They would be great for collecting rain, I suppose ,with large enough mouths to allow for bird bathing or bug drowning.
It is time to clean up the deck, put the flowers to bed, plant bulbs and find surprises left by the wild life .
Raccoon poop in the tub of rain water must be dealt with today.
Lil Stumpy came right up to me in the morning light, showed me how proud he is of his limb minus hand. He is with his family but is the only one who is quite so friendly. He must be responding to my concern , my raccoon wishes, after the amputation and bloody nub , looking like there would be no hope for little him to survive such an injury. He must have felt the vibes, the prayers to the raccoon god .
Later in the day, another surprise! A new mother with her three babies arrived to romp on the deck, I gave the mother an egg. The babies are still nursing. Is this the wrong time of year for a batch of newbies?
They have a 60 day gestation period , generally in the spring. El Nino is mapped across the USA- predicting a mild warm winter up here in our corner, Maybe the raccoon moms feel the shift and reckon this winter to be a pleasant childhood for their kits.Raccoons know things.
One of the squirrels decided to tackle the sad sunflowers on the deck- toppled them for little reward. Disgruntled.
So, that's all the news here at Animal Kingdom . After the new babies left I cleaned up the deck a bit. I need more Parson's ammonia to really get to the heart of the sludge left behind by forest creatures. ICK, I know - not my favorite cleaning solution but gets the job done.
The day is not entirely devoted to cleaning- I finally have an appointment with the skin guy to see about the hole in my arm that has healed over the past four/five weeks. Maybe I won't need to have anything burned or slashed. It is a mystery. One would think that a diagnosis from the lab saying the C word would spark some measure of immediacy? Guess not. Must not be much of a big deal.
Have a beautiful autumn day - unless , of course, you have other plans.
Little Stumpy is looking great. He's a real survivor and friendly too. He knows you care.
ReplyDeleteBaby kits do seem unusual for October. That said, I see baby deer triplets roaming and it is not the norm. They are growing fast and I hope they survive Winter.
It is frosty outside. Definitely jacket weather then at noon the temperature rises to 40+ degrees F.
Your gord and spider plant together make a beautiful display.
Susan
sunny, not warm, still wearing sandals. AND a jacket.It is in between Halloween.
DeleteFaun triplets might not make it- too late to get plump for winter. Raccoons east rubbish but deer need greens- and tulips and everything that grows! Fingers crossed for those wee deer babies.
You certainly are a Friend to Wildlife.
ReplyDeleteThey are the best sort of friends.
DeleteOh just loved the little kits, and wish them well. I don't remember, but racoons stay awaake all winter don't they?
ReplyDeletethey do, Unless it is very cold as in snow and ice and sub zero, but that rarely happens here. Too close to the sea, I guess. Plus the mountains protect us.
DeleteSweet little Stumpy. That one is a force.
ReplyDeleteI hope all the little newer ones manage to make it safely through the winter. Barbara's question intrigued me so I looked it up. Of course. They don't hibernate but do enter a state of torpor and can sleep snug in their den for weeks.
Please let us know how your appointment comes out.
Deleteenter a state of torpor- yes, that is what we do up here. IF the el nino map is legit we will be staying awake all winter, tropical weather. More babies getting born!
DeleteDoes seem late to be having nursing kits. I guess everything is confused. My little dwarf redbud tree in a pot has put out some new leaves and a few flowers. Not yet! Not now! Nice to see Stumpy still stumping about. Supposed to be a cold wet winter here.
ReplyDeleteWeather is so undependable, we used to have an idea about what season follows the next but now it is daily! Stumpy is a champion.
DeleteStumpy is a badass, no doubt responding to all the good juju you sent out for him.
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder, is that keep-out-the-wildlife fence doing anything??
Badass little coon! He likes his mom and he likes me so he is in good hands.
DeleteI'm so glad to see stumpy has survived! He may be a bit hungrier than the others -- hence his coming right to you. It must be hard to catch food with just one paw!
ReplyDeletethe charm of a kibbles pile certainly helps bring Stumpy closer. His stump does remarkable things, holds a kibble and climbs the fence! -he is a marvel.
DeletePoor little Stumpy. His stump is very paw-like. I wonder if the late babies will survive winter. Probably will if you keep feeding them. We're getting ready to head south. The extended forecast looks a little wet in the SW, but it will be warmer than here.
ReplyDeletea hot water bottle makes everything better! Good. luck on your trip south. Rain forecast for down yonder! Oh but down there is it dry rain, am I right?
DeleteThe glass flowers, the open style ones also provide shallow water for bees so they don't drown. My daughter puts out bowls of water and adds a couple of rocks for bees to land on so they can sip safely. Do you crack the egg before putting it out for the racoons? Or just give an egg and the racoon cracks it? I am so very glad Stumpy survived and is thriving.
ReplyDeleteI just roll an egg to the mother and she catches it!
DeleteThere is a special place in the afterlife for you because of your kindness to and report with the animals around you. Racoon whisperer...
ReplyDeleteHahaha I do hope that there is a heaven of sorts, me and all of the animals that have left this earth romping around silly all day. The stray cat is now on my lap...
DeleteI continue to be amazed at the survival of 'lil Stumpy, resilient creature for sure. Raccoons will sell their souls for an egg. Pretty clear that raccoons are your spirit animal. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI would easily be a raccoon Mom! I do Mother the kids way too much- I think it is called smothering mothering...Good thin I have the raccoons to defuse that energy! Have a good trip south! We will be thinking about you two.
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