get much worse when I sleep, however, so we'll so how it goes tonight.

I'm assuming your question refers to the photo of the standoff between the dark opossum and Cissy. The raccoons don't seem at all concerned about or afraid of the opossums. Despite that threatening display of barred teeth, Cissy just walked right on up to the dish as thought the opossum weren't even there. Cissy made no attempt to fight back. She didn't snarl or growl or otherwise acknowledge the threat. She just ignored the opossum, and the opossum grudgingly backed away as the raccoon approached the dish. The opossum still got plenty of food though. The raccoons like to sample everything just to make sure they aren't missing anything. After a few bites, Cissy wandered off leaving the opossum to reclaim his/her dish later.

Later while wandering about sampling food, Blondie actually walked right up and stuck her nose into the dish that Snowball was eating from. That really surprised me, but like I said the raccoons aren't really afraid of the opossums. Snowball is pretty feisty though. He snapped at Blondie's nose/muzzle. Blondie backed away shaking her head momentarily which seemed to indicate the bite had hurt; however, there was no sign of blood so she wasn't seriously injured. Blondie left Snowball alone and came over to see if I had anything for her. Still, in my opinion the mere fact that she stuck her face in Snowball's dish to start with showed a lack of concern and even respect.

BTW, I got quite a few pics of the possums that night. I hope to post them on Snowball's thread along with some other pics I've been saving.

Hi makj,

Thanks. So far so good.

Here is the link: http://duncraft.atom5.com/fun-with-squirrels-p-1227.html?
If you decide to enter, good luck with it. You have some very cute pics and with your little squirrel friend you have lots of great great photo ops, so you should have a good chance at it. You could win some 'toys', treats, and feeders for your squirrel. (Does she have a name?)

Scutler, loved the link! What a hoot, I had no idea. I read your last line and thought, 'toys" for squirrels, would that be a easy to open filled bird feeder? Thought most of those were that way anyway........grin

I have a suggestion for you back pain, since you said it's bothering you at rest. Try taking a large bath towel, double it over lengthwise and flatten it. Put that under the side that is bothering you the most. It should change the muscle dynamics and give your system a chance to calm down. Also, when the last time you changed your mattress? If it's an old one that could be aggravating the problem.

I wish someone would've gotten a picture of the squirrel I was attempting to rescue, hanging off my finger by her teeth...actually, no, I wouldn't wanna be reminded. LOL

I sure the squirrel was just trying to survive and unsure of what was going on. I am sure if I made a grab at mine, she would kick my butt, she lets out a squeal now and then if she thinks you are too close:) or you might try to grab her

Yep, she was frightened, and unfortunately, she died the next morning. I took her to be tested to see if I may have been exposed to any diseases, and luckily the tests turned out negative. I think she was a very young nursing mother, and was severely dehydrated. She had been lying still, not moving for a very long time on our deck.

that is too bad, some people think they are a real problem, I am sure they can be, but I sure enjoy the little creatures, they bring a smile to my face, the way they go about their business and happy go lucky in the big game of life:)

Cheryl,

I know you haven't been feeling well & hope that things haven't become worse for you... Drop us a quick line, please, to let us know you're okay! Thanks.

Liz

Yes just a line or two to let everyone know you are OK?
Rain here today very heavy, I checked the squirrel nest, I don't see how she could still be dry. yesterday, she came out on the limb for a few minutes, it was lightly raining then. Watching her go back and forth, stuffing pillow stuffing into that nest, what a job. she is one little hard worker. well hope all are dry and healthly.

a few days ago i saw her in the Computer forum... so she very well could still be "wrestling" with her computer.
and i do recall it's "crunch time" at work again.

hopefully soon she will have a report.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for your concern. I've just not been feeling well enough either to want to write or even to spend time with the raccoons. I feed them daily - well, I miss the occasional day here and there - and sometimes I miss them; if I happened to see them I might stay a bit, but don't feel well enough to just hang around waiting for them. I have been back at work most of this week, and as Terese pointed out am pretty busy at work since we are still in full crunch mode.

Don't know why this GI thing just seems to be lingering so long. I don't think it's anything super serious, just a major annoyance. It really saps my energy. Even now, for the most part I can only eat from the white food group. Not sure how long one can live on rice, potatoes, toast, and crackers but whenever I start thinking I'm doing well enough to eat anything more complex, I usually get ill fast. Yesterday afternoon at work I got the wise idea to eat some popcorn. Not the greasy stuff, just plain. After eating a modest amount I suddenly felt so nauseous that even the sight of the bag containing the uneaten portion made me feel ill. My 1st thought had been to bring the left overs home for the birds/raccoons, but I quickly changed my mind and tossed the bag to avoid the rising queasiness I felt just looking it.

Tonight I came home to find the house filled with the intermittent whistling sound of an upstairs smoke detector signalling its low battery status. The shrill calls were annoying, especially in the open architecture of my house. Still, I had to lie down for a while, whistle or no, to let the nausea pass before I could manage to drag a ladder up there to (1) figure out which one it was and (2) yank the battery to shut it up. On my way back down the stairs I found that my legs were noticeably weak and wobbly. More even than the illness, I hate the feeling of not being able to do things for myself. I am fiercely independent and hate any sign of limitation to my ability to continue to be so.

I apologize if it appears as though I've deserted you. I'll be back. I promise - and soon. Between illness and the job crunch I've just not felt like writing. I figure it's probably better to take a brief break while I'm not feeling well than to try to force myself to write. I doubt such forced writing would be my best, and sometimes a little down time can help to refresh the spirit and improve the overall results.

I really do appreciate that you are all still here, that you are thinking of me and of the raccoons, and that you are awaiting the continuation of the story.

Liz, thanks very much for asking!

doscan, thanks for the tips. The Dr decided I should go back on a very low dose of the naproxen sodium (aleve); that has probably made my GI issues worse but for now has mostly kept the back problem under control. If I do have another of those awful, sleepless nights with back pain, I will try your idea. My mattress is only about 4yrs old and is a very good, hi end type (sleep is one of the things I really value a lot). The type where no matter how much I toss and flop around, my 4.5lb dog doesn't jiggle at all when lying maybe a foot away. The mattress is firm and provides very good support (and 0 bounce) but has an ample pillow top for comfort - on top of which I added a 6" layer of memory foam to eliminate pressure points. The back pain is left over from a car accident some years back. I had days, weeks, months of the same pain only more severe in the period immediately after the accident - I know this particular pain oh so well. There is some resultant degeneration of the discs in the effected area (as seen on MRI), so the pain isn't just due to pulled or strained muscles. Inflammation of the tissues surround the discs results in pressure on the nerves and pain in my back and down my leg. By controlling the inflammation, the NSAID pretty much eliminates the pain. When the Dr took me off the NSAID (due to my stomach pain), the inflammation started up again big time...

Ok, enough of my whining.

Terese, thanks for essentially 'bouncing' my computer forum thread. Almost immediately after you posted someone came along with the answer I needed.

Bottom line. While I'm still not feeling so great, I don't think it's anything too serious, and I expect to be back very soon. Thanks for thinking of me.

Don't worry about posting when you're under the weather, Cheryl; just take good care of yourself and get better soon!

Hope you get on top of this"annoyance"(sounds more like pain to me)soon and you get to feeling better. I agree with Spartacusaby......don't worry about the posting til you feel better! It is aggravating I know to find yourself restricted in the things you are able to do for the moment. Hang in there! We will be here waiting and sending out prayers for your your speedy recovery.

Cheryl,

As spartacusaby said "don't worry about posting"....

I do sympathize with GI issues, having had my share, over the years, and I understand how you need all your energy to do the necessities, like work. It does take a lot of energy to post here, especially the creative posts that you write - that's why I don't post much - lack of energy... next thing you know I'll retire to my rocker (just kidding - I'm only 55)!

Do take good care of yourself & don't hesitate to rattle the doc's cage, if you don't show signs of improvement.

Best wishes & healing thoughts!

Liz

Take care of yourself. We will be waiting for you. Sending healing thoughts your way.

Same as above, get well and sending prayers and good thoughts:)

thinking about you. Hope you get better real soon.

Miss you lots!!

Susan
=^..^=

I want to thank each and every one of you for your wonderful words of encouragement and support. It means a lot to me. I smiled as I read your words. I'm not going to address each one individually at this time, only because I have a few things to tell you and have limited time - must lie back down. Again, thank you!

It's been a few weeks I guess since I last saw any of the raccoons. I had begun to fear that by the time I saw them again they would have forgot me as an individual, would have lumped me back into the category of 'human', would have become afraid of me. Last night I skipped feeding. The pain (and barfing) was just too much. I needed to go out to the car and bring in a new bag of feed, and I just couldn't summon the energy to do so. Tonight as I was on my way out, I called out "Heidi". Almost immediately I heard the familiar sound of claws scraping on the fence as Heidi bounded over the obstacle and loped toward me - grumbling, mind you, but that's my Heidi. She came right up to me. She hadn't forgotten me at all. I only stayed out a short while. Only she and HRH were there.

As to my current illness, the good news is that I've learned what things bring on the pain and what to avoid. The bad news is that the 2 things which cause me pain are eating and walking. I've learned that the slightest morsel (or sip) of nourishment will within minutes send my system into painful spasms which continue until that food is gone. This is true of such seemingly innocuous things as a few sips of broth, a soda cracker, a bit of jello, an ounce or two of cola, or heaven forbid plain potato, rice, or banana. On the flip side, this means that if I manage to go long enough without eating anything at all, I can enjoy some relatively pain free time - and then eventually the complete lack of food leads to nausea, but you can't win them all. As an added benefit, today I learned that I've lost 16lbs in the last 3 weeks or so. Well, it does seem to be an efficient diet - although I really don't recommend it. As for the contribution of walking, I've found that lying down helps to minimize the pain while moving about seems to activate it. So if I can just lie down and eschew all food, things are pretty good.

Cujo, eh, I mean Widget, had his annual checkup today. No, I didn't feel like going but he was already a month overdue and who knows when I'll be well or even if things will get worse before they get better, so I dragged myself out...In the waiting room, Widget was a holy terror. He SO embarrassed us! Barking, snarling, growling, threatening any dog that came near him or even looked at him. And as I've mentioned before, Widget has a most uncharacteristic BIG dog bark. He sounds like a hound dog. He's like the Bose Wave Guide of barking. It's just so hard to believe all that big, deep sound is coming out of that tiny little mouth. You may see us on an upcoming episode of the Dog Whisperer. LOL.

You might recall that when Widget was about 6mo old he was attacked by the neighbor's pit bull. I could hear him screaming for his life, and even knowing that I shouldn't (since the pit bull might have eaten me), I went into the back yard to help him. The pit bull had just gotten him down on the ground when I came up behind them and yelled at the dog in the fiercest and most commanding voice I could muster. As the pit bull turned to look at me, Widget seized the opportunity to flee. Anyhow, now that Widget is grown it seems as though he's determined to let the big dogs know to stay away from him. Poor little fella.

So I brought up Widget's checkup to mention that maybe our raccoons are pretty healthy, after all. Despite the fact that they share the same backyard and Widget insists on sampling their food and drinking their water, Widget aced all of his exams. No parasites, no antibodies to such tick born diseases as Lyme, Rocky Mt Spotted Fever, and one more I can't recall - even though I've found a few ticks on him in summer and the occasional flea (even with Sentinel and Advantix combined). I was thinking that given the frequency of their contact, Widget's exam results seem to speak volumes for the health of the raccoons as well.

Oh, and, Ruth, BTW, both the vet and the assistant went on and on and on about how healthy Widget is in every way, how he's just the poster dog for supreme health, about his healthy skin, healthy teeth and his fabulous coat. I could see that they were both sincere and impressed. The vet even said that it had been a rough day in which they had seen some disturbing things and it was good to end the day on such a good note seeing such perfect health as they saw in Widget. And they went on and on about the coat, how healthy it was, how they never see such a wonderfully healthy coat on a long haired dog. They asked how I keep it in such good condition. I didn't know what to say. I don't do anything. He's way overdue for grooming. They said, "well, you must brush it a lot. Do you?" I tried to confess that I don't, but they wouldn't hear it, citing the absense of matting or breakage as evidence that surely I must brush him daily - when in fact I'm lucky if I brush him weekly. He does have very good bloodlines, and I think that gives him a good foundation for health. It was only on the way home that I recalled your words that the better quality food would give him a wonderful coat, etc. He had the same bloodlines when they saw him a year ago, and then no one mentioned anything about his wonderful coat, skin, teeth. Hmm.

Oh do take care, and hope you get to feeling better soon. This sounds rather serious, whatever it is.

Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better, Scutler, but that still doesn't sound like you are yet on the mend. I agree the diet option holds no appeal.......;) Glad to hear Widget is all right and tight. I know what you mean about the vet raving. We get that regularly when we take the Boston's in. And God help me when we have puppies. We hit the door with the carrier and that's the last we see of the puppies for awhile. The ladies that work in the office have to do the "hold the puppy" thing. And my Bitty has her own fan club as well. LOL I think the quality of their food does make a big difference. We switched to Iam's rice and lamb a long time ago. A couple of my guys don't tolerate corn well, and need the balance in the rice and lamb. It's a little more expensive, but it pays for itself in fewer vet bills down the line, at least I think so. :)

Glad you felt like giving us a holler! That is a terrible way to lose weight. I hope your doctor can help you more than he/she is now. Bless Heidi's little heart,she knew you needed to see her. Hang in there and post when you can. Sounds like Widget is in A-1 condition.....one less thing for you to fret over. I hadn't heard about Widgets encounter before,that must have been very scary for you both.

Glad to hear from you,scutler, don't rush things, for what it is worth, i was really ill last x-mas when I started to feel like I was among the living again, I would go right back into it, sick to my stomach all the time, and believe me there was nothing left to throw up, I finally went to the dr and he put me on some heavy duty antibiotic;s that seemed to really help, I don't know if it will, but it can't hurt to ask. don't want to keep you, take care and don't push it, sending good thoughts, feel better Marie

Glad to hear from you, Cheryl, but sorry you hear about your ongoing troubles. Not eating or walking is a rough way to lose weight and avoid pain: hope the experts can soon come up with a more realistic (and effective) solution!

Also glad to hear you got to see Heidi and HRH; and I have no doubt that Heidi grumbled about your absence. Good help is really hard to find...

Congrats on Widget's vet exam! Good diet really does make a big difference in their coat and condition. It's hard to notice when we see them every day, but I'm not surprised that the vet would notice after not seeing your guy for a year. Pet food truly is one area where you get what you pay for and, as doccat said, it pays for itself in lower vet bills.

Cheryl, was nice to hear from you but I'm so sorry to hear about how miserable you feel. Will keep you in my prayers.

How sweet that Heidi came to see you right away when you called. I'm sure they miss you!

Congrats on Widget's exam too. I'm sure that vets do see some awful things and appreciate it when people take such good care of their pets. I can relate to helping Widget when the pitbull attacked. Our boxer got attacked by a German Shepard once. The GS was on a leash being walked and my dog was quite friendly and just walked up to it to say hi (on our property). The GS just tore into her. The lady that was walking it could not control it at all. I couldn't stand to see my dog get hurt and I jumped right in the middle of the fight, grabbed hold of the leash and pulled the GS off my dog. I know, really dumb thing to do, but I couldn't help it - my dog was my baby. She did get bit pretty bad but ended up being OK.

Yes great on Widget, since I am a veterinary tech, yes we see some really ugly stuff and when it affects you personally, it can be really hard, so it is always a treat to see some happy, healthy animals:)

Cheryl,

Even in your weakened state, you treat us to lovely stories! Glad to hear that Widget is healthy & that the raccoons haven't forgotten you, not that I had any doubts! My raccoons have definitely become accustomed to my feedings, as the food disappears earlier & earlier. I was glad to know that your's often dunk their food, because I might not have put food out in rain, otherwise - our downpours haven't deterred them at all - and it makes me feel good that they know where to find a ready source of food in this wet & cold weather.... though I'm still only feeding them every other day (except an occasional snack).

If you allow me to play Mom for a moment & relate an experience I had. About 5 years ago, I became increasingly ill over the course of 18 months with GI issues.... when they became bad enough to put me in bed & cause fainting spells, the doc did tests - turns out I had an ulcer, as well as GERD & other new problems, to me. The moral of the story is: it's easy for the doc to look at a history of symptoms, sugeries, etc. & assume the current problems are the same as the ongoing/historical ones. That's why I said earlier, don't hesitate to rattle cages!

Hugs!

Hi everyone,

I just had to share my close encounter (well, through glass) with all of you...

Since I've started putting food out on a regular basis, (every other day I fill the cat bowl at night & put out kitchen scraps), I've opened the door to encounter a small raccoon eating, several times - he takes off before I can get a good look at him. He eats at the cat bowl, which is on our kitchen steps, so the bowl is literally 3 feet from the door & the door opens into that eating area. I've been trying to catch a better look at him & tonight I did! I walked into the kitchen & noticed the automatic porch light on, so I snuck up to the window (in the door) & my buddy was there! I was able to watch him eat the whole bowl of food, I'd put out for him... the noisy old dishwasher was churning, so he didn't hear me. He's so cute! He (or she???) is hardly bigger than a big cat - nothing like the big monster coons I've seen a few times... He was definitely wary - kept looking around as he ate & even went down the steps a couple of times, then came back to the food bowl. Toward the end, I could clearly see him picking up individual pieces of food, with great dexterity. Then, he drank some water & moseyed away, only to return 30 seconds later to make sure he hadn't missed any food.

I also leave kitchen scraps on a little bridge that's about 15 feet away - it's over a drainage gully, that the coons seem to use as one of the entrances to our property - but he never seems to eat that food. In fact, I just went out to check & he didn't touch that plate, which has the remnants of a chicken I roasted earlier in the week & broiled eggplant with cheese. But that plate is always gone by morning, so I think someone else is eating it. In fact, I often put bread out, which my critters seem to love & I've found scraps near a fence, (with a hole dug underneath leading under the hot tub deck,) which my cats & 'coons use as another traffic route.

Just had to share my excitement!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend...

Liz

Liz,

that is fabulous!! what a treat that must have been.

Liz that is wonderful.........I have yet to see my critters(except for the young one Angel ran up a tree one morning) But almost every night I put dog or cat food out beyond the fence at the edge of the woods. I don't think the raccons like the food scraps too much but eventually it gets eaten,usually by the second night. Possums I reckon! Last night I put out 4 eggs and like Cheryl noticed,they seem to enjoy them very much. I hope in the summer I get some sightings of them. Lucky you! Hope you are able to get some pictures of them.
Judy

Liz, congratulations! It's awesome to watch the creatures up close, isn't it? The bridge must be in someone else's territory. Thanks for helping the guys through the winter.

Not that it is as exciting to some like the raccons, but my little grey squirrel, whom we have not seen much of since the storm last weekend and the rain since, but yesterday I saw her and was very happy to see her, she could have cared less about seeing me and what I might have for her, she is in full nesting mode, we watched her strip a bush and carefully pack the stuff in her mouth and when she had enough she went to her nest high in the tree and stuffed it away. I was joking before that this storm must have really done some damage, her house repairs must have been huge. I would also say she does look a little fatter as well, maybe she is really "with squirrel" :)

Makj, I'll bet you were worried about her because of that storm--glad to hear she's ok, even though she has to make rennovations. I hope her home stays intact long enough to raise her family!
Liz, glad to hear you got to see your little visitor up close--they are fun to watch.
I haven't seen our possum in a while--it was really fat or pregnant, so perhaps "she" was "with possum" and is now busy keeping the babies warm and nurtured. LOL, I like that, "with squirrel", Makj.

thanks for the note Ky, watching that squirrel, man she is one hard worker, if she isn't hiding nuts,she is repairing her home, between the stripes of bark and the pillow filing, twigs and leaves., I think she is one smart squirrel, she must sleep like a log at night, she works like a dog all day:)

Makj I am so glad your little one was alright after the storm! I think it is just as exciting for you to be able to watch and keep track of your squirrel as it is for us to feed and watch the raccoons. I love watching the ones here but there are so many that I can't really focus in and watch the antics of any particular one. There is one that has only a stub of a tail......probably a close call with a hawk....and I do watch him more when he is around. It will be fun when you are able to see the babies running around in your yard! Right now the squirrels are making alot of noise and today one came down the tree to a foot above my cat to fuss at her for being at the base of her "home"tree.