Heidi Chronicles: Time Marches On

KyWoods -- Actually, I believe the raccoon tasing story happened in Dallas, TX, but was reported on the web site of a Boston paper (link I provided above). Don't worry, thought. Apparently, the raccoon was not actually tased. A policeman tried to zap a raccoon with a taser, but the raccoon just kept going - with the taser leads still attached according to the article.

I originally heard the story on the radio on my way to work last week. Since the raccoon obviously wasn't harmed, I found it somewhat humorous especially since on the radio it was told from the perspective of 'raccoons are impervious to tasers'. I enjoyed thinking that might actually be true, and that those 'slippery' raccoons had, in a sense, gotten over on the humans once again. But, as Ruth pointed out, I suspect something went wrong mechanically so that the raccoon never received the intended jolt of electricity, whether because the the raccoon's fur got in the way or the device malfunctioned completely.

tetleytuna -- Yes, the police do appear to have gotten entirely carried away with the device, often using it at totally inappropriate times. Recently the news networks were airing footage shot from the police car camcorder of a young couple who had been pulled over for a routine traffic violation. Everything proceeded normally. The office stood at the window, check the guys license and such, wrote a ticket, and walked back to his car. At that point, the young guy who had been driving (and had received the ticket) got out of his car and walked back toward the officers car to try [again] to make his case, apparently feeling that he had been ticketed in error. The young man as seen in the video was not behaving in an erratic or violent manner but was merely speaking calmly and rationally.

When the officer told him to go back to his car, the guy stopped about 1/2 way between the two cars. He did not go back right away but stood there for a moment still trying to make his case. Without further warning, the officer tased the guy, dropping him to the ground on the shoulder of the highway. At that point, the guys wife, obviously distraught, jumped out of the car to run to her husbands aid. The policeman told her to go back to the car. When she didn't listen right away, he held the taser up apparently to tase her, too, but stopped upon seeing that she was pregnant!

In that particular case the officer was found guilty of some form of misconduct. Don't recall the exact details, just the visuals of what I witnessed via the cop car video broadcast on tv over and over and over. Watching that incident gave me considerable pause. Be careful what you say and do when dealing with the police these days. For all of the obvious reasons, including excess paperwork, they are reluctant to shoot you unnecessarily, but the same does not seem to apply to that taser.

KyWoods -- That video you sent of the guy feeding the raccoon is exactly what it is like when I feed the wild ones in my backyard. Most of 'mine' don't actually reach up and clasp my hand the way that one did when taking the treat, although a few have. That is what I have described in the past as reaching up to almost embrace the hand momentarily while taking the food with their mouths. Most of the ones in my yard either just take the food in their mouth without using the hands at all, or reach up to take the item in their two hands without using the mouth, but, again, occasionally I run across the raccoon who does both. Otherwise, their is no difference between the way the wild raccoons take treats from me and the way that pet raccoon is behaving in the video (which in itself is pretty incredible to me). Can you just imagine having 2 on either side of you and 3 in front all waiting for their next treat, and all taking their treats like the little fella in the video?

nanny - Those are some really chubby raccoons in that video. I've read that the norther raccoons are some 20lbs heavier than ours and have noticed with envy what thick luxurious coats they have up there. For obvious reasons ours would would not fare well with those coats. I have read that there are actually some 5 or 6 distinct varieties of raccoon in the world, although I think some mixing has begun in some areas especially with people relocating the raccoons for hunting purposes and such. I have seen incredible differences among the raccoons in my own yard; witness Bast's most unique appearance for my area.

Ruth -- perfect addition to the resume! As anyone who has every attended one of those endless, dull meetings (the norm), the kind where you sit there making the 'air' noose to hang yourself, can attest, that's a much needed skill. Last night, BTW, Heidi was once again well across the feeding area, some 20ft away where she and her dish were nearly hidden in the shadows, but I set that [almost] empty frosting can down right in front of her nose, so close that she didn't have to move a single foot to start licking the can. I have come a long way for sure from the days when I had to duck for cover after tossing something for fear it might land on my own head.

What's more, how incredible is it that Heidi, and for that matter all of the other raccoons around her, stood completely nonplussed as I hurled a plastic cylinder across the yard at them. Oh, wait, that's the same way Heidi reacted when I threw the soup can at her the day we 1st met.

Terese -- From what I've read the Norther raccoons need the extra body fat to get through winter whereas ours do not. According to the literature, in areas with snow and ice, their metabolism slows down in winter and they sleep a lot, only venturing out to eat on occasions when the weather permits. If the ground stays covered with snow and ice for a long time, they may need that extra fat for fuel to survive. Down here, on the other hand, there is virtually no snow, and there is never a time when some type of plant or other is not actively growing, blooming, and producing seeds or fruit. Nighttime temps typically range in the 40s to 60s. Here raccoons can continue to forage for food throughout the entire winter, so they don't need the extra fat to survive.

Just as an example, in my yard alone, the Japanese Flowering Quince and Camellias bloom Nov-May, and both set fruit which is eaten by wildlife. My roses, and I have lots of roses, bloom until around Christmas and start producing hips in late summer. To preserve the fruit for birds and wildlife, I don't deadhead them after that. By winter the yard is full of ripe, red rose hips varying in size from the tiny 1/4 ones on The Fairy to the giant ones of about 3/4 in or so on the Rugosas. Since its not that cold here the insects slow down but many still hang around. I even see snakes from time to time on warm winter days - not one of our better benefits.

BTW, the roses are blooming like crazy right now, especially the Austins which are covered in huge cabbage blooms. Many of my clematis are also covered in blooms. The [winter blooming] camellias have also started to bloom which is why I say there is always something blooming in my yard. Oh - and I have the AC on right now - that's not a benefit either, but it should explain why the raccoons around here can't afford those thick norther coats.

Serious zone envy! It has been spitting snow off and on all day here.

I have not doubt the raccoons here need all of the body fat they can carry during the winter. There are times when the ice is an inch thick on the ground from sleet and even if they got out of their homes safely it is hightly unlikely they would find food unless they came across bird feeders or other human supplied food sources.

tetleytuna,

Everything comes at a price, doesn't it? It's nice her right now and generally all through the winter. In fact, winter is my favorite time to garden and do garden cleanup and such. But, lately, I find summers here to be just plain awful.

As I read your post I tried to imagine an inch of ice on the ground. I have never seen such a thing. I've only seen a few inches of snow once in my life. Sounds like it really is a very different experience between there and here for both human and raccoon alike. Whew! Reminds me of the time I bought a used car that had a seat warmer. I didn't know what to make of such a thing. I figured it for a totally unnecessary frivolity. To be quite honest, I cannot recall a time when my derriere was quite that cold, but maybe up there where you live such a thing actually makes sense.

Around here [especially before I made friends with them], the raccoons were less inclined to come to the yard in winter than in spring to look for food, raid the bird feeder, etc. Until I learned about the spring babies, I never understood why but had noticed that in fall I could always stop taking the feeder in at night and it would rarely if ever be raided.

tetleytuna,

On the subject of zone envy, I have to bite the back of my hand when I see all of those gorgeous pics of poppies, peonies, lavendar, and lilac as these are things I dearly love and which will not grow reliably if at all around here. It's just too hot and wet here for these guys. Oh, and that awesome Golden Chain Tree that looks like weeping, yellow wisteria...and all of those gorgeous fir trees, especially the blue ones like blue spruce.

I have lavendar up on the bank in the back yard. Up there it stays dry enough to do ok. It blooms though sparsely compared to pics I've seen of lavendar fields in an appropriate climate. I have peonies. Most die after a few years from the combination of heat and excess moisture. A few managed to bloom - once but again nothing like the display you guys get up there. Most don't even set bud because they don't get cold enough. If they do, the buds usually dry up in the heat before they can develop fully. ((sniffle, sniffle)) Those gorgeous Oriental Poppies, if they bloom at all, produce blooms that grow right out of the ground w/o a stem, again due to heat. By the end of the 1st year the plants have died. I bought a lilac that was supposed to be able to bloom here, the tiny thing looked pathetic for years, never seemed to grow an inch, and only produced a single bloom in 5 or so years. And don't even bring up tulips. Here they are a an annual. They bloom one spring then rot and die. If you don't chill them for 6 wks or so in the fridge, some will also produce stemless blooms (like the poppies).

Trade you some Christmas roses for a field of lavendar or a peony bush any time!

I did not know that about those plants. The lilacs and peonys are staples in my garden. I have a small lilac that sends up sprouts quite freely and has been passed to many people and has a wonderful smell in the spring.

Cheryl. Are those the temps at night even during the jan and feb months, if they are them maybe I need tocondider seriously moving to SC. I gonna be down in the low 20's and cna get down to as low as 13F here.

One day if you evr get the chance you need to take a winter trip up north and experience snow and cold and ice, a magical world all its own.

Wish I could find an old poem a southerner wrote about his journey from the south to micgigan. was all excited about snow, til ya read on further down and all the problems he faced with snow. Was hilarious.

I remember that, Starlight! Hilarious, indeed....I may have a copy of it, I'll have to look.

Edit: Drat! Thought I'd saved a copy, but no...anyone have that poem, or a link to it? I've been googling and still no luck.

This message was edited Nov 16, 2008 2:56 PM

totally OT -- i just looked outside and the ground is WHITE!! aahhhhhh, i am not ready for winter.

I have lived where you can get an inch of ice, and where a derriere-warming car seat would be a major blessing, and I have to say that although I REALLY miss lilacs and peonies, in particular, I would be very sad to move back to a place where they actually have a real winter. I could do it, but I wouldn't be happy. LOL Houston's climate is pretty much identical to Cheryl's... My garden looks nice in early June, and then it looks good again in October. In between, it's pretty much on its own, cuz between the insects and the heat stroke, gardening is just not much fun at all.

tetleytuna,

Can't grow lupines or delphinium here either. (sniffle, sniffle)

starlight,

The weather I describe here is not the same as that across SC in general. Just a 30 min drive inland of here makes a 10 - 20 degree difference. If you consult one of the more detailed zone maps, you can see that there is a very narrow strip along the mid to lower coast of SC from Charleston through Beaufort. This narrow [zone] strip along on the Atlantic ocean runs along the GA coast and connects to Florida such that we along the mid to lower coast of SC [only] share a zone with the upper portion of Florida.

Over the past 7 years or so I've been paying a lot more attention to the weather because of my flowers and such. Over that time I've found that the overnight low here dips to the 28-32 range roughly 5x yr typically in mid to late Jan. The rest of the time [in winter] the lows are generally in the range quoted above, 40s to 60s. The daytime highs are usually in the upper 50's - 80 or so [in fall and winter]. It doesn't usually get below 28ish here.

What's more, even when it does drop to or near freezing overnight here, the temps usually go back up near 70 by the next day. The day after I wrote that post about how cold it was out that night, in the 40's, we had a daytime high of 80F. That's how it is here in winter. If we have a cold night it is usually brief. Last night I was comfortable out there [in my usual sleeveless top] with just a light, unlined fleece wrap around my shoulders. Tonight, on the other hand, I came in early because my nose was turning blue. Tonight it is projected to go down to somewhere in the 25-29 range, probably closer to 29, but tomorrow it will be back up in the 50s. (The weather service lists this as unseasonal cold weather for us BTW.) By Thursday we should be pushing 70 for a high again. That is how it is here in winter. The bad weather never sticks around long enough to be annoying - unlike in summer.

As I mentioned before, I have this house plant growing in a large pot on my driveway where it has been year round for 7yrs or so: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/37036/
According to plant files the lowest temp this plant can take is 25F. Since mine is in a pot it probably can't even take 25. The local McD's has the same plant used in the landscaping around the building. That plant is known to live outdoors in Florida but isn't likely to survive a winter outdoors most places. As I cautioned though, don't make the mistake of thinking that all of SC has the same weather we have here. Just 20-30 min north and west of here [where I used to live], that same plant would have been a ball of mush by the end of October. Recently I saw a good sized mandarin orange tree (with oranges) in PF. Curious to see where one needed to live to grow such an obviously healthy orange tree, I checked to see where the owner lived and was shocked to see that the tree was growing in Charleston, SC.

Most of the time, fall here is like spring without the huge flush of flowers. I usually find myself running the AC on new years day. Winter here runs from mid Jan through mid Feb. Spring, complete with daffodils, starts the 2nd week of Feb. After that "it's on" as every bulb, bush, and tree races to be next to open it's blooms. The good news is winter is very brief. The bad news is winter is very brief -- and then it's summer again, and summer is miserable here. Like they say, no free lunch.

I do take business trips to DC and even upstate NY in winter sometimes but have been lucky enough to miss the snow, ice, etc somehow. As a teen I traveled to PA one fall. We drove. I left here wearing a sundress and sandals. Somewhere around WV I was opening luggage to find warmer clothing. By the time we reached our destination it was snowing. I don't believe it stopped snowing the entire time I was there, probably a month. Variations in the weather seemed to range from a light mist of snow to an all out 'down pour', but it always seemed to be snowing. That was so long ago and I was so young then that I don't recall much about the hardships involved, just that I often wished it would stop snowing for an hour or so.

The weather in SC, like anywhere, varies a good bit across the state. I suspect that much of SC is a lot like where you currently live in terms of weather. (You could always take a trip here to see how you like it. )

Terese,

I was surprised to hear that you aren't ready for snow. I actually thought you enjoyed the snow. Anyhow, sorry to hear that it is cold there. If it's any consolation, it's cold here tonight, too, but you are probably going to tell me that our low is closer to your high again, right? I would actually enjoy a snow day for a change. Can I have yours? I'd like it to last 2 days and then go away. It has been 11 yrs now since I last saw a light dusting of snow. I think I would enjoy a little snow again - but only briefly.

Marylyn,

It is interesting that you compare your weather to ours. There is one zone map, not the most common one, not the one we use here. The zone map I'm referring to has a lot more zones than the usual one and much smaller increments. I think I saw it in Sunset books. Anyhow that map has a narrow zone that runs from Dallas through New Orleans and St Augustine and then comes up the edge of the Atlantic coast to stop at Charleston. On that map we are actually in the same zone. That map is divided into places that have similar weather year round, whereas the zone map we normally use is really only for cold temps.

Interesting to hear that you would not like to go back to a colder area. Lately the summers here have been sufficiently unpleasant as to cause me to question whether I might to move north, but maybe I only think the grass is greener there. Truth be told, having been a southern girl all these years, I would probably freeze up in October up there and not thaw out again until somewhere around March.

Ok, back to raccoons. Well, it is too cold out there even for the raccoons! They aren't much fun these days. I only see a few of them most nights. Tonight Blondie was there along with Heidi and 3 or 4 kits, probably Heidi's. They all pretty much ignored me. I think they said it was too cold out there to care much about treats and such. With her fur standing upright for added insulation, Heidi looked like a fat, little grizzly bear. I gave them each a marshmallow and a handful of peanuts and split. That was an hour or so ago, and my feet have only recently begun to thaw out.

Ok, truth is the only raccoon news I have tonight is that they haven't all frozen solid - yet.

starlight,

Not to beat this weather thing to death, but here is another thing that I figure is something of an oddity although my Florida and TX and the like may recognize it. Shopping for clothing here borders on frustrating, especially since I often order things from national sources. Spring and summer lines often have lots of long sleeved items and even twin sets and such with light sweaters. I cringe at the thought of a spring sweater and always find myself wondering where these people live who need summer sweaters. Here summers are so brutal that I shy away from anything lined. I don't care if it's just 2 layers of Georgette. Yes, we have AC at home and at work, but I don't want to risk having my lipstick running down my legs on my way across the parking lot.

Buying winter clothes isn't much easier. I have a few lined wool suits, a quilted silk jacket, and a cashmere sweater coat, but I rarely wear any of them even on the coldest of days for fear that it will warm up to the 70's and I will roast. I love the cashmere sweater coat but only wore it once. As soon as I walked in the building I broke into a sweat and removed it. I never wore it again, ever; same with the quilted silk jacket. When shopping, I have to eliminate 1/2 to 2/3 of the clothes just because they look to warm - even for winter. I hate to buy anything that I will only get to wear once or twice a year if that. I have to buy a lot of tank tops, tank dresses, sleeveless shells, and such in summer and then wear them in winter with light suits and suit jackets, mostly cotton and silk as wool is just too hot. I see a lot of suits and such that I like but shy away from because they just look too warm even for winter.

Ok, enough about my weather. ;-)

It's a lovely, lovely day to day, brilliant sun and going up near 70. ; )
But, man, was it every bone chilling cold out there last night. Just ask any of the raccoons if you don't believe me. It was like in the 30's. Ouch. I dragged out my long, heavy, wool coat and driving gloves from back when I lived farther inland, and I was still cold, mostly my hands and feet.

Yes, it's true. I am a southerner, born and bred. I did not get the cold-resilience gene, but I don't think 'my' raccoons did either. I swear I saw them all shivering as they were huddled around munching peanuts and dog food. (I'm feeding them Purina dog food now. Decided to go with dog food in winter since several people have contacted me to complain that the higher protein in cat food may be injurious to their health and cat food in spring and early summer during gestation and nursing when I figure they can use all of the protein and calcium they can get.)

I had a much larger group last night, practically a mob, and they were a bit more responsive to me. Some of the kits came over to check me out and to see if I had any more goodies.

Heidi even came right up to me, put her nose right up to my leg, and sniffed me. Just before I went out there I had given the dog one of those yogurt candy treats (for dogs). They were the peanut butter flavor, so I put a handful in my coat pocket for the raccoons. Once out there I tossed a few around including one to Heidi. Within minutes she was standing at my knee to see if I had any more of those things. I hadn't anticipated her liking them, so it took me a few seconds to figure out just what she wanted as she stood there at my knee staring at me. I always find it so cute when she does that, when I toss her one of something that she likes and she comes over to me to let me know that she wants more. I guess it just seems cute when Heidi does it because she usually keeps to herself - well, except, that is, when frosting is on the menu.

After maybe 20min out there, I could feel the blood draining from my extremities, so I came back inside.

re- the cold... i can tell ya... as DH and I age, we tolerate the cold less and less every year.
and re - the snow... yea -- i do like snow... but it's only November... i'm just not ready for it yet.

yesterday was a beautiful sunny mi-40s day... a nice day for Nov. though i'd still prefer 50's and sunny.
today we are expecting a HIGH of 36° brrrrrr.

the hardest part is getting thru Jan & Feb ... then things start to turn around.... DH and I may consider heading to FLA and visit friends ... all of whom said, "We have an extra bedroom... come on down" [those are all our 'snow bird' friends who live in Wisc in the summer, and FL the rest of the year. ]

the other night, when Buddy very kindly woke me up at 4am to do his business -- i could have sworn i saw the silhouette of a raccoon running across the fence line... .and heck, it was cold, upper 20's
so they may still be out there....

Terese,

I think living in the north in summer and the south in winter sounds like the perfect plan, if you can arrange it.

I bet that was a raccoon you saw. I know that illusive silhouette all too well. I figure they only lock themselves in their homes when their is deep snow and ice covering the ground, but then I'm only guessing. I was kind of kidding about the raccoons shivering here. The only sign that they might be cold even a little is the fact that on nights like last night they actually look about 50% larger which must mean their coats are standing upright to shield them from the cold. Heidi looks like a pregnant grizzly right now. It might not seem like hair standing up could change size so dramatically, but being and engineer, I did the math, so bare with me here. Assuming 1" long fur. If it stands upright it adds, roughly speaking, 2" to body diameter which in turn adds a whopping 6" to girth (circumference, pie*D or 3*2). Ok, enough math for now. Bottom line, when it was 40 something the kits were playing in and even 'hogging' the pool. I didn't try this but am inclined to think that if I tossed a marshmallow or even dog food into the near freezing water they would hop in after it.

Stay warm, Everybody!

Yes raccoons are still out and about. We have been in the 20's the last few nights. On monday I added a baffle to a birdfeeder. I always bring the feeder in at night. Brought it in a usua,l left the new baffle out there of course. Come morning, it was out in the middle of the yard. No doubt a curious coon checking it out. Took me all day to find my "S" hook though!! lol

We are unseasonably cold too right now. Should be in the 50's still. High today 38...tomorrow 32. :(

Oh, no, I've been feeding them Purina Kitten Chow--do you think that's what killed them? I thought maybe they could use the extra protein to prepare for winter...oh, I feel awful! But my feral kitten needs it.

If they'd been eating the kitten chow all along, I doubt it was what did it. Don't worry about it. Things like that just happen in nature.

KyWoods,

No, I absolutely, positively do not think the kitten chow killed the raccoons. I have been feeding the Heidi gang kitten and cat food for years now without problems. Below is more info on what I was referring to in the above post:

The experts, whoever they are, seem to say that dog food best meets the raccoons needs in terms of the proper ratios of protein to fat and carbs, but that is a very general statement. I figure as with other creatures, nursing moms and growing babies probably need a higher percentage of protein anyhow.

Moreover, if you think about it, humans don't eat a pre-packaged diet consisting of the proper proportions of protein to fat to carbs, yet most of us survive for quite a few years. For that matter, I don't even think the 'authorities' can agree on the correct balance of nutrients for humans - much less raccoons.

From what I've seen, I doubt that the raccoons are likely to eat anything that is bad for them, a fact which now makes me rethink the issue of poisons as well. Anyhow, some 'experts' content that a diet too high in protein will likely harm the raccoons kidneys and/or liver over time, but we are talking years and years here, not weeks or months. I suspect that this information has come out of the 'pet' market, where their lives may be shortened from say 20yrs to 18yrs or something like that. Given that the life expectancy of wild raccoons is around 7yrs, they probably won't live long enough to be harmed by the extra protein.

Reiterating, in years of feeding cat and kitten food to my raccoons, I've seen no sign of problems, and I feel certain that your raccoons did not die from eating kitten food. I just decided, after several people had contacted me on this matter, to split the difference by feeding dog food in winter and cat food in spring and summer. It's difficult to say what those kits died of. For all we know, they may have been born with some genetic illness or, as Ruth suggested, may have contracted a fatal illness from cats or dogs in the area. I seriously don't think that you had anything to do with it - but I can totally understand your concern as I felt the same way when the hummingbird died in my hand. I wouldn't put the feeder out again for ages for fear that I may have poisoned him somehow.

Oh, my, a hummingbird died in your hand? That would be upsetting. Thanks for the reassurance on the kitten chow, Doe and Cheryl; makes me feel better.

Yep, unfortunately things do happen in nature no matter how much ya do. Foudn one of my little lizards didn't get himself to a warm shelter fast enough and popor thing froze. I brough thim inside and tried to warm him up since he hadn't runed all blakc yet, but he was too far gone. We feel sad over the losses, no gettign around it, but we try and so so much more good and help to our wildlife frineds so we keep going and take extra joy in those we see survive.

17° here this morning.... talk about brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Hi All, Sorry to have been absent. Life is on the run

Important**** With regards to Special Kitty. They have had a HUGE recall of SK within the last 2 months. If you go to Mars Pet Foods, you will see a list of all the foods. But SK was the last major recall....It was on the list quite a few months ago....and again just the last couple months.

I am still here reading, and enjoying....just not posting much.

Debbie

Oh, my, thanks so much, Debbie! I will check the website. Hopefully, the bad bags were all pulled.

KyWoods,

I tried to desperately to find a rehabber for the hummingbird. When I finally got the rehabber on the phone, she said if the bird made it through the night she would take it the following day. He expired in my hand while she was talking. I had him very gently in my cupped hand with his head sticking out between my thumb and finger. That way I didn't have to use pressure to hold on to him. I was holding him because I didn't know where to put him.

When I found him he was sitting on a shrub with his beak pointed almost straight up in the air and open. He seemed to be gasping to breath. A few times he tried to fly over to the nectar feeder, so I knew he was hungry. He couldn't fly at all well. His wings were moving so slowly that I could see them beating, more like a regular bird. He couldn't hover above the feeder and couldn't stay on the little perch. I knew he was in trouble.

I had read that hummers needed to eat every 15 minutes or so to stay alive, so it was essential that he be able to eat. If they can't eat pretty much on that schedule, they can't maintain the energy to keep going and will die. If they can't find food they can go into something called torpor (like a mini-coma) to conserve energy. That's how they get through the night. When they wake from torpor they have only a brief time to eat or die.

Anyhow, I knew he would die if he didn't eat, and I thought maybe for some reason he had gone too long without eating and was just weak. I was also afraid that a predator would catch him. He was so weak that I was able to walk up to him and scoop him up in my hand. Anytime you can catch a hummer like that you know something is very wrong.

I took him inside, held him gently in one hand while hurriedly mixing fresh nectar with the other. I held a teaspoon of the nectar below him so that he could reach it with his beak. I understood that being held 'prisoner' in my hand would likely terrify him, but I didn't know how else to help him. On about the 3rd try, me lifting the spoon of nectar up near his beak, he lowered his beak and I watched as his little tongue went in and out to lap up the nectar. (Before that, I had no idea how they ate. I thought they used their beak like a straw.) I guess by then he figured predators don't usually offer you dinner, so he drank the nectar.

Then as I scrambled to find him a rehabber he started to repeat that thing of putting his beak up into the air and gasping for air. The rehabber said she hadn't expected him to make it through the night because from my description of the 'gasping for air' thing it sounded like he was already in the process of dying when I found him, his little body slowly shutting down. I cried and cried. I couldn't believe how much it upset me. I had only known him for such a brief time.

I went through a whole period of wondering did I do the right thing or did I make matters worse. Should I have just left him alone. Did I kill him with kindness. The whole thing was oddly traumatic for me. For a while, every time I saw a hummer it made me sad all over again. Then I started wondering if I had somehow killed him with the feeder. Did the nectar go bad out there in the heat and sun. (I change it every 2 or 3 days.) Did the nectar feeder make it easy for some illness to pass between hummers. Did the neighbor's cat whack him one while at the feeder causing internal injury.

Much as you are doing now, I tortured myself for the longest time over how I might have caused his death, forgetting the truth that all creatures that live must also die, sometimes just from old age, and everything isn't about me. For weeks, I could not bring myself to put the feeder out again for fear that I might kill another one. Then one day while out in the garden I was met by a hungry hummer who danced before my face trying desperately to let me know that there were still many living hummers in my yard and they were hungry and would like their feeder back. So, laughing at the antics of the 'live' hummer before me, finally, I turned the page on the dead one, and put the feeder back out.

Debbie,

Thanks for the info on SK. I'm not going to use it any more. Since I found that my WM sells Purina for roughly the same price, it just doesn't make sense in light of the fact that the raccoons prefer Purina and now the fact of the recall. Still, it is good for everyone to know, so glad you passed that info on.

KyWoods,

Although I would suggest that you change to another brand of pet food, whether cat, kitten, or dog food, I still doubt that the SK killed the raccoons. I checked the recall list at the usda site and found that the recall of SK in October was for possible Salmonella contamination in bags sold in certain states. Your state was not on the list. Also, remember what Ruth said about raccoons having 'cast iron stomachs'.

I find it hard to believe that a little Salmonella would kill raccoons. I've seen them eat and drink some pretty disgusting things - but I'll spare you the details. On the 'cast iron stomach' note, I would expect the food to kill the cat before the raccoons. If the cat is fine, I can't imagine that it killed the raccoons.

All that said, you might want to switch brands just to be on the safe side.

Ruth,

Recently you asked about my latest book idea, and I keep forgetting to respond. I very much appreciate your interest but have decided to keep the details of this one 'closer to the vest' so to speak. I really haven't ironed out all of the details anyhow. Of course, unlike 'this' one, it will be a work of pure fiction since I really don't know what the raccoon's perspective is. It will be the 'humanized' version of the raccoon's perspective and will be only loosely based on my experiences with the raccoons. It will likely be sappy and melodramatic with parts that, hopefully, make you want to cry because you are so happy along with others that make you want to cry because you are so sad.

Terese,

It is cold again here tonight, 29 as a low. I can't imagine 17 and in the morning even. Ouch!

I couldn't help noticing how the raccoons seemed to be behaving in a different manner this fall. They all seem so 'busy' and no nonsense, as though in a hurry about something - as though on a mission. I wondered, based on their odd behavior, if they might be expecting an especially cold winter. If our recent weather is any indication, that may well be the case.

Nothing going on in Heidi Land. Last night I went out to eat with some of the guys and didn't get home in time to feed them. Breaking my own rule about not feeding after 11PM, I put some food out after midnight along with leftovers from my dinner. I had a mixed seafood dinner which included oysters. I loath oysters, but knowing how much raccoons [supposedly] like shellfish and other invertebrates, I saved the oysters for them along with the rice pilaf and a portion of the Charleston cheesecake. Based on my morning findings, they didn't so care for the rice, but the oysters and cheese cake were a hit.

The wife of one of the guys met us for dinner and brought their two kids, one of which was sick with cold-like symptoms. The toddler was cranky and part way through the evening I noticed that his cheeks were so unbelievably flushed that he appeared to be wearing a clownish quantity of 'blush'. I had never seen anyone's cheeks flush in that manner. He looked just as if he had been playing dress-up with his mom's makeup.

This afternoon I suddenly started to exhibit severe cold symptoms. Darn it! Just what I needed now. And now I notice that I have pink cheeks. Mine are only a nice shade of 'blush', so far that is, not the dark, seriously over made up look the toddler displayed last night. Still, they are clearly and unusually pink.

Unfortunately, even though I cleaned out the freezer this AM and saved them some stuff, I didn't go out to feed the raccoons tonight. At that time, I couldn't stop sneezing and blowing long enough to do much of anything. I've taken zinc and C along with oranges, Sudafed, and Benedryl and have finally gotten my symptoms under control but too late to open the buffet now. Hopefully, I will be able to go out tomorrow night.

As Rosanne Rosanna Danna always said, "If it's not one thing, it's another."

Take care of yourself! Your buddies need you for their treats! WE need you for your stories of their escapades!

you should send a nice "thank you" note to that woman for bringing her sick kid out into public. something i would never have done. I just find that so rude. If my kids were sick... i stayed home. period.

Hope you feel better soon. nothing worse than a cold.... yea... there are, but not when you are sick... nothing feels worse at that moment.

Oh Cheryl, those pink cheeks in a child are usually caused by a fever. What kind of a mom would bring sick kids out...into a restaurant no doubt...for her own benefit to get away? Sorry, just my opinion.

Sounds like your on top of things, lots of fluids and rest. Of course when you call in sick on Monday...make sure you say "You can think so-n-so's kids". LOL

Hectic times here...nothing bad, just busy moving "the new bride & groom" into their home and getting them settled.

Debbie

Thanks for checking that recall list, Cheryl, I was going to do that in a few minutes. Kitty is still quite healthy and growing fast, so it probably was a racoon illness. I haven't seen any more casualties, thankfully. I'll stick with Purina, though, just because I think it smells better, is a bit cheaper when you buy the large bag, and it's what I started them out on. There wasn't much left in the Special Kitty bag, anyway, so it wasn't much of a waste.

I agree, that was a really bad thing for those people to drag that poor sick child out, when he should've stayed home in bed, not to mention how inconsiderate it was of others' health!

Thanks for checking that recall list, Cheryl, I was going to do that in a few minutes. Kitty is still quite healthy and growing fast, so it probably was a racoon illness. I haven't seen any more casualties, thankfully. I'll stick with Purina, though, just because I think it smells better, is a bit cheaper when you buy the large bag, and it's what I started them out on. There wasn't much left in the Special Kitty bag, anyway, so it wasn't much of a waste.
I bought one of those heated water bowls yesterday, so no more ice-filled water bowl!

I agree, that was a really bad thing for those people to drag that poor sick child out, when he should've stayed home in bed, not to mention how inconsiderate it was of others' health!

I'm feeling considerably better so far today. Yesterday afternoon and night I soaked 2 large boxes of tissue, and I'm not kidding. I was lying down in the afternoon as that seemed to slow my nose down a bit. The magazine I was trying to read to distract myself had a blurb about taking Zinc and C at the 1st sign of a cold, so I took 200% of the RDA of Zinc and a few 100% C. Just for good measure I forced down 2 oranges and a few sips of alcohol. I'm not too fond of the stuff as a beverage but can't help but think it might provide some medicinal qualities if only to make the germs in the throat unhappy, that and it helped me get nice, blissful nap. Don't know if the C and Zinc really had anything to do with it or if it's just coincidence, but I don't feel nearly as bad as I did yesterday. My chest is sore but my nose isn't running. I'm not sneezing, and I only have minimal coughing. I've been able to get some work done around the house today whereas yesterday afternoon I couldn't do much of anything for blowing and sneezing. In a little while I'm going out to clean the pool and refill it as I regret to admit that it is awfully grungy - and the raccoons continue to swim in it and drink from it regardless with no apparent ill effect if that tells you anything about their cast iron stomachs.

As to the woman bringing the sick toddler out when he should have been at home in bed, it reminds me of Dennis dragging those tiny, babies out for show and tell when they could barely scale the fence and had no interest in solid food. The guys I work with are all fairly young, so naturally the wife is also. I'm reminded here of the difference between Heidi and the younger moms. Age doesn't have a lot of benefits, but it usually comes with experience and wisdom - or else not at all. That's not to say, of course, that there aren't lots of very good moms who are also young, just that they might be the exception rather than the rule.

Just thought I'd mention that despite the recent cold weather, there are still roses blooming in the yard. It's very warm today and for some reason the roses lifted my spirits.

Glad to hear you're doing better today, Cheryl, but keep taking care of yourself; no time is good for a nasty cold, but the beginning of winter is the worst, when we're all trying to get used to the temp. changes. That young mother has much to learn...