Heidi Chronicles: Brrrr!

>>Think of all the calcium she using up.

time to crack out the yogurt!!

Cheryl. Know ya started your new job so dont know if ya heard or not abotu peanut butter.

Anythign with peanut butte rin it right now don't feed the racoons, and think ya had doggy treats with peanut butter for widget. Don't want him gettign sick either.

No crackers..cookies. jars of peanut butter right now. it got saminella poisionign in it.

I just bought 5 things of yougart today wish i coudl giv eheidi a couple. The key lime pie would surely open her eyeballs and make her fur stand on end. LOL

Not sure, Star, but didn't they say that the jars of p'nut butter on the grocer's shelves were ok, and that only the bulk p'nut butter that companies buy to put in cookes and other flavored goodies...only that contained the salmonella?

I'm not buying it in either case, but wondered exactly what the warning covered?

Wil see if I can find it for ya. I not buying anything. Wouldn't be surprised if that what had me sick cuz I had like 8 huge peanut buuter cookie s the soft kind in signle packages and felt ill afterwards. Then again it coudl be cuz I pigged out on them. But have pigged befor nd not felt sick.

Drat, forgot to 'watch' this new thread! Yep, now they're saying peanut butter doggie treats are tainted, too, so beware. Glad I got mine a couple weeks ago.
Cheryl, is it possible that that paperwork has to be turned in before you are officially put on the payroll? Gee, I hope not!
Oh, here's a cute joke I thought you'd all enjoy:

A family of skunks was trapped in a thicket, surrounded by a
pack of hungry wolves that were edging even closer.

The mother skunk calmly instructed her young, "Quickly,
children, let's put our heads together!"

After they obeyed, forming a circle, she continued, "Now --
let us spray!"

-- from ArcaMax.

ROFLMAO -- Ky.... what a hoot.

speaking of Hoot....

in the past, tonight included... Buddy is out in the yard barking up a storm... i look out back and just see this large "blob" [it's pitch black mind you] up a tree... i had always thought it was a raccoon as they are pretty much the only ones that run the fence line [one of those huge wood highway fences]

so tonight -tired of the yappin' i try to call him in.... and think to myself... "poor baby must have had the dickens scared out of him - for him to shimmy all the way up those tiny branches to the very tip top of the tree" ... still trying to call in the pooch, due to the barking.... just as he turns to come to the house.... this "blob" that i thought was a coon teenager ... it flies away!! i watch it go over the highway... and the wingspan is enormous ... then i thought of that thread by Dax regarding the Owl.

Owls are nocturnal, where my guess a hawk is not.... and i can tell ya, from what i saw of the wingspan ... this was no hawk.

Probably an owl looking for dinner.....

Now that's a HOOT!!

yup, probably an owl. :)

I was wondering if the presence of all those other females with their kits may have something to do with driving Heidi to have her litter earlier - as though to get her babies out there ahead of the rush. That way maybe her very young and largely defenseless kits can enjoy the buffet and other things in the forest w/o having to deal with all of the others. If the other females have their babies at the usual time, then Heidi's babies will be considerably older and stronger and Heidi may even be in a better position to fight for her turf without worrying about the kits.

I imagine the readily available food supply must also play a part, since previously Heidi probably needed to wait to have her babies in summer when food would be more available.

I just hope she (and nature) did not 'mis-guess' the weather patterns. It is bitterly cold right now. The high today was 30F. Going back into the low to mid 20's tonight. No place/time for infants right now. That reminds me, after seeing that youtube video of the raccoon stealing the doormat from one home, I'm going to take a small, thick hand towel out there tonight and just leave it on the ground for a few days to see if any of them will take it home with them for warmth.

nanny,

By the time we went out for Widget's last walk last night, the grass was all 'frosted' over, not snow, just heavy frost. I think that may have been the 1st frost Widget had ever seen in his 3+ yrs on the planet. He was uncertain about whether to step off the walkway and onto the frosty grass. He stood there forever straining his little neck to sniff the strange icy stuff as though trying to figure it out. Once he finally stepped onto it though, he started running around and acting fool. I can imagine that snow and ice must get painfully cold on their paw pads after a while, however.

Oops, gotta go. It's time for my appointment with the raccoons. Don't want to keep the little darlings waiting in this cold.

starlight,

You know, I could very well be wrong on this one, but I think Heidi actually seems most 'in her element' if not happiest when she has youngsters. It does seem like it would be rough on her body though. She is a machine, I think. Before this experience I never realized how repetetive and 'scheduled' her life would be, with a new litter coming each year at about the same time, doing the whole thing over and over again year after year.

The kits in particular do seem healthy these days than that 1st group in 06.

I did hear about the peanut butter, but thanks for the warning just the same. I really don't buy a lot of peanut butter or related products but will be careful until this threat is over.

I think that it is the peanut butter products that are used commercially to make other things such as crackers or cookies. Peanut butter in the jar should be safe. That is what I use to give the furballs their meds.

Terese,

I tried to give Heidi a Yoplait yogurt the other night, but she didn't want it - and tossed her dish upside down to show her discontent. When I go back to the grocery store I will try to remember to get her a few of those Greek yogurts that they seem to like so much. Recently, I was reading that the Greek yogurt is recommended for people/health because it has a significantly higher protein content. Perhaps that is why the raccoons like it so. Of course, as I previously mentioned the 1st ingredient is cream so that may also be the reason they like it.

On the subject of yogurt, I noticed something very interesting recently. One night when I went out to feed the raccoons I took along 2 yogurts that had expired but which I knew were not spoiled. They were 2 totally different brands and flavors BTW. At the time the kits would not come to me readily, so I took the tops off and tossed the cups across the area. As each cup came to rest, a kit ran out and grabbed it taking the side of the cup in his mouth and ran off to one side to sit and enjoy his take. Surprisingly, after only a few licks, each kit left the nearly full cup of yogurt and went back to eat dog food. Other kits rushed over to snatch up the yogurts only to leave as well. At one point, Heidi ran over to one of the cups, sniffed it, and walked away.

I sat there puzzled as I watched this odd spectacle. Normally, the raccoons love yogurt and scarf it down. That's why the 1st kits ran off to one side to eat the stuff away from their peers. I pondered why they would all now be turning up their noses and walking away. I had sniffed it before giving it to them and was sure it was fine - esp from a raccoon's perspective since they do have those 'cast iron' stomaches (as Ruth says).

That's when I realized that one of the yogurts was a 100 calorie variety and the other was labeled light. The next day with the raccoons gone, I double checked my hypothesis and found that both yogurts contained Aspartame. As i am learning, you have to be very careful to check for that stuff these days as it is showing up more and more often in all kinds of things. With yogurt in particular whereas at one time it would have been clearly labeled on the front of the container, now you have to read the ingredients to find it.

It was also at this point that I realized I had unknowingly given Widget a spoonful here and there of my yogurts many of which contained Aspartame. Unlike the raccoons, Widget gobbled it right down. I will be more careful not to give it to either of them in the future as I don't think it is good for them.

I found it quite interesting to note that the raccoons (unlike the dog) were able to recognize the presence of the unhealthy ingredient - and avoid it. On the night in question, the raccoons all left w/o eating those yogurts. To be honest, the containers were empty come morning, so something did eat them, possibly a hungry opossum or mouse.

tetleytuna,

That is what I read also on the fda.gov (not a link) site. According to the official fda site, we are to avoid eating products made with peanut butter (like cookies, ice cream, candy) and also anything made from institutional containers of pb (as in restaurants) until further notice. They specifically said that jars of peanut butter are ok.

I just saw a news bulletin adding Nature Valley granola bars to the suspect list, BTW, and as someone pointed out earlier we are warned against feeding pets pb treats right now as they have also been found to be tainted. Widget gets pb yogurt candies, but they come in a large jar which lasts a very long time for a little fella his size. Consequently, his jar is months old and he has been eating out of it all that time w/o problems; so I think it is safe.

I just don't eat a lot of peanut butter personally. As for the raccoons, I've found that they prefer peanuts to pb.

starlight,

LOL, at Heidi eating that key lime pie yogurt. Don't know what brand you got, but the key lime pie I had recently was one of the ones that have Aspartame hidden in the fine print at the end of the menu. I don't mind that for me but am going to try not to feed it to the critters.

Sharran,

Here is the link to the fda notice: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph.html
If you scan down you will see that it says in bold that 'Major national brands of jarred peanut butter are not affected by the PCA recall.'

Here is an fda list of products involved in this recall/threat: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm

Hope this helps.

KyWoods,

And I did miss you! Just yesterday I was thinking about inquiring if anyone had 'seen' you around. When you regulars don't show up for a while I always worry about you, not knowing if something may have happened to you. It's a fine line for me because on the one hand I worry about you when you are gone for a while and on the other hand I realize that people have lots of other demands on their time - and I don't want to become a stalker. LOL.

Glad to see you back. Glad that mystery is solved now.

LOVED the skunks!

Terese,

Sure does sound like an owl. Must have been incredible to see him, even if only in shadow. I keep hoping to one day see 'my' owl, the one I hear hooting out there from time to time but never see.

Yes, that's what I had seen, thanks, but was confused when someone said it covered all peanut butter. I thought more information had been added and I missed it. I rarely eat meat so I do keep a jar of peanut better handy just in case I have a *protein* attack.

Heidi and the kits didn't show up tonight. Since it is pretty cold out (for us - and she's a southern girl, too), I left dog food and eggs out for them. I don't like to leave the food out like that when the raccoons are not around as I know the mice will be eating it, but I hated to think of poor Heidi, 'fat' w/kits, hungry and out there scrounging for food in the bitter cold.

It's pretty cold out but not as cold as the weather channel keeps 'threatening'. Last night was supposed to be 22F, but now they have the actual overnight low recorded as 28F - note how that is the exact number I keep saying is usually our lowest low. See, I could do this weather predicting stuff myself. Every time they say it is going down to the low 20's and upper teens I keep saying it will probably be 28F - and it was. The high today was supposed to be 30F, but I think that was a bit off, too, as we ended the day with all of the frost/ice melted. Likewise, I noticed there was not a single ice crystal in the pool. Unless water freezes at a higher temp in my yard, I think it is higher than 32F here no matter what the weather folks say. (I need to get out my thermometer one of these days.)

Well, work was rough today. I'm bushed. Going to turn in early.

Oh, BTW, I am now 'talking' to you from the temporary Sony laptop - from my bed downstairs instead of the stodgy desk chair upstairs. (I did start out upstairs tonight but am now on the new laptop.) Ahhhh. It is so nice to have have a laptop again. This Vaio is tiny and super light - which in itself is great - but the keyboard is not standard and is driving me insane since I have to retype every other word - but I can do so from my bed. : )

Sharran,

I think you are safe with the jar of pb. As you can see that link was updated today. You probably should stick w/ the major brands of pb though since the fda specifically mentioned that. I guess the generics could possibly come from those institutional batches, and, therefore, may be suspect.

Do you like other legumes, BTW? I love beans. For many years I was a vegetarian. I ate a lot of beans, all kinds. I esp love garbanzo beans, love to simmer them, drain, salt lightly, and eat like peanuts - and they and all beans are SO good for you. They are also great seasoned (spices, chilli seasoning, you name it) and broiled in the oven.

Anyhow, looks like the jar pb is ok.

Here is a pdf list of all pb products on the recall list at this time: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/PeanutButterProducts2009.pdf

Here is a cdc podcast on the subject: http://www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=10684

The cdc has a list of recommendatons for dealing w/ the issue. Most are the usual stuff. One interesting and different thing the cdc advises (with regard to the pb issue) is to call the 800 number on the product package to ask about possible recalls if you are uncertain. That was in addition to checking the fda list of recalled items. I guess maybe by calling the mfg number you may get last minute warning info (if any) that hasn't made it on the official list.

Edited because, oops, I knew that sounded wrong. Actually they say to call the toll free consumer hotline which may be listed on the product pkg.

This message was edited Jan 21, 2009 11:30 PM

Thanks, Cheryl,
I do like beans, love them in salads, in soups, chili, and crave black bean soup sometimes. I have a Cuban friend and she makes the best, with green olives. She makes a big pot usually for me at Christmas, and I freeze them in smaller packages, so I don't scarf them down all in one sitting.

So Yes.....all beans are good. I even like limas. I do eat most seafood, not all but most. But no beef, pork or chicken. No reason, really, I just don't like either of them.

Thanks for the links. BTW, it has been about 45 here for the past 3 days, lots of sunshine, too.

Sharran,

Glad to hear that you are enjoying nicer weather!

I'm also very glad to hear that you like beans. So often people tell me that they hate legumes, and I can't help feeling that they are missing such a huge group of tasty and healthy foods.

I did the vegetarian thing for health reasons. I was not the 'card carrying' kind that lectured others and tried to shame or change anyone else. It was a personal decision based on my own health goals. While I do eat some meat these days, it is more of a garnish for me than an entree. I really like vegetables a lot, and don't often want meat. If I eat a sandwich, I need a ton of lettuce, onions, and other vegetables on it. I just love the crunchy stuff. Sandwich shops do not know what to think of me because, unlike most people, I want less meat, no cheese, and tons of veggies on my sandwich.

Ummmm, too funny. I go into Subway and order only veggies on my sandwiches, or only veggie wraps. They keep waiting for me to tell them the meat...then they can't figure out what to charge for a no meat sandwich. Maybe it is the crunch, never thought of it.

But it doesn't bother me to fix meat if I am having company, I just don't usually have any desire for it.

Today Ralph and I were asked to tell the others in our new work team about our skills, prior experience and such. In response to a question, I recalled and relayed an incident from my far, far (like a million million years ago) past. They apparently got a kick about it since later in the day I heard the story from others who had not been present for the original telling but had heard it in the hall later. In case I didn't tell you this before (and, sorry, no, it doesn't have anything to do w/raccoons so OT), here it is in brief.

Eons ago when I was married - and now you may understand why I am no longer married. lol - I was, as I am today, very much interested in computers, electronics, and such. I've always had a geek side. But in those days I was trying to impersonate a normal person and as best I could manage it, a proper southern lady. So there I was an almost happy albeit somewhat bored homemaker.

One day I decided I need to make a lie detecter test for my husband because, as happens with most of us at one time or another, I wasn't sure I believed his answer to something. So I got the idea to use my (then - and that's how long ago it was) Atari computer - roughly equivalent to the Commodore 64 for anyone who remembers that gem - to make a lie detector.

I went to the local college libraries, did research, went to a store that specialized in all things Atari to buy a book on the details of the machine I had including machine language info, and set about building my lie detector. I took the game controller (anyone remember those old joy sticks?) apart, attached some wires with aluminum foil on the ends shaped to fit fingers, and hacked out code to graph the changes in resistance due to changes in moisture (sweating) due to stress when lying. When I had a working prototype, I took it to my Grandmother's house and used her as my test subject, having her pick one of 5 cards, write it down and put it away, and then say 'no' each time I asked if 'this' was her card. After a bit of tinkering I was able to pick her card (tell when she was lying) 100% of the time.

Then when my husband came home one day, I sat him down, put the foil on his fingers, and started asking him questions. He played along, undoubtedly because he didn't believe I could actually make a REAL lie detecter test, much less make one from that Atari game controller. But was he ever wrong. I did, however, make the mistake of exclaiming "You LIED!" when the blips occurred. He immediately ripped all of the foil off of his fingers saying "This is stupid! You can't make a lie detecter test! I'm not playing this game anymore!"

Ok, I know, I'm not normal.

LOL, Sharran,

Had the very same experience so many times. My local Subway eventually added a veggie sandwich option which made my life so much easier as I didn't have to go through the lengthy explanations of how I didn't want any meat or cheese. I used to go to really nice restaurants with my boyfriend and since most of them did not offer a vegetarian meal, I would make up my own by picking various veggies from other meals, as in "I'd like the asparagus from this meal and the squash from this meal and the ..." If all else failed, I would forage around on the menu and invent things based on bits and pieces of veggies I found in this or that dish. Ultimately, I found that fine restaurants were eager to please and would find a way to accommodate my requests. It was a very interesting experience.

Too funny about the lie detector....

About veggies...I have a favorite restaurant here and when I am seated now, the servers will immediately tell me all the vegetables that are available that day, and of course tell the others who are with me, what the *normal* specials are.

ROFLOLOL, Cheryl!!! I remember the Atari computers! We didn't have one, but I saw them at someone's house. I can't wait to tell my very geeky dh that story... (still LOLing....)

The lie detector story is priceless, Cheryl, and so is the skunk joke, KyWoods!

Cheryl, I wouldn't worry overmuch if Heidi has her new brood during your "cold" spells. With all her experience, I'm sure she's adept at building warm nests and using her own body heat to keep the kits warm. It would just mean she'd literally need to eat and run back to them.

I wonder if our FDA will ever be strong enough to do this:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jL7mHkJcSHVOLlejms7eQS2xXDiwD95S6VSOB

It is sad that we cannot trust them with our lives (or our pets lives)
This is one bureau that needs to be bigger and more powerful, and this comes from a gal that doesn't like "big government".

Cheryl, that lie detecter you made is just hilarious. And I'm very impressed with your ingenuity! I bet you could have tried that on a lot of people who wouldn't have believed it worked and you could've found out all sorts of stuff.

Cheryl is this Aspartame a goo dthign or a bad thing. I get the youplait low cal thick yougart. I looked and I didnt see that word anywheres, but now ya got me wonderign if it a good thing or not fo rme to eat if I do see it anywheres.

LOL. Ya wanan see people trip out. Go to Burger King and order a woppers with extra tomatoe and pickle and no meat. Trips them out.

Aspartame is Equal...and it gives me a headache. (artificial sweetners are not good for animals.....hmmmm...wonder what that says about us?)

starlight,

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener often sold as Equal and NutraSweet but also under other names. Pretty much all of the light, low cal, and 100 cal yogurts have that stuff in them. Some may be using the other (Splenda, sucralose) sweetener.

As to the question of whether it is good for you, there is and has been a huge debate over that for years and years. I guess no one really knows for sure. In small amounts here and there it's probably ok, but becomes more questionable in larger and more sustained quatities - like for people who drink diet soda all day like water.

If you google 'Aspartame' you will get lots of info on this subject as it is hotly debated. Here is one such link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy

I was sure that I had seen something indicating it is not ok for pets, but now I see mixed info on that, too. The ASPCA seems to say there is no evidence it is bad for them. A vet site says to absolutely never give it to them. I figure it is best to avoid giving it to them. It's a chemical. We don't seem to know if is ok for us. Given their smaller size, it is probably best to avoid it. I do know that when Splenda 1st came out and I was doing research (on the company's site) I saw that it caused liver failure in some dogs in testing.

Sorry, I don't have all of the answers on this and don't think anyone knows for sure. Most of the health gurus say to avoid it (for people). I don't mind eating a small amount but prefer not to consume large amounts - like if you drank 3 or so diet sodas a day along with the yogurts and other such products on a fairly regular basis.

If you read the 'science' behind what it is and how it breaks down in the body and such, it doesn't really sound like something we should be consuming. That's for sure.

Melody, I've read many times that almost no creature (including rats and roaches) other than humans will eat the stuff - which does say a lot about us.

There is also evidence that it may be somewhat addictive - based on the way it works in the body/brain. I think there may be something to that. At one time, years back, I found myself drinking diet sodas in alarming quantities - and I had to have them, needed one for breakfast to start the day even. I drank about two 12 packs a week back then. It was hard for me to give them up. Since then I've noticed other people with a similar habit. I got off them when I read about the effects of Aspartame. I will have one on rare occasion now but not like I used to.

Thanks for the information. I wil be checkign to make sure I don't buy stuff with it in it adn wil also pass on the info to my friend, cuz she uses them articfical sweetners iek crazy n her teas and maybe that what contributing to some of her heath problems.

starlight,

Here is a link to ingredients for yoplait light thick and creamy (showing aspartame): http://www.foodfacts.com/members/item_info.cfm?id=29616

Shoot just rechecke dmy yougart and didn't find yoru word but foudn the word splenda. Dang and here I thought I was gettign me somethign good to eat and I liek to eat one or two of them a day. Thought I wa sgetting some vitamins and calcium since . Sorry to go Ot Cheryl. Wonder what one is good fo rus to eat now.

What kidn aya feed the racoons?