The Girls!

Finally.....with the lovely warm weather it is a pleasure to venture into the woods and take care of the gang!

Spring fever has finally hit the coonies too! No more refusing to get out of a cozy, warm den box. It's spring, we're feeling frisky...woooo hooooo! Time to come out an visit mom and have some fun! Four of the girls are a little more eager than the rest to see me and get outside into the warm air!

Porcelain and Pebbles

Rizzoli

Pebbles

Isles

Laurie's little girl came out, but kept her distance! She was not feeling the love at all.

Pebbles and Isles again....because I couldn't keep them away from me! When they want to play, they want to play....they'll hound me until I leave the pen!!

This was all I was going to see of Chicken! Well that, and part of one paw she stretched out to grab some treats from me.

I wish I could tell you what Rizzoli was up to here....but words elude me! Perhaps she's just a natural in front of the camera, showing us her sexy pose? Insert cat call here, LOL!

Pretty soon it'll be time for the big release........

Ahhhhhh....Spring!

Spring is here and we are expecting calls for new babies any time now. A call Saturday from Andrea at McGrath's brought me this guy though! He was quite the character!

My intention was to bring him to Tuft's Sunday morning, however after Laurie came over to help check him out, it was discovered his wound was quite severe and not fixable. Not the way I wanted to start the spring, but he had to be euthanized. Bummer.

On a much better note....Hissy and the Missus are back! Back to our usual daily visit when they see me down there and come rushing over! I love it. I don't know where they go for the winters, but it's obviously a safe place thank god! I still want to try to figure out why they suddenly showed up last year banded. I always know, regardless of the actual date, it's officially spring when these 2 show up!

Everyone is feeling it! The reds are definitely enjoying it! Especially since they spent the winter in the big pen, instead of the little black one next to it, the one they would have been in!

All 7 are doing great and loving the sunny warm weather! All of them are out chattering at me when i go in to feed them instead of huddling in a warm nest box. As soon as the leaves re-appear on the trees the release door will be opened and wait till they see the trees they can climb then!

I've got the outside water on and I'm getting the rehab gear out and ready. Even the coons are enjoying the spring weather....actually venturing out when I go in to clean the pens. Some even feeling frisky enough to play a little! I'll have those pics for you soon!

Signs of spring!

I knew it was a good sign when Hissy & the Missus came waddling over to me last week on my rounds! What a wonderful surprise...and they are sporting shiny new leg bands? I wonder the reason for that and I'll have to look into it!

Shortly after their arrival the waterfowl have arrived in droves!!! Tons of geese (including a raucous gang of 6 that keep bullying Hissy away from me when I head out there!) Luckily Hissy actually comes when I call him...I just walk around to a secluded section of the pond and call. He & the Missus eventually works their way to me and get their treat! The swans, great blue heron and multiple breeds of ducks are also back....what a lovely cacophony of sounds coming from the pond now as they meet, greet and pair up! Another sign....(aside from baby raccoons already!)...moms getting their nests ready for the babies! Every year this tree next to the squirrel shed produces playful families of young squirrels! Mom was very busy bringing pile after pile of leaves up the tree and into the knot hole doorway where she is standing in the last pic.

After all that work it was time for some chow at the feeders....and I got a good look at a very pregnant mom before she returned to sprucing up the nest again!

Despite the cooler temps and the actual threat of some snow....Spring is upon us, and that comes straight from the source...nature itself!

A little pool time.

Hey......is that a pool mom's bringin' over here?? Pssssttttt....hey guys, get out here, I think were gettin' the pool back!

OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! IT ISSSSSSSS THE POOL!!!!!!!!!!

OHHHHHH.....AND GRAPES TOO!!!!!!

Oh I have just been DYING to soak my hands again......ahhh that feels soooo good!!

And so all the girls had a thrilling day with a mini pool.....not the usual big pool since the water is not turned on outside yet and I wasn't going to lug buckets into the woods to fill it....but this little tub certainly did the trick!

Ohhhhh thank you SOOOOOO much mom!

And so another little treat over the spring-like weekend was had by all! The boys got it the next day, but it didn't see much action until evening since they were too busy moping in the den box or obsessively pacing in front of the girls!

Hissy, Dad and the boys!

An awesome spring-like weekend around here. The geese have been gathering again making all kinds of noise and I was pleasantly surprised when I went out back and was greeted by Hissy and the Missus! I started chatting away to a couple on the beaver dam like I usually do (Yes I'm the crazy lady out in the woods talking to myself and any other animals that care to listen!) and I got a squawk back in reply as the two made a bee line toward me. It could only be my Hissy boy! He's the only one that comes rushing over when he sees me or hears me calling!

And so it was! Of course I only had my cell phone....

Dad was over doing some temporary repairs after the nor-easter blew through here. The girls were thrilled about all the activity on the roof!

Hey....what's goin' on out there?
Phoenix felt it was her responsibility to oversee the whole project....I think ya missed a spot there!
Boys will be boys.....when they bother to come out, Gonzo spends his time pacing in front of the girls. Back and forth, back and forth.....He's got 2 bald spots now, one on each side.

Peanut spends his time squawking at the other boys.

Willy stays holed up in the den box....unless of course I have some tasty treats to give him!

And Fozzy is just the cutest boy! What a mush...and a ham!

The girls are all right!

Spring-like weather was predicted for this weekend, and Friday has lived up to the expectations! All the girls were more than eager to put the hormonal bitchiness aside for a while hang out in the fresh, mild air for some play.

Ellie...good as new with no sign of her previous injuries.

Chicken....one of the littlest, but by far the moodiest! NO ONE goes near her when she's got her chicken wings! Tasmanian devil x 3!!!

Phoenix...always a sweetheart.
River...always wants to be the center of attention! Pick ME up mom!

Chicken grabbing for some marshmallows.

Piggy...very sweet. She looks so much like Nel Mezzo from my 2006 group!

Phoenix and Witchey...

Little Raquel...the smallest little girl. My fingers are her favorite toy!

Cinnamon...she's got some funky marking changes with her mask...getting a little H on her forehead.

Phoenix...get my good side mom!

Witchey....she just LOVES Auntie Laurie....NOT!! It's amazing, as soon as she sees Laurie the ears go back, she starts barking and growling and tries to charge her through the cage! She's usually such a gentle soul too! We think it's because Laurie tripped in the pen one day and fell toward her, freaking her out. Ever since then Auntie Laurie has been on the BAD list!

I'm hoping all their heats pass soon so I can put the girls and the boys back together before their final release in the spring. They can still interact through the wire door...just not in the baby-making kind of way! LOL Last thing I need!