I do recall a "Deputy Dog" -- at least i can still "see" it with his hat on... and yeah, they probably were reruns. That was probably more Dh's era than mine.
anyhooo -- another gorgeous day upon us here in the midwest... gonna work out side today.
OH and yes, i finally got my wallet back. Got back home on Fri - afternoon.
but honestly -- when then weather is like this... I'd much rather be in Wisc than here.... but 6 more weeks and my youngest graduates HS, so then i'll be more free to take off for longer periods of time.
Heidi Chronicles: Can't Be Long Now, Can It?
Boy, can I identify with the 'doing something stupid, can't believe I did that' statement thing this week. I had taken the camera with me when I ran to the store, 'just in case' ya know? Well I put it in the storage compartment in the middle of the front seat while I went inside. Came out, forgot about it, and in getting in the and putting the bag in the other front seat, I leaned on top of the storage compartment with my elbow. Heard a snap... the lightbulb went off in my head... and then thought, oh **** what did I just do? Opened it up and I broke the little dial that changes the settings completely off. I am so not happy with my self. :(
Sounds like you had a very busy weekend keeping track of everyone!
Enjoy the gorgeous day, Terese! It's very nice here, too - but a tad warmish
nanny - so sorry to hear about your camera. I was heart-broken when I dropped my Nikon, which is how it got in its current funky state which requires reboot between every pic. Ugh. With all of the lovely flowers blooming this is a bad time to break the camera. Does it still work at all? Will you have to send it away for repair? After hearing your story, that raw egg running down my pants doesn't sound like such an awful experience after all.
A while back when we were talking about porches (or not), I said I would take a pic of the front of the house to show you the porch-like thing (if anybody knows the correct name for this architectural 'feature', please let me know), so here it is. (Hopefully I have sanitized it of any address stuff, but it would be just my luck...)
Yes, I know I need to do some work in the beds but have been busy cleaning up back yard.
Edited to add: not only do I not have a real porch but i think it would take a major overhaul to add one.
This message was edited Apr 20, 2008 3:16 PM
Close up of porch thing. view of left side. this is where they leave my packages. Kinda scrunchy in there, huh?
Oh, what a beautiful house! I love those windows!
Thank you, KyWoods!
The windows and all of the natural light were part of what sold me on this house - that and the fact that it came with its own menagerie
'porch' view on right side. this may be difficult to interpret. it is exactly like the left side in size and shape except the end is open so that what you are viewing through the opening is part of the house - if that makes any sense. As you can see, this side is virtually useless. Being open to the rain it's not a great spot for packages (or people)
I was out taking flower pics in front yard today and just happened to remember that I had said I would post pic of porch.
LOL... Poor you, that takes the saying about egg on yoru face to a new level. ( giggling away) Do I stay or do I go, do I just let it drip my leg or hope the coons come lick it all off for me, or do I try and muster my dignity and walk back into the house, leavign a trail of egg with every step.
Looks like it was you getting the bubble bath this time instead of widget. (chuckle...chuckle)
Can imagine ya wasn't to happy at the time, but sure does make for a good story and pictures runnign through my head. I'll be laughing and smirking all night now.
beautiful pourch and beautiful looking house. : )
Now can't you just see Dennis smelling the egg on her leg, and coming over to help her clean up? Yeppers, climbin right up that pant leg to where that yummy egg smell is coming from.
Normally I get kleenex in the laundry...but egg shells? ROFL
Sorry, but there is never a dull moment with furbabies of any kind is there?
Debbie
Don't wash those pants in HOT water, or you'll get scrambled eggs, LOL.
Beautiful house! I think that would would be considered more of an entry or entry way versus a porch. But don't if that is really correct!
My camera still works and I can sit the dial on there and push it down to change my setting ( you know to sports mode or night shots etc.) But I was and still am sick about it. I am checking in to it to see if I can get it repaired or if I just have to live with it for now.
I would be lost without it! I use evryday for bird and other critter photos. Our little band of deer have just come back for the summer and I don't want to miss pics of the new fawns that will be about soon!
Can't decide which is funnier: the story of Widget trying to find a raccoon who is right behind him, or the tale of the egg. What a sticky mess, but a perfect episode in the days I describe as those where you can't get out of your own way. With me, they go on and on from one dumb move to another; gets pretty annoying, or pretty funny, depending on your tolerance at the time.
BTW, baby raccoons don't know enough to keep quiet (lol). Mom keeps them pretty quiet while she's with them, but they vocalize pretty constantly in her absence. It's a hard sound to describe, somewhere between chattering and chittering. The vocalizations are what usually alert folks to the fact that a raccoon has nested in the chimney; I always loved the sound, but guess it could get annoying round the clock. A lot of spring complaint calls to Animal Control centered around the noise from nesting raccoons or chimney swifts (their sound is really eerie). At least the swifts are protected by federal law; homeowners can evict raccoons freely, even when nesting.
Hi Ruth,
Yep, I'm wide awake in the early AM. Too much intense weekend yard work - think it's called weekend warrior - leading to early AM attack of sciatica from old auto accident injury. Probably had something to do with my insistence on lifting the small potted tree from its massive pot in order to add soil and amendments. I persist in thinking I am indestructible and can do anything - until the pain strikes later. So in my search for early AM entertainment to keep my mind off the pain, I came to DG hoping to hear from you.
Poor Widget is just no match for those wiley raccoons. Dennis is amazingly good natured and despite Widget's constant attempts to bite at him and drive him from the yard, I'm beginning to think that Terese is right. I think Dennis finds Widget amusing. Otherwise, you would think Dennis probably would not react to Widget's inability to find him by walking up to the silly dog's backside to sniff the dog and basically say, "Here I am!" Likewise, when Widget got stuck in the thorns, I thought it odd that Dennis came back (he had been faux running from Widget previously). It kind of makes sense though given the infinitely curious and playful nature of raccoons and the fact that Dennis has figured out that Widget is basically harmless.
As for that egg, I still can't believe I leaned against the side of the bench and smashed it. I am usually able to step back and see the humor in the stupid things I do. It's a wonderful ability I acquired long ago from an old friend who worked with - and I think learned from - children with severe disabilities. That ability came in very handy as the raw egg was dripping down my leg. I just tried to remember all of those old recipes for face masks and hair treatments made from various parts of raw egg, figured that leg would be all smooth and well moisturized. lol
Although Heidi did not eat the 1st egg (the whole one), she made an attempt to appease me by lapping up some of the liquid from the smashed bunch of egg and shell I flung near her when attempting to get the thing out of my pocket and hopefully salvage some part of it. It almost seemed as though she understood my plight and tried to make me feel better by eating a little bit of it before she left. Incidentally, lately she doesn't eat her eggs. I'm sure it's just that she isn't in the mood for them, but can't help but notice that since I switched her from Eggland's Best to generic, she walks over, picks up her egg, rolls it over, sees that the 'EB' stamp is missing from the end, and says, "no thanks".
'baby raccoons don't know to keep quiet'. ROFLOL! That's too funny. I guess all babies are the same. I think I know the sound you are talking about. I know the sound the babies make when calling to or answering mom when they come to the buffet. It has a characteristic similar to [but distinctly different from] a loud purring. Very difficult to describe. To me, it seems like a purring type sound that, if spelled out, would begin with a hard 'C'. At least, that's my attempt at explaining the sound the babies make when responding to their mom's calls to them.
Yes, it is odd how so many birds and animals are protected but raccoons enjoy no protection at all.
Your description of how raccoon hair grows back explained what I saw. For a while the area on the back of Trouble's neck looked almost black (in the dark). I could see that the hair was not as long as the rest of his hair. I figured it just needed to grow more. Now I see that it was the undercoat. Now the area is completely covered over and looks just like the rest of his coat. HRH, I'm afraid, will, however, wear his facial scars forever. I can tell them apart if I see their faces, even without the seeing HRH's scar though - at least for now.
Well, I'm off to try again to get those last few zzz's. Lot's to do tomorrow. A very difficult problem to solve. Can't afford to be 1/2 there.
Thanks for entertaining me little while.
LOL, so Heidi only eats Eggland's Best? Spoiled rotten for sure!
KyWoods - Yep, I think they all are!
Of course, I meant that somewhat tongue in cheek, but it is such a coincidence that wheres she used to eat 2 eggs a day if she could get them, now she won't even eat one. She goes over to them, rolls them over, looks at them, and walks away. The only thing I can figure is she's looking for that 'EB' mark. ;-)
On a more serious note, I wonder if the EB's might be fresher than the generic eggs. Maybe the cheaper eggs don't smell fresh enough for her. Of course, that too seems a bit spoiled coming from an animal known for foraging in dumpsters. lol
When buying eggs.... i look for Free Range and no hormones ... so the ones i usually end up getting are from Amish Farmers in Indiana, and they are brown, but they dont have to be ... i just like to support "the lil guys" and the free range farmers. I pay anywhere from 1.99 to 2.70 a dozen. But i am really the only egg eater in the house... so maybe only 2-3 doz per month.
I used to get EB. not sure why I dont anymore. The cost maybe.. i think they are higher.
Wouldn't that be a HOOT if she was really checking for the "EB"
they are intelligent!!
You've got Heidi, the label reader, and Dennis the "Hide and Seek with the Dog" player.
that's RICH!!
starlight, nanny,
Thanks for the compliments on the house. Actually, I wasn't showing it to you to show off my [non]porch. If you recall back when we were talking about packages I told you about how I don't really have a porch (and really wish I did) and how the delivery folks had so much trouble trying to find places to put the furniture I ordered that time - and how I came home one day to find a huge refrigerator sized box blocking my entry to the house and completely concealing the front door. At the time, Terese showed me a pick of her house with that wonderful, huge porch, and I said I would get a pic of my non-porch to show you. It took a while, mostly because I kept forgetting, but I remembered it Sunday while photographing flowers and just wanted to finish that conversation. That tiny corner where they leave the packages is rather shallow. A hard, blowing rain will sometimes reach the packages.
Oh, well, no house is ever perfect. Thanks again for the compliments.
Oh, and here is a 'joke' on me. See that circular arch-like thing over the window that's over the door (whew, what a sentence)? The outside light is WAY up there. Now naturally when I was shopping and was all awed by other features of the house, I didn't think about changing light bulbs. When I was moving in, one of the moving men stopped at the front door, looked up there, and started laughing. Then he muttered something about wanting to see how anybody was going to change that bulb. I still don't know the answer to that question. I use that light as little as possible because I figure when that and a few other bulbs around here burn out I will have to move. Friends laugh at the irony of me not using the light in order to keep it from burning out; as one pointed out, what good is it anyhow if I can't use it? But, it really doesn't matter much whether I use it or not, as far up there as the light is, you can just imagine how little light it actually casts on things down at ground level. lol, designers and architects, you gotta love them. That fixture, does, however, make a great finch nest. Pretty much nothing can get up that high except a bird. Even a snake probably can't make it around the curve to hang upside down, so it's a safe haven for the finch family who use it for their nest each year - don't get me started about the pine straw fire they started up there when I turned the light on after the fledglings left!
Terese,
Fresh eggs from the Amish farmers sound great. I used to buy wonderfully fresh eggs from the monks at a monastery outside Chas, but haven't been able to find them in local stores lately and am not up for the long drive out to the monastery. I stopped buying the EB's recently because I read an article that indicated there is no legal definition or oversight of 'Cruelty Free' which is what I was buying. I had envisioned that I was paying the extra price to allow chickens to live normal lives but learned that there is no way to know if the Cruelty Free chickens are treated any differently from the others. I also learned that while Free Range does have a legal definition which requires that the animal be permitted some time to roam free in pasture or whatever is normal for that animal; however, there is a loophole in that no time limit is specified, so many companies are exploiting this loophole. If the cage door is left open for 5min per day, even if the animal never leaves the cage, then it can be labeled Free Range. (That's not to say that some caring individuals as I imagine the Amish would be don't have 'real' free range chickens.) BTW, the article also said that Cage Free doesn't mean the animal isn't living in a cage, believe it or not. Apparently, a cage with an open door inside larger cage suffices as cage free. So, go figure. That's why I went back to just plain eggs. When I have a legitimate reason to believe the chickens are treated humanely, I will be happy to pay the higher price.
And, yes, those raccoons are some characters, aren't they?
Sorry to hear about the sciatica attack, Cheryl. I can empathize; these days I'm doing way too much in the garden when weather permits, and a few hours later the body starts asking me just what I think I'm doing.
Love the image of Heidi searching for the EB mark: priceless! And the thought that they're fresher might well be on target. You have these guys used to real quality meals; didn't they object at one point when you switched to a cheaper kibble, also?
Had to laugh at the story of your outdoor light fixture; sounded way familiar. Some genius installed a ceiling fan/light combo over the stairs to our upstairs. It is up at ceiling height for the second floor; to change that bulb, or clean the ceiling fan blades, you need to stand on a tall ladder perched on stair risers. Right; that's NOT a DYI I can handle. When we had guys working in the house, we had them change the bulb to a halogen that will last much longer; even they hated trying to access it. And, like you, we use it rarely to save the bulb; but if you want to come downstairs in the middle of the night without killing yourself, you have no choice.
I agree that Dennis seems to be playing with Dennis at this point; actually, toying with him might be more accurate... It's clear at this point that the raccoons as a group just roll their eyes when Widget tries to threaten them. Poor Widget; it's so hard to get respect sometimes...
Now I'm almost out of time. Need to get lots of sleep. Have to get my app done tomorrow or I think they may be planning to put me before a firing squad. But have to tell you the highlights from tonight as it was a really crazy night.
As a preface, I'd like to say to those who sent treats and toys that I still have them. I haven't forgotten you. I'm saving some things, esp toys for the new kits who should be arriving very soon. I'm trying to save most of the treats for when I have time to take the camera out and get pics to share with you. Also, I don't want to give them too many treats too often as they will loose interest. That said, tonight I ran in to a bit of an emergency...
When I went to scoop tonight's dinner, I found that I only had 1/2 box of cat food, not nearly enough for all those mouths. Knowing that everybody expects there share of the cat food, I felt really bad. I took the 1/2 box out after work (daylight) for Heidi figuring I'd deal with the problem of the others later. But the neighbor's kid was in the driveway revving his motorcycle, so Heidi wouldn't come out. Apparently, when I make noise (lawn mower, power tools, etc only a few yards from her) it doesn't bother her, but when other people make noise (a few hundred feet away) it does. Smart animals, aren't they?
Later, after dark, when I was ready to take the tiny cat food offering out again, it was time to 'deal with the problem' of what to add to the meal to extend it enough for everybody. I just didn't seem to have anything that fit the bill - and didn't require cooking. So, and I hope you won't mind, but I decided to take a bunch of the cheese and pb sandwich crackers along with the big jar of pb to smear on top. Again, I was feeling very guilty for letting the food run out, so really wanted to take something they would like enough so as not to mind too much if they didn't all get cat food, but I also wanted it to be nutritional, not candy.
Naturally, since I had almost no food to offer them, everyone and his brother showed up, all at once. I was mobbed! Naturally, Dennis was there. While cleaning the yard recently I had moved the chair (i use as a supply table) elsewhere, so there I was trying to juggle a big jar of pb, a spatula, and the box of crackers while trying to open a single pack of crackers, smear each w/pb, and hand them out. While setting up, I put the huge jar of pb, top still on it, on the ground beside my bench (this is their pb only, not for me BTW). Dennis had been eating from the dish at Heidi's area in front of me. While I was trying to juggle everything and open a pack of crackers, Dennis sneaked over beside me and grabbed the jar of pb. Luckily, the weight slowed him down a bit and I was able to get it back before he could get it open.
So I went for the chair and dragged it back - which didn't phase any of the raccoons eating from the dishes nearby. I opened the jar of pb and held on to it but put the box of crackers on the chair while I worked at topping the individual crackers with pb. By 'box of crackers' I mean a cellophane covered box containing numerous 6-packs of those cheese filled crackers. With so many others around and so much competition, Dennis was in the grabby mode - although he has gotten much less grabby since I've started not letting him get away with that behavior. He and Cissy were both circling me like [cute little] vultures as I tried to fix the hors d'oeuvres. They had a minor altercation or two at my feet. Somewhere along the way, Dennis hopped reached up on the chair and grabbed the whole box of crackers! It's lucky that Dennis is such a pet. The others often run off with anything 'big' they get, but Dennis sat down at my feet to play with his new toy. So I had to take the box of crackers from him! A few minutes later I had to make him get down from the chair. It was a circus there for a while!
Finally, I started getting the bp on the crackers and tossing them about. They were a big hit. Naturally, Dennis ate the pb off of his and left the crackers, but that's Dennis. The others were more than happy to eat the crackers he left behind. In fact, when she arrived Heidi even ate a few - and as you know she never eats anything like that. I had been so afraid that we would run out of cat food, but the crackers went over so well that even though Heidi (who must have cat food) arrived last, there was still plenty of cat food left for her - which is amazing.
The raccoon that I am now convinced is Fraidy showed up. The group allows her to hang around but, just like when she was a kit, she has to stay back at the fence. When she tries to come over to the feeding area they chase her back. So, I tossed a few of the crackers with a big blob of pb on top back there by the fence for her. She would come down the fence, grab one as fast as possible before the others could get to her and then run back up the fence and into the cherry tree to eat it before returning for another. Feeling for her plight, I made a tiny tear in one end of a pack of crackers and tossed it back by the fence where she came down, grabbed the pack and ran back into the tree with it - I figured that would save her a few trips up and down the fence. Poor thing. She did seem pretty hungry as she ate quite a bit, but I did note that she looked well fed especially considering that I didn't see her for quite a while there. She didn't look emaciated or anything so she must be getting by ok on her own.
After I had distributed maybe 5 or so packs of crackers I went back to the house to get something sweet for Dennis who is never quite happy without a candy treat. When I returned with a package of whole wheat fig bars (for the guys), peeps, one of those Cabot's Greek style strawberry yogurts (made with cream), and 2 eggs (and, yes, I put them in my pocket), the crowd had dispersed a bit and Dennis was gone. I think he was mad about being 'tossed' from the chair and denied the treats, not to mention that he tried to play with the cat food box only to find it empty (I didn't have enough cat food to leave him any to play with). He did not return.
Trouble, who doesn't eat a lot of treats either - he's mostly a cat food guy - really enjoyed the fig bars. If ONLY I'd taken the camera (as if I had any more hands) because he sat upright, held the fig bar in front of him with both hands held straight out and parallel the ground, and stuck his nose high in the air with each chewy bite in a manner that surely said, "Where have these been all my life?" HRH, of course, also enjoyed the fig bars as did Cissy, and, of course, I through a few back by the fence for Fraidy to come down and get them. (Once when she tried to drink from one side of the pool, HRH who was in the pool drinking on the far side went over and scared her away. He didn't actually attack her or even growl but it was clear he was intentionally sending her away. The king doesn't have to growl. Anyhow, that's just how they treat her. Everyone from Dennis to Trouble to Heidi chased her away when she tried to come to the food, but that's how they always treated Fraidy.)
Heidi kept coming over to me as though she wanted something. Eventually, after she had finished most of the remaining cat food, she ate the eggs (note). Then she came over by me to eat the crackers from which Dennis had licked the pb. I opened the yogurt (which smelled SO good I wanted it myself) and tried to temp her with it. She stuck her nose to it, but then walked away to nibble more cat food. By that time most of the others had left. I think Heidi was the only one there at the time. While Heidi was eating over by the pool, Fraidy kept sneaking down the fence and through the weeds to grab the remaining crackers from Juliet's old area, many still with pb on them. Each time Fraidy grabbed a cracker, she would run all the way back to the fence and up into the tree to eat it. I feared she was expending as much energy as she was consuming. Then when Heidi went over to Juliet's area to eat cat food over there, Fraidy tried to sneak around the pool to come over to see what I had. Heidi chased her back several times, even launching a bluff attack once, but Fraidy was determined and kept coming back. I guess she smelled the strawberry yogurt because the last time it was clear that's where she was headed. The yogurt was near my feet and perilously close to the growling, menacing Heidi, but Fraidy braved it. She walked up, took one whiff, and then, as I was hoping she might do before Heidi attacked her again, Fraidy grabbed the rim of that yogurt cup in her mouth and made a run for it walking upright so as not to drop the cup. I literally laughed out loud as she made off with the loot, both because it was an adorable move and because she looked like a kid on Christmas morning. The look on her face when she stuck her nose to that yogurt was priceless. It was immediately clear that she had to have some of that stuff. She took the cup back over to her assigned spot by the fence where she sat down to eat and eat and eat. I truly enjoyed seeing her eat that yogurt as I couldn't think of a better use for the yogurt. Even though they chase Fraidy back to the fence, they don't chase her away as they did the others. Even the tone with which they chase her is different. After she finished the yogurt - on top of countless crackers w/pb and one whole pack of crackers and a number of fig bars, Fraidy waddled back up the fence and left for the evening.
I gave Cissy a number of peeps, and Trouble returned to sniff out and devour the remaining crackers, after which he ate the last of the cat food. For an evening that started out looking pretty bleak, I think the buffet turned out quite well, and it sure was one interesting evening.
What a riot! Kudos for managing a potentially difficult situation expertly, and ensuring that all were well fed and happy (if Dennis wasn't happy about being evicted from the chair, too bad). Not sure how you pulled that all off ad lib, but it's truly impressive.
Thanks, Ruth,
Tonight after work I picked up 3 bags of food - even though I was awfully exhausted and a bit stressed from work, but I knew I'd have a mutiny on my hands if I didn't.
Tonight Heidi pulled 'A Dennis' on me. When I got home I was rushing around to get things done. Had a few things to do outside before dark. While I was in the back yard I figured she was likely waiting in the tree. She usually waits there until I call her and then comes rushing down the tree just as though she were a pet being called to dinner.
When i finished my tasks it was still light out but you could tell that it would not be for long. I hurried in, filled the box with [this time] dog food; they also like the Purina dog food and I find they enjoy switching back and forth to avoid boredom. As I approached the feeding area, I couldn't see Heidi in the tree. I called out to her anyhow. I just knew she would surely be there waiting for her dinner, but this time she didn't rush down the fence. The forest was motionless and silent. I sat down on my bench unsure what to do - leave the food, wait, come back later. Too many decisions. And where the heck was she. We had a standing apointment. She knew that. She was supposed to be her. A fine mist of rain had begun to fall. Then just as I decided to go ahead and fill the dishes and leave, I looked down to find Heidi standing beside me, apparently wondering why I was just sitting there like a big dummy instead of pouring the FOOD! lol
The other day, HRH also came out in daylight to eat with Heidi. It was the very 1st time I had ever seen the king in sunlight. His coat is a gorgeous blend of gold and auburn. Some areas are more buff and gold while others like the back of his neck have a rich red sheen. Even the stripes on his tail are dark brown and bright golden blonde. I'm going to start taking the camera out with me more often when I go to feed Heidi in the afternoon. Hopefully I will get a chance to film HRH for you.
I just tried to upload one of the Heidi clips for you but tonight I'm on the Mac. The movie options (file types) available to me - at least in the apps I've so far discovered on here - are not supported by webshots. Will retry another day. Must get to bed. Am always trying to get to sleep early and yet always end up awake until 2ish.
LOL! I can just picture her sitting there waiting for you !!
One of neighbors put food & water out on her porch for another neighbors cats that allowed to run wild(grrr) and saw this getting a drink of water yesterday.
Sounds like everything is going well at the Raccoon Retreat and Buffett. I loved the discription of Heidi and the EB(or lack of)egg. My critters also get EB eggs on occasion. Last night they ate on PB sandwiches,MM's and eggs! Guess it was a hit as there were no left overs this morning.
Where do you put the videos when you post them? I would love to see a picture of HRH in the sunlight. I do hope you are able to capture that shot.
Great picture Nanny!
Judy
Wow, HRH sounds gorgeous (but then we knew he was, even from night photos). Raccoons with that much rufous coloration are pretty unusual; no wonder, with that and his gentlemanly ways, that the ladies love him.
Love the image of Heidi standing beside you, wondering what you were waiting for; and the one of Cissy mimicking HRH's polite requests for food.
nanny,
Nice pic of the neighbor's 'cat'. lol.
Seriously though, I'll bet that water is a godsend for the raccoon. The raccoons and opossums here drink water from the pool and other containers daily, but when I clean the pool and put out the fresh water they come down the fence and head straight for the water even before they worry about food. They drink like camels getting ready for a long trek across the desert - and it's only 80F now. Wait until it really gets hot.
I think Heidi must have gotten tired of waiting (in the tree) for me to finish my gardening that day, so she just came on down. Who knows how long she was hanging around with me, maybe even while I was gardening. It's hard to describe how utterly silent and virtually undetectable they are even when walking right beside you. That's something you have to experience to fully understand, I think, but she might have been hanging out in the backyard with me that day for a while even before I took the food to the feeding area.
Hi Judy,
Wow, pb sandwich, egg, and m&M's. That sounds like a raccoon party! The 1st 2 are favorites of my bunch. Haven't tried the m&M's.
Have to get to bed right now - I just knew that tonight I would make it by 12. Not! Will post links to the videos soon (new and prior). Links for the previous ones are scattered about in the prior threads. If you feel really energetic (lol) you might try scanning prior threads for a group of links on one post. There are a few of those. If you find one, the others are close by. Or maybe Someone will help you out and post the link here.;-)
I think when I get time to track them down I'm going to make a tag for them as that's another thing that would be nice to have an easy reference to. If you are eager to see the prior ones before I get the chance to post info, you might also find them by going to the following places where I put them: Webshots, YouTube, and Google video. Search users: scutler and scutle2.I think I also have them named and/or tagged with 'Heidi', so you might try searching for something like 'raccoon Heidi'. (I wouldn't try Heidi by itself for the obvious reasons!).
Good news and bad news.
Tonight I got video of HRH except that it was near dusk and cloudy, so while you get to see the handsome fella in motion, you can't see the lovely coat colors. Hopefully, I'll get another chance to take a video of him in sunlight soon. I also got short clips of HRH and Cissy eating peeps! Will post them as soon as I can.
(Things are really rough right now. If I don't get my app finished soon, I think my co-workers may be planning to have me 'disappear'.)
Oh, the bad news is that I can't post the videos right now.
Hi Ruth,
Can you guys see me through the laptop screen? (looking around 'laptop' room, ceiling, lamps, etc for spy cams as I type) I can't tell you how many times I've come to the laptop and found no activity on the threads in hours, and then almost as soon as I sit down at the laptop, a post appears on the Heidi threads. It's very eerie...as though you folks somehow know when I'm at the laptop...
Yeah, I don't know about elsewhere, but HRH's coloring sure seems quite unusual for my area. He's a one of a kind. Not only is his coat a gorgeous and unique color but it's very thick and luxurious. His skin seems looser than the others such that the combination of loose skin and thick fur makes him look as though he's wearing an ultra-rich, full length mink coat. On that note, just the other day I was thinking how it's lucky that he is here where he's fairly safe from people who might think his coloration would fetch a nice price in the garment industry. (How sad that his lovely coat might be an albatross for him.)
Hoping to get video of HRH in sunlight soon but in the mean time think you guys will enjoy the clips I got today that show him 'in motion', something you've never been able to see before. Naturally, in the videos he's not doing his cutest stuff like the Winnie the Pooh position and such but maybe one day.
BTW, I couldn't help but notice that Heidi is looking a LOT better - like 2 different animals better. The other day she quite literally looked like some 1/2 dead creature dragged out of the marsh. Now she's looking more normal. Could that mean that the kits are eating some solid food now? A few days ago, BTW, I saw her nipples and confirmed that they are visibly extended as expected for a nursing mom. Around the time when she 1st showed up in daylight looking so rough, I noticed that her 'belly' looked like a small, hard beach ball - such that she looked like she was in early stage of pregnancy, which confused me considerably. Also noticed at that time that she stood on all 4s to eat - whereas she normally sits and uses both 'hands' to pick up her food. As i watched I realized that she couldn't sit because the milk/swelling made it uncomfortable to do so. A time or 2 when she got very tired she tried to crouch on all 4s but got back up in a minute or so. Might she be weaning the kits?
Sounds like it might be possible. How many weeks has it been? Time flyies by on here and a week, two or three gone before ya even know it.
Hope you get your appt finished. Don't think the excuse the racoons made me do it are gonan work. heheheheheh
We love listenign to the stories, but ya gotta get your work done too. You cna beat we are now that sprign finally here.
I still wondering what gonan happen the day you have everybody arriv ein the yard at once. I can just see, your yard filled with coons and more, one by one coming over the top of the fence and dropping down from the tree branches and such.
Ya know it bound to happen that someday you gonna be master cheif of the yard buffet for mom ..pop.. brothers,, sisters, cousins and uncles. A giant family reuion day. Kids playing, kids arguing, mothers fussing and the boys well, we already know who knows how to do the bump and get folks out of his way. : )
LOL, starlight! That's a lovely - albeit somewhat scary - picture! And, yes, those fellas have that bump thing down pat.
LOL, wouldn't that be a circus?! I can just see the kids all fighting over food and toys! And poor Widget hiding inside under the bed...
It does sound like Heidi may be starting to wean the kids; and you're right, the females are truly uncomfortable at that time, as the milk production exceeds demand. That's good news for all of us: once she gets them eating solid food, it won't be long before they join the buffet!
The loose skin on HRH is typical of mature breeding males: protects them in a fight, as the opponent gets a mouthfull of skin rather than something vital. Of course that didn't help him when a b...y female like Diva went for his face. And you're absolutely right that, with his coloring, he's lucky to living in a relatively safe and urban area; out in the hills and hollers, someone would think that pelt would make a mighty fine coonskin cap. I will never understand the appeal of wearing fur.
Question--we have a couple different large raccoons coming to feed during the day as well as at night, so they must be pregnant or nursing moms, right?
KyWood,
Actually, and most unfortunately, silly Widget would be out there in the middle of them, chasing them around in circles while they all laugh at how scary he is. Today after work (5:30PM), I ran out to grab a few quick pics of newly opened blooms, esp new plants. I took Widget out with me so he could do his business and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. Within minutes I heard a sound and turned to see Heidi drop to the ground - at 5:30PM! Widget went after her, of course. The 2 ran around potted plants and such near the feeding area, running in tiny circles around things until Heidi finally went back up the fence - and Widget emerged 'victorious' with a look that said, "and stay on the side of the fence!"
Silly dog. I'm sure Heidi just doesn't want to fool with him, but when she runs like that it just plays to his 'big dog' complex.
Maybe Ruth knows the definitive answer. I can only tell you that (1) Heidi seems to only come by during the day when she's nursing, at least as far as I know that is; (2) the biologist for the DNR said that raccoons will come by during the day if they feel particularly comfortable in an area; (3) upon hearing that 'Heidi' was coming into my yard during the day (back when Heidi 1st came down the fence in the daytime and we didn't know she was a female), the raccoon rehabber from Keeper of the Wild correctly diagnosed her as a nursing female who was rather desperate to get food for herself in order to sustain her milk production.
Given the above, my best guess is that the one coming by during the day are most likely nursing females (but bare in mind that on 2 occasions HRH has dropped by with Heidi just before dark). I'm not sure why Heidi comes by in the day time when nursing, but my theory is that she just gets so hungry (due to the toll nursing takes on her) that she can't wait until dark for her 'breakfast' and, thus, has to go out looking for a late afternoon snack.
Ruth,
Last night when I was asking if you guys could see me through the laptop screen, you did know I was being facetious, right? I had come to the computer hoping to hear from some of you, had been disappointed to see that there were no new posts, and then within seconds you posted. That has happened a few times - with different folks. Every time it happens I laugh to myself that you (plural) can see through the screen and thus know when I'm at the computer.
Later when I thought about my tongue in cheek comment, esp in view of the fact that I also mentioned being very busy at work, I realized that it may have sounded like I had sat down to the computer to do work and was somehow bothered or distracted by the posts. But, of course, that was not the case at all. My work project is on a different laptop in a different room. I come in here to this laptop mostly to download pics and to talk to you guys. I was quite happy to see and read your posts but was just laughing at your apparent ability to 'see' when I sit down to the computer.
As for HRH, that explains it. I had noticed that his coat was much looser than the others. Loose skin/coat doesn't sound good since in people that usually mean wrinkles and other things that aren't preferred in our society; but in raccoons, loose skin results in the most luxurious and opulent coat imaginable as the heavy coat drapes in thick folds and ripples around his muscles like ... well, the most expensive, fur coat imaginable. But I didn't understand why he alone had this kind of loose, flowing robe. The explanation makes a lot of sense. (BTW, he showed up the other day with a cut on his leg. I guess spring is peek 'fighting' season for him.)
I SEEEE you...
^_^
Susan
=^..^=