October was a rough month for me, two major losses in my life, so the raccoon fell to the wayside. But we have still been having visitors almost every night and they are quite the little piggies! Perhaps fattening up for winter? The other night my favorite family of all time came to visit and here are a few shots of them (Stubby's family):
It's getting to the point now where the babies are all grown up and starting to come on their own, or in smaller groups. It's hard for me to tell who is who anymore. I can tell when they know me, but I don't know exactly who they are. I still love 'em all just the same.
Last night I looked out and we had a BUNCH of raccoons out there. Hard for me to be sure who they all were. It looked like some of Stubby's kids, some of the Giggles Gang and the first mom from the summer - a weird combo! But they all seemed to get along. Mostly.
It's time to face a sad reality. I haven't seen Snapper for months. Odds are he did not run off to join the circus, or strike out on his own to form a rock band with the other rebels. But maybe it's just like Jessica Simpsons dog and a coyote "kidnapped" him. Should I put out some flyers?
Regardless, Sweetie and the remaining two kits came by last night for some party nosh and crackers.
When we have a bunch of coons standing on their hind leds peering in the back door odds are it's Stubby and crew. It happened tonight and it was not! Giggle's Mom and the gang were doing old "Hey Lady...You forgot to put our food out! Please feed me before I faint here on the spot" routine. So I did.
And it's been awhile since I've posted a video, so this occassion seemed right for one. It's a little dark at the beginning, but still so cute!
The first time I bought 7 large boxes of cracker from Costco - with four regular boxes in side (7x4=28) back in April, I thought for sure it was enough to last all summer. I'm not almost out of the second round of that many crackers. These kids are hungry for crackers.
Stubby's family has been to visit a couple nights in a row. These pics are from last night. The before I decided to just enjoy them without flashing them.
For those of you new to the blog - Giggles was a very special raccoon. He and I had a very close bond (he is pictured in the header). It's been about two years since I've seen him or his brother Shadow, I assume they have moved on to another territory as the males seem to do. This year his mom is still coming around, and has new kits, and these are from last nights visit:
My little family came to visit me again tonight, so I laid out a self-serve buffet. True to form, they were very respectful and sweet - taking only one cracker at a time, not trying to grab the whole package like some others in the past (yes Snapper, I'm talkin' to you!) ;o) The thing I really love about them is how at home they feel here. They eat, they play, they nap. Basically whatever they want to do and my presence doesn't dissuade them at all. To them, I'm almost one of the group, and that is fine with me.
Last night was a visit from Giggle's Mom (who really does deserve a name, but will forever in my mind be Giggles Mom) and her three kits. They are all very sweet, but very different than Giggles, Shadow and Cindy Lou. On this evening, they partook of the crackers, played in the yard a bit, and then got in a pile and took a nap by the water dish.
Do older raccoons have problems with their eyes? Both she and Stubby seem to have cateracts or something.... ???
I am known as the Grape Lady, and my husband is the Cracker Man. We try to help out the little critters whose habitat is ravaged by development. Plus, they are just super cute!