This is the ongoing story of Heidi and friends, raccoons who frequent my backyard feeder.
The prior thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/943931/
The original thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/603944
This is an old picture of Bast at the little birdbath. Sorry, Folks, we really, really needed a new thread yesterday - or a week or so ago - and I'm just to exhausted right now to look for (or take) a new cover photo, so this will have to suffice for now.
Tonight I am completely 'pooped'. 0 energy left. If I didn't respond to your recent post, I appologize, but I'm just running on empty right now.
Before I go out to feed the 'kids', a word about my new mystery. As I mentioned the other day, I have my rat trap out there again. I have it chained to the patio chair because I've lost so many of the darn things. Something keeps carrying them off. A long time ago the opossums were taking them occasionally when the rats got stuck; they just took the rat trap and all, but now I'm starting to think that something is dragging them off - to the end of the chain that is, and that something appears to have figured out how to get the pb out.
I'm using the black plastic tom cat traps. The design is incredibly effective. In the past, if the trap was sprung, there was a rat in it and the pb was virtually untouched. I mean you could pretty much use the same 1/4 teaspoon of pb to catch rats for the rest of your life as they are dead before they get to taste the stuff. Recently, the last few days, the trap is always sprung and dragged to the end of the chain - and, incredibly, the pb is gone!
Last night when I was filling my bucket with dog food, I looked out to see a kit looking through the patio door at me. When I went out, I found that the trap had been moved as far as the chain would let it go, it was sprung, and the 'cup' was empty. I don't know how they are doing it, but I'm starting to think the raccoons may be the culprits. I'm perplexed because unlike the old fashioned traps, once these traps are sprung, there would appear to be no way to get to the food. The thimble sized cup screws in from the bottom. When the trap is set, the cup is recessed such that you cannot get to it from any angle without tripping the switch that springs the trap - that causes giant plastic jaws to close with enough tension that you would think it could not be pried open again. (You have to depress the back of it in the right place and with some force to open and reset it.) Once it is sprung, the top closes over the food cup making it inaccessible. Yet something appears to be stealing the food somehow and I figure it must be those smarty pants raccoons. : )
Looks like we need a 'coon cam' similar to what they use on zoo websites. Between the racoons, mice, possums and titmice you are kind of a zoo anyway. Think you could get federal funding to study the gang? You could call it "The Secret Lives of Urban Racoons" and sell it for big bucks to National Geographic. We could all chip in for the khakis and funny safari hat. :^)
ROFLOL, tetleytuna!!!
ROTF, tetleytuna!
That is hilarious. Love the outfit - and, yep, it's a zoo for sure.
Spring (aka Feb 15) must be just around the corner because all of a sudden my yard runneth over with critters, mostly the masked kind. I counted 10-12 every time I counted tonight, and that was with many of them coming and going.
One of the kits is especially combative. I'm not sure whose kit that is, but It is not Heidi's and I don't think it is Blondie's either. The kit in question is rather small in comparison to the others but is quite belligerent. When Heidi is not around, this kit lays claim to the pool and pretty much the whole area forcing the others to forage around the sides or fight. Whenever one of the others tries to drink from the pool or come into the open area, she runs all the way across the area from wherever she is at the time to chase them down and fight with them, and I'm talking about the kind of fight where they sound like to dog in a serious fight and then you hear the other one cry out in pain. Several of the kits have 2in chunks of fur missing from their sides and flanks. And they don't have babies yet!
Heidi doesn't particularly care to be in the middle of all that chaos. She comes, sets up her area and dares anyone to enter it, eats in a hurry, and leaves.
Tonight Trouble was there. He and Ursula appear to have something going on now. She approached him while he was eating up close to me. She asked for one of his peanuts, and he actually let her reach up close to his front legs to get one - and we all know what a pig he can be when it comes to food. They ate side by side at my feet until I ran short of peanuts and told them 'no more'. When they left me, they reassembled in roughly the same configuration on the other side of the area where they were annoying Heidi. Heidi stood her ground this time though and refused to let either of them have her dish.
By the time Jerry showed up I was out of peanuts (and treats of any kind). She stood up and stood up and stood up. She was so adorable, especially the way she rests one hand on the edge of the pool for balance and stands as straight and tall as possible. It was all I could do not to laugh at her (because she is so cute), and, of course, I wished I had saved her a treat.
Blondie had 2 kits if you recall. The larger and darker one used to come to me somewhat when she was small. The other one stayed back a ways. Now that she is grown, the darker one looks virtually identical to Blondie. I can tell them apart when they are together because Blondie is larger in that more mature way. When they are apart, only their behavior clues me in. Blondie will never, ever come to me. Period. The end. Forget it.
Blondie stands very politely in front of me and stares at me until I toss her something. The kit even has Blondie's demeanor except that she will come up to me, generally on the side, and stand there until I hand her something. She will come up to me and will take food from my hand where as her mom will not, but they both have the same polite manner of standing there and waiting their turn.
Incredibly, Heidi also has a near double now. This one amazes me most of all. .I can pick Heidi out of any crowd now, but that one kit, Calvin I believe, is the spitting image of Heidi when viewed head on. When viewed from the side she still looks very similar but something is slightly 'off' and her stance and mannerisms are different - and right now she has a chunk missing on her left flank as do many of the kits. Tonight when she (Calvin) arrived, I knew she wasn't Heidi but as I sat staring at her I was amazed at how much she looked like Heidi, how she could almost be Heidi.
Quck update. For the past 2 days we had to park 3 blocks away and walk. I honestly didn't know if I could make it. The 1st day I almost called a cab to pick me up at the parking garage. The walk was excrutiating and even then I only made it because there were numerous cafes and hotels along the way with benches out front. I survived by walking from bench to bench, sitting for a moment on each to let the pain subside a bit. I learned to dread the walks to and from the garage.
Thankfully, as of tomorrow we will be parking in a garage that is attached to the courthouse, so the walk will be very brief.
The Dr prescribed more pain meds and instructed me to take the prescribed dose. I had been taking a partial dose in an effort to stay more alert and to stretch the meds. Naturally, the dr was right. I took a whole one at 1PM (instead of 1/2), and have been pain free ever since. The same amount taken in 1/2 doses 6hrs or so apart would have left me in pain all day. Anyhow, the good news is that, today at least, I am doing much better. By the time we broke for lunch the pain was ramping up pretty good, but after I took the meds, I was fine for the duration, a much better result all around. See? If only I could learn to listen to the Dr and not think that, despite the Dr's advanced training in her specialty, I know better.
When we left tonight, the deputies said they would escourt us back (all 3 blocks) to our cars as a group. It was embarassing, but I had to tell them "Look, you guys go on ahead. I have to sit on every bench between here and the garage because my sciatica is acting up." But they were very nice. One of the deputies said, "Well then, I'll just sit on all of the benches with you." And this one very nice lady who walked out with me yesterday (and waited while I sat on all of the benches - you just have to appreciate such an indulgent stranger), stayed behind to walk with me and 'my' deputy while the rest of the group went on ahead. We were, after all, going home, and I'm sure everyone wanted to get there as soon as possible.
Oh, Cheryl... I'm so sorry it's been so painful! I'm glad the meds are helping tonight. And I'm glad you had such friendly strangers walking you to your car. :-)
I'm kind of surprised they wouldn't excuse you from jury duty because of that. It can't be pleasant sitting there all day. Goodness!
Susan
=^..^=
Any chance that belligerent kit could be Cruella's, or even Ursula's? That would go a long way to explain the behavior, both from nature and nurture. How funny that Heidi has a near clone, though I suspect you'll always recognize Heidi in any crowd, no matter what.
It does sound like Ursula and Trouble have a romance going on. Have to say I'm starting to worry, with the ladies going into season, at the continuing absence of HRH. Here's hoping for the best, but I sure hope you'll have a sighting soon of the king.
Thanks for reminding me about the Wikipedia link; there were many posts to read that night, and by the time I got to the end I'd forgotten it. Senior moment... That's a gorgeous tree, but it's definitely not our resident oaks; the bark on ours is not so impressively thick, and the leaves are very different in shape. Love the photo of the tree rooting around a giant rock; now that's a survivor!
Thanks, Marylyn
I should clarify that I've not been in abject mysery the entire time. Most of the time on Monday I had tolerable levels of discomfort. Tues w/better meds I only had about an hour of escalating discomfort while waiting to be released for lunch (so I could take meds). The real torture both days was the walk to and from the building. Thank heavens for those very well placed benches. When I walk, the discomfort level starts off at the non-walking level and then increases over time rising to a high level very fast. If I can sit for even a minute that somehow manages to 'reset' the pain level back down to or near the non-walking level so I can start the countdown over again. Don't know why, just know it works. Without those benches I don't think I could have made it. Isn't it interesting how the solution is always provided?
Susan,
I didn't ask to be excused. Yes, there have been moments when I questioned the brilliance of that decision. I just think it such an important responsibility for being a citizen in our wonderful democracy.
weather related here.... and since KY hasn't been on here since monday.... she may have been effected.
KY [and i'm sure other stated] were rocked by an ice storm. DH has a friend in the Louisville area... and they got 6" of ice. 7-10 before power comes back... i think he said 90% of KY is w/o power... and it's 12° where they are.... no stores are open... etc.
I'll keep her and anyone else effected by this latest nasty blast of Mom Nature, in my T's & P's.
Wow, that is the pits for Kentucky; sending lots of WARM thoughts to KyWoods!
Thanks, I'm here and I'm OK! Bad internet connection last couple of days is all. Our lights flickered a couple times today, but surrounding counties are out--we are truly lucky.
We've been keeping the critters fed and watered, even with the 6 inches of snow and a half inch of ice. Kitty Coon is holing up under the back porch and comes out to eat and drink. Thanks for thinking of me!
KY -- so glad to see you post. Glad all is well.
Terese,
Thanks so much for letting us know about the situation in KY. I had heard that another ice storm was coming across the country but had not heard anything more about it. I had no idea KY was in such dire straits.
Melody and Sharran are also from KY. Hope they, and all our KY friends (and all effected by the storm), are safe and well.
KyWoods,
So good to hear from you. Glad you are doing well. Thanks for letting us know. I hope this nasty weather will continue to skirt your area.
Edited to add: Good to hear that you are still able to be there for all of your fur friends. I know they really need you now more than ever.
This message was edited Jan 28, 2009 11:45 PM
Thanks, Marylyn,
I have my bad moments and my ok moments, but I'm getting by. The walks to and from the garage were the absolute worse. Starting this AM, we were switched to a different garage, one that is attached to the courthouse thus eliminating the need for that long (under the circumstances it seems like miles) and torturous walk. Moreover, for reason unrelated to my pain issues, we are now being escorting from/to the attached garage through the back of the bldg and into our area (the shortest route). For me this is a godsend as it eliminates the painful walks.
Cheryl -- after i made that post... i went into the "Weather" forum and Melody had started a thread on the storm. I think she left town, to where there is heat... in TN somewhere... but it did seem the both of them are fine.
How's the back treatin' ya today?
Susan,
It's not the fault of the court. I didn't ask and until that night when the officers were escorting us back to the other garage (thus forcing me to disclose my need to stop at the benches), they didn't know anything about my back problem. I tell you guys about these things. You are like very special confidants to me. You allow me to voice my feelings, mostly regarding the raccoons, but really on so many subjects. In my non-virtual life, I am to a fault uninclined to inform others about health or pain issues.
You might wonder why I didn't ask to be relieved of this duty. The answer is complex. In brief it has to do with a combination of my endless and perhaps sometimes fool-hardy optimism that tomorrow I will be all better again along with some very fiercely held beliefs about the importance of jury duty and the need for every citizen to participate in this part of our great democracy. Trying to spare you the soap box stuff, but I believe with all my heart that jury participation is both an honor and a very important responsibility. All of my life I have wanted to do this and have wondered at the irony that while most people are trying to find a way out of jury duty, I who actually wanted to participate could never seem to get called and then when I finally was called, I was always sent home w/o participating.
I just feel very strongly about this issue and did not want to ask to be relieved of duty unless I absolutely could not be there. Procrastination also played a part in this. It was not until Sunday night around 10PM that I 1st realized that I had to walk 3 blocks to and from the court house - thanks to my tendency to do everything at the last minute. Had I known that fact earlier, I may have contacted the court to ask to be relieved because I really didn't know if I could make that walk w/ the searing and escalating pain. By the time I knew, it was too late. I had to show up that morning if at all possible. Once I got there, I figured if I could do it once, I could do it again.
It probably sounds crazy, but this is the basic logic that led me to go forward w/o asking to be relieved of duty. At times I have questioned my decision. Once I was seated on an actual jury, I realized that my decision might have been particularly ill adviced in that it might jearpardize the whole process. With only so many alternates, the loss of any juror moves a case closer to crisis. I must admit that I didn't think about this aspect before, but if I were to get suddenly worse and be unable to continue, my decision to serve would have done more harm than good. Hopefully, it won't come to that.
Hi Terese,
Thanks for the update. Good to know that melody is also fine. By "both of them", are you including Sharran? Or do we still not know about her situation?
Thanks for asking. Yesterday went exceptionally well. Today, unfortunately, was at the other end of the scale. Today it seemed I was miserable almost the entire day. No idea what was different. Today pain mids, NSAID's, Tylenol, nothing would work.
There is this one stretch that I learned in PT that helps to relieve the most severe pain. It's not any of the usual ones. I have to lie face down with one leg folded up under my upper body - hard to describe - such that my knee is trapped under my chin. I'm in a sort of [female modified] pushup position but with the one leg folded under me. In that position I can use my body weight to get a very good, deep, controlled stretch of a muscle called the piriformis, a muscle which connects the lower spine to the upper leg/thigh. Apparently, the pain causes me to tighten that muscle which in turn exacerbates the pain. Gently stretching the muscle doesn't entirely eliminate the pain but reduces it substantially for a variable amount of time.
Today the pain reached such an level that after all else had failed I began to crave the release I knew the stretch would provide. Finally, the pain exceeded my embarrassment, and I ended up on the floor in the corner of the jury room doing my stretch. By that time everyone knew about my situation, so while I'm sure they must have thought me a loon, they didn't have to wonder why I was doing it.
It is not so bad tonight. One more day down...
Ruth,
I had wanted you to see that link in part because the 1st few paragraphs mention what Sharran and I were saying about how the two trees are virtually identical, so much so that even the experts have difficulty telling them apart.
I have also been wondering if the 'bad' kit might be one of Ursula or Cruella's kits. I suspect that it is. I can't tell by sight. The kit doesn't favor either of them in particular, but, of course, that doesn't mean anything.
Honestly, while I do hope that I am wrong, I have for some time now believed that HRH was truly gone - for whatever reason, a casualty of the difficulties of life in the wild whether ousted by his own progeny or otherwise unable to return. As I don't know for sure, I've just been keeping it to myself to spare all of you from my speculation. I know many of you feel as strongly about HRH as do I.
Tonight I came home and took a long nap to rest my back and my head. I had planned to go out late tonight hoping to 'miss' some of the crowd that has been gathering out there. I figured if Heidi was hungry enough she would wait for me, especially since I've kept such a regular schedule lately - and hopefully some of the others would not wait. It was probably almost 11PM when I went out.
When I got to the back door to fix their dinner, Heidi and the one kit who still seems to be with her were waiting on the patio. They scattered, hiding in the shrubs and such, when I went outside. I called to Heidi to reasure her and went out to the feeding area as usual.
With Heidi standing nearby, I went directly to her dish, stooped down beside it, turned it upright, and then holding the bucket in one hand proceeded to use the other hand like a crane to reach in, grab handfuls of dog food, and deposit them in the bowl. As I was doing this, Heidi just walked up to the bowl much like a pet might do, walked right up until her nose was maybe 1-2in from the edge of the dish even as I was still reaching in to deliver more food. In the past she had come within maybe 10in or so of the dish while I was there, but this was surely the closest she had ever come, and this time her demeanor was quite calm. She didn't look cautious as she had in the past.
Besides the dog food, in the bucket I also had a handful or so of grapes which were still in their original plastic bag. When I had put 3 or 4 handfuls of dog food in the bowl, I reached into the plastic bag for the grapes, wrestled a bit with the bag, and put the grapes beside Heidi's bowl. By this time she had her head in the bowl and was eating. That I reached so close beside her to lay the grapes down did not seem to bother her at all.
Unfortunately, as the scant handful of grapes was the few that were left from a few nights ago, they were all I had. Soon after I took my seat, Heidi scarfed the grapes down with a ferver that belied her love of them. As soon as the last grape was gone, she began sniffing all around her area in search of more. Finding none, she moved in larger circles, fussing at the others as if to say, "don't you dare touch any grapes! They are mine!" Upon realizing that there were no more grapes, she then looked up at me as if to say "You Who, I'm out of grapes over here!" and when I didn't toss her any more, she promptly came over to me to ask for more, walked right over sniffed my hand, sniffed my knee and the bucket before giving up to return to her bowl.
The only other treat I had with me was a bag of mm. Heidi doesn't usually eat mm's, but I figured I'd give it a try. I tossed her one and was surprised to see her scarf that down with enthusiasm. And then...when she had finished the 1st marshmallow, incredibly, and I know I keep saying this, but this has just never, ever happened, Heidi came right over to me where she stood taking marshmallows from my hand over and over until she had eaten some 6 or 8 of the things - quite the record for Heidi who normally eschews those things.
She was just so calm this time when she stood there taking the marshmallows, no sign of tension. Her demeanor was getting much closer to that of a Fraidy or a Dennis. This time there was no hesitation as she repeatedly reached up to take the mm's from my hand. The mm's are small compared to the items she had been taking from my hand: sandwiches and clusters of grapes. I believe this is the smallest item she has taken from me but can't swear to it. That's important because a smaller item requires her to come into closer contact with my hand. When they are still somewhat uncertain of me, they tend to feel safer taking a larger item. Even a few inches seperation between them and the [dreaded] hand makes a big difference to them. Tonight, each time she reached up to take a mm, her hands touched mine gently clasping it momentarily. I'm not sure why she did this. It is possible for them to take the mm w/o actually touching me. The kits do this all of the time. It could even be that her eye sight is less acute, but who knows what her reasons are. I was just delighted to see that we were taking another itsy bitsy yet huge step forward in our interactions.
Don't know if I mentioned this before, but in the very 1st [full] year I noticed - and it really was unmistakable - that the other females were showing a most distinct tendancy to favor and defer to any female who was 'in season'. As I've mentioned several times, Ursula is normally treated like a 2nd class citizen at the buffet. She is either not allowed at all or forced to hang out around the fringes.
Tonight, however, I could not help but notice that Ursula, who if you recall from last night appears to be in season, received much different treatment. Last night and tonight, Ursula was permitted to walk freely about throughout the buffet area. No one tried to chase her out. The sniffed her and said (with body language) "Oh, ok, come on in. Our house is your house. Make yourself at home." Ursula wandered about as though oblivious to the rules of proper behavior, and the others completely ignored her violations of their space. Even Heidi failed to react when Ursula 'grazed' her way right through the middle of Heidi's space, and the mean kit allowed Ursula access to 'her' pool - of course, as previously stated, the mean kit may well belong to Ursula.
This behavior, this very overt tendency (or so it appears) to treat 'in season' females like temporary royalty is interesting to note.
Just thought I'd add...the minute this case is over I plan to call the Dr to schedule the next step whatever that is w/o delay. This AM a guy (who had learned of my situation last night during the embarassing bench-hopping incident on the way back to the garage) told me that he once had the same thing that I have. In his case, at least, surgery successfully restored his (pain free) mobility. My Dr said surgery is the last resort - which makes sense. Still it is encouraging to know that there is (or may be) a possible fix at the end of the line. As soon as this is over, I'm going to move to the next step ASAP.
Yes, Cheryl, I share your bad feeling about HRH; when he failed to reappear during the cold months, I knew it wasn't looking good. Here's hoping we're wrong; or that if Trouble has driven him off, he has found a niche elsewhere where he is at least safe. We'll never know, of course, and that's one of the saddest parts of working with wildlife.
Fascinating that Heidi was suddenly desperate for marshmallows. If she is pregnant, this must have been her sugar craving night!
Glad to hear that KyWoods and Melody are safe; wish we could hear from Sharran.
Sorry to hear that the pain was worse today, Cheryl, and hope you'll pursue looking for treatments once your jury duty is over. That level of pain is truly debilitating and miserable. I do understand your feelings about jury duty, and hope you'll be able to see it through.
Hi Ruth,
With no way to know the true fate of any of the raccoons once they disappear from the scene and knowing that we have virtually no predators here (as long as they avoid cars, alligators, and the minimal risk of someone trapping them for relocation), I've chosen to believe that all who came through the buffet at one point but are no longer here have merely been subjected to the peer relocation program and are living normal, healthy, happy lives elsewhere. If I am never given the opportunity to enjoy time with HRH (or Dennis or Fraidy or other one time residents) again, I will miss him very much but will forever be glad for them time we shared.
After reading Terese's post, I checked melody's thread in the weather forum and saw that Sharran has posted over there.
Thanks, Ruth. As long as it is possible for me to keep going and to do my task, I will be there. Thank goodness for NSAID's, Tylenol, PT, heating pads and the like...
I am very glad to hear that others share my feeling on jury duty. I should clarify (for all) that in no way do I mean to pass judgement on anyone elses reasons for serving or not. For those who have to take care of a debilitated person whose care cannot easily be transferred to someone else, for instance, serving may not be feasible at this time. Likewise, for those who do not have 100% coverage for jury leave, it may pose a serious financial problem. I'm just saying that, for me, and given my own set of circumstances, the level of pain has not been sufficient to warrant asking to be relieved of service.
>>After reading Terese's post, I checked melody's thread
Cheryl -- Sorry - i didint get a chance to reply that yes, Sharron posted there too... but sometime around 10-10:30pm, i turn into a pumpkin... i just can't keep the late hours. ;-)
Cheryl, sorry to hear you are once again in pain.
KYWoods, glad you are safe! No ice here, just a bit over a foot of snow!
A foot of snow is a lot, wow. I spent an hour hacking our two cars out of their ice/snow cocoons today, then dried the inside door frames and sprayed them with silicone spray so they wouldn't freeze shut. That was a workout! My Dad then put chains on my car and will use it to ferry him up and down the hill to his pickup truck.
KittyCoon is out and about a little--I see puddy-prints in the snow! I'll bet she spends the better part of the day in her hole beneath the back porch, though.
I was called to show up for jury duty last year, but wasn't chosen. Being a paralegal student, I was quite disappointed.
I miss HRH, too!
Sharran hasn't been on all day, so think she finally lost power. She nevr goes a whole day without posting a word.
Maybe HRH decided he had enough of Heidi and got himself a new little piece in another neck of the woods. He probably just out gettign hismelf some yoru stuff with out so many kids. LOL
Here is the Sharon update on one of her threads that she posts to.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=6067774
I still wish I had gotten her cell phone number when I talked to her two days ago.
At least she is safe and warm.
Susan
=^..^=
Thanks Susan. Sure do appreciate that. Can let others worried about her know too.
Today was a very good 'back' day but a horrible court day.
Today we worked 12 grueling, nonstop hours in court w/o a break. We worked through lunch and didn't even get to go outside to see the sunshine or even step out into the hall for a few minutes to stretch our legs and free our minds. I'm learning a lot about our system and not always the things I had expected to learn. I may have to adjust my position on the issue.
Given that I sat for the better part of 12hrs today and still managed to have a good back day, I'm all the more perplexed as to what makes the difference between the good vs bad days.
As to the raccoons, I got home at 10PM and ran out immediately to feed them. I took a dozen eggs which went down ultra fast, and a pkg of raspberry Newtons, also popular. Tonight I recognized Jerry all on my own w/o the standing thing. I called out to her as usual, "Jerry, Jerry" and tossed her a cookie. To get away from the crowd, she took the cookie up into the tree. A few minutes later, I saw her poke her head out of the bushes atop the fence, when I called her name, she stood upright on the top of the fence where she was surrounded by limbs from a shrub. There she was just standing up straight as a board on top of the fence. LOL at how darn cute Jerry has become. Of course, I gave her a few more cookies.
Glad to hear that Sharran is also okay.
Whew, that is much too long a day without breaks! Lord knows our legal system has its (sometimes giant) problems, the most obvious of which is the fact that those with wealth have a huge advantage in being able to hire the very best attorneys. Nevertheless, the jury system seems, IMHO, to beat the usual alternatives of judgment by a solo judge, a king, etc.
You're taking the sensible and sane view of those raccoons who have departed the diner. Since one can never know where they are or how they're doing, it's best to hope and believe that they're doing well. The absence of hunting and large predators in your immediate area makes that a realistic hope, not to mention the excellent early nutrition you provided that can only improve their health and odds for survival. And for the mature ones like HRH, you certainly made his golden years a whole lot more golden. Dominant males come and go: that's the way of all animal societies, and at least in theory helps with genetic variety. It just will be hard to find another king as benevolent and charming as that big boy!
Y aknow just had this thought. Don't know if it could be right or not.
heidi been havign HRH babies. If she preggo again I just don't see her pickign any mate. Good be they kidna stick with the same ones, and if that so that means maybe she havign more HRH babies and he around, just out sowign oats in other parts too.
That is what I was thinking, starlight. He may be eating elsewhere.
I have one squirrel that will not come into my yard. S/he hangs back in the woods and sees all of the other come in and eat heartily, and waits for them to return. They are all from the same 2 nests,(?parents & last years kids?) they do everything together. S/he must have gotten a bad scare inside my fence and won't set foot in here at all. I haven't been too successful feeding out there, the deer take anything that looks like food - they even licked the peanut butter off that I smeared on a tree trunk for the woodpeckers. That was a funny sight!
The following [admittedly very long] passage deals with jury duty and with the [now public] events of the trial - and only that. There is no raccoon related info in this post. This disclaimer is intended for those who would prefer not to read such OT 'ramblings'. If you are only interested in raccoon related info, please just skip over this post, and I will get back on topic shortly.
The trial finally ended today. I returned home feeling completely spent, like a rung-out dish rag, emotionally exhausted.
After the verdict was delivered and the sentence passed we were instructed by the judge that we MAY now discuss the case if we wish or opt not to discuss it if we wish. It is with that instruction in mind that I fill in these few and final details.
It was a murder case. I had always wanted to serve on a jury but had always [mentally] stipulated 'not a murder case'. When I was seated on the jury and the judge read the charges a cold chill ran up my spine. For a moment it all seemed most surreal.
It had occurred in the high crime area of the inner city, an area just a few blocks from pricey homes and historic buildings, an area where multiple apartments are contained in small shacks often unpainted and in severe disrepair, an area which is officially 'not on the map' and where you don't go unless you live there.
The people involved spoke a gang-like, inner city version of the English language with which I am unfamiliar, and their grammar was often unbelievably attrocious. An entire sentence might be constructed of a seemingly hodge podge group of pronouns with the wrong case, verbs with the wrong tense, nouns used for adjectives, adjectives in place of adverbs, etc and all in the same sentence. I honestly had no idea anyone spoke like that in 2009, and these, BTW, were young people.
A man had been brutally gunned down in the street for no apparent reason, some minor altercation. It occurred in front of witnesses, but initially no one would speak to the police as all feared for their own lives - and with good reason.
The defendant was very young and, I could not help but notice, exceedingly attractive. Naturally, his attorneys had 'cleaned him up' considerably for trial and had put him in a nice suit with tie. He looked quite angelic really. As I surveyed him, I thought how differently his life might have turned out, how he might have been a doctor, attorney, business man, or given his looks even a model, or lead actor. With his looks and apparent charm he might have been an incredibly successful salesman or realtor. There was so much he might have done with his life had he chosen a different path...
As time went on, however, I began to realize that what had previously seemed an angelic expression was really a cold, austere, emotionless one. He showed no sign of emotion when the charges were read or even when witnesses described the cold blooded shooting and the dying man. It was then that I began to realize that even at his young age this was a very hardened person the likes of which I could really never fully comprehend. Whether guilty or innocent and regardless of all coaching by attorneys I would expect that any 'normal' person who sat on trial for murder would show some tiny hint of emotion if only stress and fear for his own future, but this young man was made of granite. When I heard him speak both through recordings and his own deposition/statement, this became all the more apparent.
At the onset of the trial I thought the 'negatives' would be the emotional turmoil and consequence of sitting in judgement of another especially one judged of so grave a crime and the difficulty involved in making such a weighty decision. While those were monumental items throughout the trial, I was soon to learn new and unexpected down sides of such a case.
By the 2nd day fear for OUR safety prompted the court to assign a group of bailifs and deputies to be our handlers at all times. Our parking assignments were changed - even from that of other jurors. The entire top floor of the garage attached to the court building was cleared and held for the 14 of us plus bailifs and deputies. Just 2 dozen or so cars on the entire floor. We were 'collected' by our handlers when we parked our cars and were kept in containment for the duration of the day until we were put back into our cars at night. Food and drinks, water, and coffee, etc were all brought to us. We were not permitted to even walk out into the hall at any time. When we came in in the morning and left at night we looked like celebrities or politicians surrounded on all sides by a group of body guards sporting head sets and such.
Deliberation was to be the next 'unexpected' hurdle in this event. I had known it might be difficult. I had never imagined it might be SO difficult. If you think about it, it's difficult for a half dozen people to agree on toppings for a pizza, and here we were 12 strangers who needed to come to a unanimous agreement on something of this magnitude.
Eleven people were able to see that the overwhelming weight of the evidence indicated guilt well beyond a reasonable doubt. One lone person could not see this, could not, in fact, even make a decision at all. Now if any person had a 'real' reason for seeing things differently I (in fact, we) would have welcomed the chance to discuss the matter with that person. This was a very serious matter and one which we all took very seriously. We would have been eager to hear any reason why we should reconsider our positions.
But that one person not only held a desenting opinion but refused to deliberate. What? I didn't even know this was possible. Had never imaged the scenario we all found ourselves in as we sat for hours on endless hours, about 16 or so hours, rambling on in an attempt to present our side to a person who largely refused to talk with us, a person who would not even honor our request that he/she try to convince us of his/her position.
What I personally found most frustrating - not with the individual but with the system - was that the we had been paired with this one person who I quickly began to realize lacked the intellectual capacity to think in a logical manner and assemble puzzle pieces so as to see the bigger picture. We could barely get him/her to speak at all. Some very patient people worked endlessly and for hours just trying to get this person to vocalize a position and say what some of the doubts were.
Throughout all of this we all were locked in a small room - for the duration. I don't believe I have ever had occasion to be physically restrained in that manner. As the day wore on and our plight became more and more obvious I could at times feel a sense of almost terror well up inside me from time to time at knowing that we were in a veritable prison from which there was no means of escape, no windows to see the outside or the sunlight and only one locked and very well guarded door. We were tasked with reaching a unanimous decision and could not leave until we had done so, yet we had been somehow saddled with this one person who lacked the capacity to decide and who did not even understand that simply not deciding was not a reasonable option and who moreover did not realize that we were all going to be living in that room until we could agree - and yet the person would neither permit us to address the perceived weaknesses of our side nor attempt to convince us of his/hers. This person would not even accept fact or yield to logic.
Considering the circumstances we were all incredibly civilized and restrained. This morning, trying to remember to see the humor even in the bad situations, I thought to myself (and I am sure you all know me well enough by now to know that I am kidding!), "the judge said we had to all agree. She didn't say what we could and could not do to reach that agreement. She didn't say we couldn't beat the tar out of the desenter, for instance. Hmm. Maybe that's why they locked us in here alone with no witnesses."
This person would not accept eye witness testimony or even the testimony of police, ems, and other officials. It seemed that nothing short of personally witnessing the crime would suffice as reasonable proof for this person. For hours the person sat saying there was not enough evidence to make a decision. We tried and tried to get the person to understand the the trial was now over and no additional evidence would be forthcoming. This was it, time to make a decision.
Neither I nor any of the other 10 who believed the accussed to be guilty were in doubt as to our decisions. As much as we hated being stuck there in such impossible circumstances, none of us could image the alternative, that of failing to reach a unanimous decision and thereby permitting this person to walk the streets again - so we sat and we hashed and rehashed the facts, sat quietly as this person read notes, wrestled to get even the smallest of responses upon which to base further discussion.
In the end, we were finally able to reach a unanimous decision of guilty (and, I promise, without resorting to violence). After sentencing we learned (directly from the court) of additional very severe evidence that had been withheld from us for one [legal] reason or other, evidence that made his guilt all the more obvious. We also learned that the accused [and now newly convicted] had a prior for asault w/ a deadly weapon and was now facing yet another murder trial for a totally different and seperate offense - i.e. had also murdered someone else! While I had not been in doubt as to my decision, this further sealed the matter. Difficult though it was, we had done the right thing.
Even after all that we had endured, the defense asked the court to 'set aside' our verdict. Although I realize it is the job of the defense to leave no stone unturned in its efforts to represent its client, I must admit that on some level I took offense at even the mention of merely throwing away a decision we had been locked in a room for some 16 hours of endless debate and forced to achieve, one with which we had grappled endlessly and one which not one of us had taken lightly but which we knew to be right. Thankfully, the court stated that sufficient evidence existed to support our decison and that the court did not, therefore, have the power to overturn our decision. Only minutes later were we to learn directly from the judge's own lips of the 2nd murder charge also pending against this very young defendant.
Edited to fix a typo or two and to add that I am at this point surprised at how the experience of participating in this trial has effect me. I am changed. I do hope the change is only temporary. I began the week in my usual happy, upbeat manner but find that I am now feeling oddly despondent and emotionally drained. I took a nap hoping to awake revived but have awaken to find myself strangely disinterested in doing any of the things I normally enjoy, wanting only to pull the blanket back over my head once more. Again, I'm assuming and hoping that this is a temporary state that will soon give way to the return of my usual bright and positive mood. At the moment I don't even want to go out to feed the raccoons.
In proofing this post, I find that my description of the 12th juror is lacking in sufficient specificity to get accross the fact that I am in no way angry with this juror nor was I at any time. Each of us had great respect for the right's of all jurors to make up their own minds. We were not upset that the person held a desenting opinion. We were frustrated that the person was unable to look at the facts and make a decision based on facts and that for hours on end the person was largely unwilling and/or unable to play a roll in discussing the matter with us, either by helping us to see his/her side or by articulating those things about our position with which he/she did not agree so that we might attempt to resolve our differences. If you have ever had a disagreement with a child or spouse who refuses to discuss the problem no matter how you prod, it was very much like that with the exception that we were all held prisoner for some 16 hours or so during which we did not have the option to just drop the subject as our job was to deliberate and our only way out of that room was to find common ground and reach an agreement.
Yesterday I said that I when this was over I might want to reconsider my stance on jury duty. Last night I was very much concerned that we might end up a 'hung' jury. Today, having ultimately achieved that which last night seemed all but impossible to all involoved, I guess I must agree that while the system isn't perfect (what is?), it is the best there is. Seeing now the wit with which our forefathers crafted our system of government, I am amazed really. Ultimately, the combination of deeply held convictions which prevented any one of us from giving in just for the opportunity to go home and the stake we had somehow gained in the outcome now by participating in the event along with the growing desire to get out of that room and the realization that we could only do so by reaching a desicion, prompted us to keep searching and rehashing the facts in order to somehow finally reach a conclusion with which we could all be comfortable and one which now seems 'correct' in light of facts learned afterward.
I should probably add that this was not, thankfully, a death penalty case. The accused was sentenced to prison where he will, at least, not be able to gun down additional innocent people. Also, after sentencing we learned that the man who had been gunned down over some minor disagreement left behind a wife and 6 children.
This message was edited Jan 30, 2009 7:41 PM
How frustrating, Cheryl! I wonder what the policies are against booting out an incompetent juror...
