Heidi Chronicles: Raccoon Antics

Ruth,

I do agree about the water cannon. It has just been so hectic here lately that I don't think of it at the right time. I was thinking it is like the camera back when I could never seem to remember to take the camera out with me. Maybe I need you guys to send me reminders like with the camera. You know, when everyone sent those afternoon reminders? That really helped with the camera and would probably work with the water canon, too. Of course, I know you are not available to send afternoon reminders as that would be in the middle of your night. Maybe some of the others could though.

Things have been just crazy here. Never a dull moment and hardly time to breath. You know how I said 'regular' people can't get in where I work? Well, I managed to get locked out. I was in Badge He__ all last week, begging, looking pathetic, begging some more, making countless phone calls, driving people crazy. One even hung up on me. I was caught in bureaucratic red tape from He__, well you get the idea. They have all my info, my whole life story from birth. They know more about me than I do. But due to a snafu somewhere in the system, my badge was about to expire and for want of a single piece of paper that could have been faxed in 5min were it not for the miles of red tape in the way... Finally, I just gave up. It expired and I stayed home today. When notified about a meeting I needed to attend I responded to all (including my customer) with "sorry, I won't be there because I can't get in...Well, that got the problem fixed in no time flat. Suddenly, all of the people who couldn't do this or that because it would break the rules, did whatever it took to shut her up! Friday I was told that the earliest I could possibly get back in would be Tuesday and that was if all of the planets lined up just right, but once my customer went on the war path, I was sitting at my desk again at 11AM this morning. I managed to resist the urge last week to cry on your shoulders while all this was going on, but it's an example of the madness that keeps me too busy to remember water cannons and such until I get out there and it's too late.

As for Fay, we've had rain for over a week now but nothing more, thankfully. When Fay was sitting off the east coast of Florida (the end of last week and part of the weekend, I think), we were getting the outer rain bands. We had minor flooding in low lying areas (Charleston is at or below sea level depending on who you ask and where you check) but nothing serious, nothing like what they had in Florida. For us as with you, the rains were much needed and have been greatly appreciated. Of course, now we have Gustav on the way, and I cringe every time Africa pitches one this way since we are at the end of our 20yr average span between major hits.

I had to laugh at myself when I found myself attempting to explain that maneuver of Cruella's in terms of a football tackle. My frequent references to football, and botched ones at that, in attempting to describe raccoon behavior is made all the more ironic by the fact that I don't follow football. But, I did watch a game or two in the day, and no other analogy fit body slam quite like a football tackle and a rough one at that. Oh, and little Jerry standing up with her hands in the air every time I go to toss a treat, oh, that can only be a football receiver, right? Jerry still makes me laugh out loud almost every night BTW, and since lately I've been responding to her maneuvers by saying "here, Jerry" before tossing the treat, she is starting to learn her name. Sometimes when she stands up, like tonight, I'll say, "Ok, Jerry" to let her know I see her and the next one is hers. And she reacts to her name.

As for Cruella running headlong into the kit that way, every time she does one of these things I am amazed all over again. This time as she was right in front of me picking up the left over bread squares, I just looked at her and borrowing your phrase said "You, B____!" She looked me right in the eye, too. But, I didn't throw anything or otherwise interfere, especially since the kit got up and seemed unharmed. Except for that incident she has been on her best behavior, probably because she doesn't have any backup, and she may realize they are going to evict her completely if she keeps it up.


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Now, tonight was really special. Tonight I took out an entire loaf of cheap bread ($1) plus a can of strawberry frosting. Right now they seem to like the strawberry frosting even more than the vanilla - and that is a lot! The strawberry has an incredible aroma that makes me want to dive right in as soon as I open it.

Heidi and the kits were 1st there the last couple of nights. They spread out these days. The kits are getting bigger and Heidi is encouraging them to move out and grab their own dish. Sometimes 2 kits will eat together at one dish. Timba has finally begun leaving Heidi's side again. Last night he came up to the watermelon near my feet again, something he hadn't done since Cruella attacked him. For a while there after that attack it had been pretty boring out there as none of the kits would come around me. I don't think they are afraid of me, just afraid to venture out into the open for fear of attack. Tonight Timba came back over to me and took a frosting sandwich from my hand for the 1st time since the attack.

Heidi was the funny one though. I had to laugh at her several times. Heidi loves frosting, especially the strawberry one, it seems. She was over there eating from her usual dish with one of the kits eating beside her. (I think that is the more timid kit but not sure.) I had given frosting wiches to the other 3 kits. Then I tossed one over beside the one that was eating with Heidi. I could see the moment when Heidi caught a whiff of that frosting. The kit had already started eating the sandwich. Heidi snatched her dish up and ran over to one side with it. When she put it down, she sniffed it and realized that the yummy smell was not in there. Then she looked up at me - where I was sitting over there laughing at her - marched right over to ask for one of her own. I had only been spreading a thin layer on each square for the kits, but knowing that Heidi like Dennis only licks the frosting off anyhow, I globbed her on and held it out to her. She approached me with that "Ewww. A human!" look I've come to love so well. Instead of taking the thing from my hands, she stood there licking the frosting off while I was holding it - like Dennis does! After she had licked about 1/2 of it off, she reached up with one hand and touched me hand - no claws, just the soft, velvety pad, and only very briefly. Finally, she took the remaining sandwich in her mouth. Then instead of taking it back a ways to eat it, she dropped it right there where she stood and continued eating. I'm not sure why she touches my hand. She does that a lot when I give her food that way. I think maybe she is just curios about what I feel like.

And as if that alone were not enough to make for a good night, after Heidi and the kits left, I looked over and thought I recognized Cissy and Mink over near the brush beside the Adirondack chair, so I said "Cissy! Cis-sy! Come her Cissy" The raccoon I thought was Cissy didn't move. "Oh, well", I thought, "It must be Blondie over there with one of her kits instead" I turned to look to the other side just to keep an eye on everything around me lest some rouge (or a nice guy gone wrong) sneak up and steal my treat supply or something. Dawdling a bit, I stopped to slather a bit of frosting on another bread square. Might as well try to stay ahead of the game. Then as I looked back to my left, I was shocked to see Cissy standing there beside my bench looking at me as if to say, "You called?" Mink was with her, too, of course. I gave Cissy a few sandwiches.

Mink also had a sandwich or four or five. Mink, it seems, is my new buddy. She walks right up to me now. Sometimes I had to ask her to wait while I made another sandwich. She would wait so close to me, I could only see her tail sticking out sometimes. Then when I held the sandwiches out to her, each time she would sit upright like a little squirrel, take the sandwich in her mouth and at the same time reach up to cup my hand with her two hands very gently, no claws. She would put her little paws around my hand then gently lift the bread out of my hand and sit there eating it. Not surprisingly, Mink got a lot of frosting wiches as I sat giggling at her and spreading frosting on another and another... : )

And then, as if the fun would just never end, Dennis arrived. I didn't have a lot frosting left, but she sat at my feet and I gave her a few sandwiches. Then she indicated she was ready for some real food, so I took a few handfuls of my stash from the bucket and put it on the side of the table where she stood eating it just like in the recent photos - same expressions even. She is a hoot. As always when she is around, I could here the kits calling her from the Heidi tree. Dennis ate a lot of food, all that I had saved for her and Fraidy. She ate quickly, scarfing down food and looking up every few minutes to check her kits. I think she may be one of those over protective new moms. Surely, those kits are old enough to come down from the tree by now, but she always keeps them up there still. She scarfed down all of the food and ran back to the tree and was gone, but I was very happy to have seen her.

About that time Heidi and the kits returned for a 2nd run as they often do. There really wasn't much left by that time. Earlier I had given the frosting can to Mink and later had put some kibble in it for Cissy and tossed it a foot or so away from me. Heidi knows all about the frosting can. When she saw it she rushed right over to check it out, that same kit glued to her side. Heidi reached in and pulled out a few pieces of cat food. Then the kit turned the can his way and started eating from it. Heidi turned it back her way. Soon they were in a tug of war, each holding opposite sides of the can saying the raccoon equivalent of "Mine". Being the parent and the larger of the two, Heidi snatched the can from the kit and ran over to one side with it. I had to laugh out loud at her - again - because rarely does Heidi behave in such manner and for some reason it was just too cute. With 4 babies their must be times when one gets tired of sharing everything. Anyhow, moments later the kit was back beside her with his hand in the can. LOL.

Yes, it was a very good night - and I've likely left something out.

What a great night: just one magical experience after another! Just too funny about Heidi and the frosting: she is usually so practical and healthy in her eating habits, it warms one's heart to see that she does have a weakness - just like all of us.

Dennis is never going to get the Steal down pat, is she?? Too funny, and kind of sad.

I for one wish the gang would just go ahead and evict Cruella for good; she worries me because her behavior is just so abnormal and wrong. As long as they're keeping her in check, we'll just hope for the best.

I just love your approach to the expired ID; amazing how a word from the customers can move mountains, isn't it? What a stupid and unnecessary hassle.

I do understand about forgetting things due to insane levels of busy and hassle. While working full-time and being main supplier for the shelter, I'd make myself lists of things I needed to do on the way home. Unfortunately, by the time the day was finally over, I often couldn't remember where I put the list; not much help there.

Hey, all you followers on daytime schedules: send Cheryl reminders to hit ToysRUS for the water cannon!

Scutler, remember "Gorrillas in the Mist"? How about "Raccoons in Twilight"! This should be a movie!

Hi Audrey,

I sure do remember that movie, and while I don't dare to compare myself to the likes of Dian Fossey, I do sometimes see some parallels in sitting with and observing a group of wild animals.

Sounds like you may have joined a little late and may not be aware of 'the book'. The book doesn't actually exist yet except in all of our minds, but that's where all dreams begin. A few gazillion threads back many of the readers suggested that I should make the Heidi story into a book. By now I think it may have grown into a series just on the basis of quantity of content and characters. LOL. For a while there I just didn't have time to get much done but am now working on the book in earnest. I've gathered all of the material, organized chapters, etc and am currently doing some very revealing research into just how one goes about getting a book published, something about which I must admit I knew absolutely nothing - but am slowly starting to change that.

This past weekend, in fact, I stayed up all night one night reading a most riveting, insightful, and highly informative book which detailed every conceivable aspect of how to get ones book out there on the market, including self-publishing which the author in question actually advised as the better option in today's world. So, yes, there will be a book. I am increasingly determined to make that happen and to see it through...and books are often the genesis for movies, so who knows...

Keep those fingers crossed, Everyone!

I knew you were working on a book, it needs to go farther! Have someone take videos!

Oh, I see. Sorry, I missed that part. I need to get a webcam set up. That had been on my dream agenda for 08. Clearly, I missed it, but I should have a better shot at it for the 09 'nursery' season. As for getting professional camera crews and such to come to my backyard, even if they were willing to do so, I have to be ever vigilant about the need to 'lie low' since I'm dealing with raccoons, a known vector for rabies. Govt and wildlife authorities frown on this sort of thing. Too much exposure could get the whole operation shut down in a hurry. It is an unfortunate side effect of dealing with raccoons, cute and cuddly as they are, they are shunned because of their potential for carrying rabies - a dubious distinction in my mind since dogs, cats, in some cases horses, and even for that matter humans are also potential carriers. Yes, I know that we have managed to vaccinated most of the pets, but in a world that can send a giant telescope out to comb the universe and house humans in a floating space hotel, you would think we could manage to disseminate vaccine to the wild, as well, and put this scurge into the history books beside the likes of Small Pox and Polio.

Thanks for the idea and the (implied) impetus to keep going though!

Wow!!!

Five days of Faye dumping and flooding and had to stay off itnernet, lots been happening and looks like most of it fo rthe good. : )

Love that ya gettign a chance to relax, laugh and enjoy your family. Those wil be sweet memories to reflect back on when it cold and snowy up your way.

That is books ya gonan write not just one. Ya gotta do like all authors do, get the story going, get ya hooked and then end it so that ya sit on pins and needles waitign for the next sequel to come out. That how ya get rich too. ; )

Like Little House On The Prairie...There were a whole slew of those...

Little Raccoon Family In the Backyard

Oh yes...it has to be a series!!!

How about "The Little Raccoon Family and How It Grew" (lol)? Each year's new kits could be a new book in the series. Hey, Cheryl, we can keep you writing for years! So glad to hear you're getting serious about a book (or two, or more); this is too good a story to be limited to DG members. And you're absolutely right about the ongoing need to keep a low profile and stay below the radar of the authorities - unfortunately. You'll probably have to diguise the diner's location in the book for the same reason.

Hi Ruth,

95% of the time Heidi is almost robotic in her perfection, I guess in part because she has done all of these things so many times before. After you raise a few dozen kids, you are likely to get a plan together. While I have the greatest respect for the calm, steady, and disciplined manner in which she gets things done, I truly enjoy the little moments like with the frosting when she becomes just a little emotional about something even if only for a moment. I also enjoy those rare moments when I can get her to interact with me one on one that way.

You might think that once she took one food item from my hand it would all be 'old hat' now but that's not the case at all. It is a slow process in which, just like the other night, she may take one item and refuse the next 3, but each time she does accept something, she comes a little closer. The 1st time she took the item and ran off with it as though expecting me to give chase. The 2nd time she took it and just backed up a little and so on until last night when she stood there licking the frosting off the bread while I was holding it. Maybe because to me she is and will always be the most important character in 'the story', maybe because it was she who brought us here, maybe because she is truly wild and thus presents the greatest challenge, for whatever reason, I take special and almost childlike delight in those rare moments when Heidi interacts with me in some manner as when she takes food from my hand - and frosting has been one of those rare things that will prod her to step out of her discipline world and take a chance.

I'm starting to think - and the rest of you may have known this all along, but I guess I'm like the 'mom' who can't see that her 'child' is different - that Dennis may be a little, how to put this, ehem, 'challenged'; but I love her anyhow. We've had our ups and downs. At times, before Cruella that is, Dennis has been both my biggest source of frustration (in Heidi Land that is) and my greatest joy. When Cruella and Co chased her away, I really missed her a lot. I'm so glad she is back. After the application of a bit of discipline and a bit of maturity, Dennis is really very well behaved now. I can't recall the last time I had to tell her "no". You would not recognize her now, by her behavior that is.

I didn't see Cruella at all tonight. Ursula was there, but I have begun to notice that absent Cruella Ursula is a totally different animal, well behaved and able to fit in with the rest of the group without causing trouble. Cruella seems to be the instigator for all things trouble. No one else at the buffet will have anything to do with Cruella, and the other night when the two were at the buffet at the same time I noticed Cruella constantly snarling and growling and biting and otherwise bossing Ursula around. At one point, Cruella was some 10ft away eating cat food and at the same time growling at Ursula to tell her to leave the watermelon alone. After Cruella finished her cat food she came over to eat the watermelon, hence the reason she didn't want Ursula to have any.

Tonight when Ursula was at the buffet, I heard a bit of a fuss up over across the yard. A quick check with the flashlight showed 3 rather large kits at the top of the fence wandering around while apparently waiting for her. They seemed a bit 'old' to be contained atop the fence that way, but they stayed put, well except for the one that apparently slipped over the side and had a heck of a time trying to hoist himself back up via the side rail - on the fence, the raccoons can only get traction in the posts, but kits don't know that right away, so they can be amusing to watch.

The past 2 nights I've noticed a pair of kits who show up late and seem to belong to no one. They are well behaved, not very afraid of me, and a look a lot like Blondie's set except that they are noticeably younger/smaller and, at the time they arrive, are too hungry to be Blondie's 2 who have by then been eating all night - not to mention that when they arrive I can never find Blondie anymore. Tonight it finally dawned on me that these are Bast's kits. Yes, Bast is also nursing as I learned one evening while filming her at the little birdbath, but she seems to be a bit 'behind' the others in timing.

This might be an opportune time to mention that while HRH may not have put in an appearance for a while, he has certainly left more than a few calling cards as the buffet is abuzz with golden haired babies this year.

LOL, Ruth, I try that list thing, too, sometimes, but (1) I can never seem to keep all my lists together, (2) I can't find them when I need them, and (3) I forget to put stuff like the water canon on them anyhow. And it is not getting any better with age either. Lately, as I use the laptop both at work and at home I've begun making 'virtual' notes on the laptop. I even have a 'notes' folder now for all of my little notes files. Those seem to be working better for me than any other method has - although they aren't all that practical for times like when I'm at the store. In keeping with my complete lack of discipline, I have now amassed so many files named some version of 'todo.txt' that I had to add a 'ToDos' folder. How's that for disorganized organization?

Ok, now I'm off to get some more Z's. I was sleeping earlier. When Widget woke me up to go out, I remembered I had not checked in or responded.

Thanks for all of the (much needed) encouragement, Everyone!

Have to get back to sleep now but will respond tomorrow. Will also get the thread changed over ASAP as I notice it is getting a bit long and at times difficult to load - even at work with the T1 (or whatever it is now) connection.

Tonight was fairly routine - but routine good, routine in the sense that now I'm starting to take for granted that Dennis will come up and ask for a few treats before running off again, that the kits will all notice me and interact in some manner, and that peace and tranquility will be restored to Heidi Land once more. And the mere fact that I'm taking if for granted again is a very good thing. Trouble was there again, mostly picking up things the others left behind, but he did sit behind me for a minute or 2 during which I gave him a marshmallow. Like Dennis, Trouble has also finally grown up it seems. He is behaving like a true gentleman now. (The ladies have done an awesome job of whipping him into shape.)

Perhaps the best part of the evening was when I had just sat down good and was opening the marshmallow bag. I looked up to see Mink hurrying over to me from across the lawn. Yep, that one is shaping up to be a little Dennis. She sat beside me for a while eating one marshmallow after another. Hey, who could resist the little furball sitting there in that squirrel-like pose chomping on mm's? One time tonight I reached out and rubbed her back as she walked by. No reaction at all. It seems quite natural to her apparently. I must say that Mink came at me from out of the blue. I had expected this sort of thing from Dennis' kits (where ever the heck they are). I had completely overlooked the fact that Cissy comes to me from time to time and takes food from my hand and that her kit would see that and learn to trust me from the start.

This, as you have no doubt come to know, is, after all, part of the central theme of the Heidi story, that things don't always happen the way we have laid them out in our minds and often the things we didn't expect, didn't plan for, and maybe didn't even want turn out to be the best gifts of all.

Quick update (from work):

Kits are starting to play a little bit - if we can just keep Cruella and her henchmen away. I often hear bells ringing in the brush lately - those balls with bells inside, the ones that used to drive Heidi nuts. A couple of times I took out one of Widget's tiny dog plush toys (ones he doesn't play with) . If I drop one near a kit or kits, one will run out and grab the toy immediately and then run into the brush to play with it. Even if they are enjoying treats, frosting, whatever, the kit that grab the toy will always be willing to give up treats for the toy. While at WalMart recently I picked up on of those tiny dog plush toys for 2 bucks. I got the brightly colored one, purple with lime and yellow. As usual, the minute I pulled it out of my pocket and dropped it on the lawn, a kit ran off with it.

Hi starlight,

I didn't realize you guys in AL were getting pummelled by Fay, too. (and by 'too', I mean in addition to FL) Hope the flooding isn't too serious there. How about Gustav? Does that pose a potential threat for you? Try to hold everything down as best you can - and by all means get out of there if the authorities tell you to go.

When you said 'when it gets cold and snowy up your way' were you talking to me? The last time we got a dusting of snow was 1997. Except for a few chilly nights, winter here is sort of like spring but without the flowers. I'm looking forward to the chance to go outside again. But it is nice to finally get a little peace in the backyard and a chance to get to know the kits before they are completely grown.

'Books'. Thanks, starlight, I like that. I've been thinking along those lines. I figure there is way too much material here for a single book. That 'rich' thing sounds good, too. No more worries about the cost of AC or cars or, most of all, raccoon food, treats, and toys. Maybe then I could afford to hire someone to keep the wading pools clean and make large ice blocks to cool them in summer, to setup and monitor the critter cams, and build that raccoon jungle gym we talked about so long ago, maybe even put in a water feature (like I planned out years and years and years ago) with water running down the slope and pumped back up to the top again - and fishies. I know the raccoon would love that - and I'm sure they wouldn't bother the pet fish.

Well of course they wouldn't bother the little pet fishies.......right. [Yes, I know you said that tongue-in-cheek.] Can't tell you how many calls we used to get in animal control from citizens irate because raccoons were catching their expensive koi. I'd always tell them to drop a length of PVC pipe on the bottom of the pond to give the fish a place to hide. Oh no, they wanted us to come out and catch the raccoon; like that would happen, even if we removed wildlife just because Joe Citizen didn't like it, which we didn't. Some were willing to be educated, others bought their own cage trap or hired a trapping service. Hey, folks, the wildlife was here first.

The moments when Heidi is willing to take food from your hand really are magic; pretty much unheard of, for a wild adult, and purely magic. And yes, I have rather suspected that Dennis might be a tad bit challenged, especially after your descriptions of her Steal attempt; but with so much personality, who cares?

Interesting that Ursula is pretty well-behaved when Cruella isn't around; maybe there's hope for her yet. And as for Cruella's kits not being allowed by mom in the yard, would you really expect that beast to take attention away from her dinner to watch over the brats?? I think not. So glad the gang is forcing a certain standard of behavior on her!

HRH has been a busy boy, hasn't he? Must be beautiful to see all those golden kits together.

melody,

'Little Raccoon Family In The Backyard'. Hmm. I've been looking for a name.

As a horse enthusiast and an avid reader, for me as a kid it was The Black Stallion series. I read every one I could find. After the original, there was 'The Black Stallion Returns', 'Son of the Black Stallion', 'The Black Stallion's Filly', 'The Island Stallions Fury', and so on and so on. Those books, originally written in the 1940's I think, are still in print today. On a related note, some years back while browsing at the annual Friends of the Library sale (a weekend event where the county sells old library books along with donated books, all dirt cheap) I stumbled upon an original, 1st Edition of "The Black Stallion" in good shape in a box of old books. The asking price was $2, and, yes, I bought it! (On Amazon the 1968 reprint is selling for $58. They don't have a 1st Edition for sale.)

Thanks for the much needed 'shot in the arm.'

Hi Ruth,

I find it most interesting that people think the problem will go away if they can just get rid of that one creature - or two or three, however many they see at the time. As if others won't move in to fill the void. (It's a bit like gardeners thinking another weed won't move in...oh, wait, that's me...love) Being in animal control and having to try to reason with humans must have presented more than a few challenging moments. (Maybe we need 'human control'.) Did the humans make dealing with frightened wild animals with whom you did not share a common language seem easy?

Ironic how a simple and relatively inexpensive length of pipe might solve the problem - yet people were stuck on the idea of uprooting the wildlife. I think we humans have much to learn about sharing the planet. I know that I have learned a great deal in my dealings with Heidi and the others. I think we are somehow raised with this (passive) idea that all of this is ours and it's ok if the other creatures use some of it as long as they stay out of our way and only use the parts we allow them to use. This ideology is so deeply ingrained in our society as a whole that I think most of us never stop to evaluate the concept to see if it passes the Laugh Test.

When Heidi comes to me at all and especially when she takes food from my hand, for the moment I am like a giddy, little girl again all wide eyed and excited at the prospect of inter-species communication and friendship - even if she does sometimes walk that last few steps with "Ewe! A human!" written in every fiber of her body language. ; )

Yep, the big guy left lots of golden-haired children in his wake.

Thanks for the confidence builder on the book(s). I am quite determined now, and when I get something in my mind in the words of the VP of a prior employer "[I am] a force to be reckoned with". A brief aside that illustrates this point so well that even I have difficulty believing it in retrospect, when I decided to go back to college, I took 2 classes consecutively at night, and then my employer went out of business. While my co-workers were all running around looking for job, some relocating, etc, I announced that I wasn't going to take another job as I was going back to school full time. Everyone gave me that 'jaw dropped' look of astonishment. I lived alone at the time, had $5000 to my name, and had just purchased a new car on a 5yr plan a few months earlier. "How will you live?" they said, "You'd better get a job before you end up in a soup line." "Nope", I insisted, "I'm going to school." Truthfully, at the time I had no idea how I would afford to do it, I had simply decided that I would, and I refused to listen to reason. No matter what anyone said, I just kept "walking" in that "direction", refusing to be 'rational' about the matter. Amazingly, doors opened, opportunities appeared, and money - not a lot but always enough - seemed to just 'happen'. Three and a half years later I was graduating and still at the time intentionally unemployed. It was an amazing experience really.

I wish that I could call upon that kind of unrelenting determination more often and at will. The difficulty for me is usually in finding something about which to get that excited. Once I have the determination, I'm pretty dogged. I feel very strongly now about writing the book(s) and getting it published. I've begun to 'own' it, and that for me is where it begins. Mentally, the book already exists for me. Now it's just about transferring the mental energy to something physical.

For a while I allowed myself to be stymied by the statistics of how difficult it is to get published and all that stuff, but now I'm determined. All of you cannot be wrong. If you are interested, others will be as well. I am going through with it. As mentioned, everything I've read makes the chance of actually getting a publisher interested look slim, very, very slim. Not impossible, obviously since books do get published but certainly difficult. The list of best sellers and award winning books and authors that have been rejected hundreds of times is more than a little daunting. However, recently, this past weekend in fact, I read the most incredible and informative book on the subject. The author detailed aspects of the process I didn't know existed. The book was a veritable road map, a light to show the way in the darkness. The author really cut through all of the crap and excuses and explained in great detail how to get it done, how to go around the system if need be and why it might even be advantageous to do so - complete with real life examples and success stories. Knowing that there are very real alternatives - should too many doors close in my face - and knowing the steps to use those alternatives effectively has helped to boost my confidence on the subject.

Hope you are still getting the 'good' rain and not the bad. Better get to sleep as I was up way too late last night.

Thank you, nanny!

I don't know if you 'guys' realize it, but your words of encouragement mean a great deal to me.

I was looking for a pic for the next thread and ran across this. Bast, her secret revealed. Figured it wasn't really a good cover shot though. ; )

Well, Folks, it's that time again, time to close one more thread and move on - to our new thread, of course: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/896826/

Hope you will mark the new thread and join us there for more raccoon adventures!

Ok, I know I said I would try and not comment anymore till I got caught up with the rest of you( I feel so left out :); but I just couldn't help it after reading this thread...

Cheryl, I know it happened a year ago now; but I'm so glad you and widget made it through okay after Cruella, attacked widget( poor thing)...widget is such a cutie

I also want to commend you for your honesty...that means a lot especially in todays world(There are to many out there today that write stuff put it between to covers and call it a book of truth or as for the web a thread or ariticle of truth and it is just all made up of lies no matter if it was good or not) I admire your truth and give you many props(sp?) and respect you very much for keeping it real with us....

I also have to agree I believe you have not only a book but a mini series that is going to make print in its time....wooohoooo

since I did make a comment in this thread I am going to comment on one other thing before I go....In one of the previous couple of thread you had I believe a video series of blast and at the end there were the Raccoon Vineyards that You had made up...and...I thought that was a adorable one of the baby coon sticking in the tree around the grapes....Raccoon Vineyards would also be a good title for one of your books

sorry one more thing and I know I have to keep reading to find out; but I wonder if trouble is part of the population growth since him and HRH like a lot alike...Guess I will find out soon enough

Okay got to get back to reading trying to get caught before I leave for Texas on the 15th to go see my granbaby( Nana's lil angel)

editted to add...also glad to hear you got the rabies shot

This message was edited Jun 4, 2009 7:33 PM

Hi Jeanie,

It's very good to hear from you again. I absolutely must get to sleep right now but will be back tomorrow night to discuss. Looking forward to it.

Congrats, Jeani, you're almost up to the current year! Trouble is a Heidi-HRH son from the first litter Cheryl invited to dinner. He has been around more or less continuously from the beginning, though there are occasional lengthy absences. He's physically mature now, but still has some emotional maturity to gain (we all know males mature late, yes?-lol).
Ruth

Hi, Ruth, Yes Im getting closer, actually today I made it to jan 09 yippie( just happened to checked the threads I was watching and seen a reply so I came by here).....LOL...So true about the males

Jeani

Hi Jeanie,

You are welcome to post anytime and on any of the threads. I don't think we can legitimately ask people not to comment on the old posts. Sooner or later there will surely be others coming along, and they will want to post as well. Actually, I enjoy hearing from you and reliving these old threads through your eyes.

I think some of the early threads present a special difficulty for the folks on dial up because back then I was posting huge, high res photos.You have surely past the point now where I started down sizing the photos, so I doubt these threads will be as difficult for those on dial up to load anyhow.

Thanks for your many, wonderful compliments. I never thought of Raccoon Vineyards as a possible book title, but now that you mention it, I love the idea! Thanks.

The kit in the tree picking grapes was Trouble. There's a huge network of wild grape vines, muscadines, growing in the trees along the forest edge back there. The grapes ripen in late summer, and the raccoons have a blast climbing around up there eating them. That's one of my favorite memories the one of going out that one afternoon to find Trouble up there climbing around eating grapes in broad daylight.

It's difficult to know for sure who 'sires' which litters. The main reason for the population explosion is the math itself. Everybody, especially the females, tries to stay each year - unless they are run off. I'm sure the free food and such is a big reason for that. If Heidi had 4 females the 1st year and they each had x females the next year and each of them had x females... well, as you can see that just leads to exponential growth no matter how you do the math. It looks like most of the females are run off after their kits grow up, but that still leaves 2-5 kits to replace every female. It looks like Heidi allows the kits to stay until they grow up and have kits of their own, so the cycle repeats itself each year and the population grows.

You sure are making great progress. You should be up with us in no time. You just might make that 15th deadline. Sorry it took me a little longer to post my response than I expected. I persist in believing I can get tons of stuff done on Friday evening, but often I just go into a semi-coma trying to catch up on the sleep I've missed all week. Anyhow, I really enjoyed hearing from you and hope you will feel free to post again when you feel like it.