Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving, neighbor!

He was on my mind as I was working last week--our raccoon and his crafty ways.

Anything that is attractive to him, whether as food or trophy, must be fastened securely. And I was sure to wrap the new suet feeder several times with a metal chain and squeeze the hanger closed with pliers. I’d made some wonderful suet cakes that were waiting in the fridge—tasty morsels containing assorted leftover bread heels, stale cereal pieces, random odd nuts and berries and peanut butter.
The woodpeckers would love it!

I had taken a good part of an afternoon getting it situated in a small buckeye which stands just off the kitchen windows—between hanging finch feeders, platforms and tubes. One stop in a semicircle of seven stations. And for nine days, Harry (hairy woodpecker) visited us often to extricate his favorites from within the mesh cage.

This morning it has disappeared.

I can imagine how tempting it must have been—luring my neighbor from his bed—the fragrance of peanut butter wafting to his loft in the hollow tree in the ravine on a balmy night. And I can almost picture him stealing the feeder and retreating to his post to enjoy its delicacies safely within.

Next time, I’ll have to remember he has tin snips—the brand new pair he stole from the barn a few years ago.

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10 comments:

Chris said...

Those raccoons sure are smart :(

RuthieJ said...

Wonder how long it took that crafty critter to work your chain apart? Those little paws are amazing!

dguzman said...

Grrr!!!!

nina at Nature Remains. said...

Maybe I should try a combination lock next time?

Mary said...

I've seen the work of raccoons on campus lately, so I know you are not making this up! They are very crafty when determined to steal.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Nina. I have enjoyed getting to know you!

Hugs,
Mary

Anonymous said...

Raccoons, :) Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! Thanks again for being such a great blogging friend!

Endment said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your neighbors. How nice of you to prepare such a thoughtful holiday meal for them.

nina at Nature Remains. said...

I guess, in the "big picture", my effort was not wasted.

Crayons said...

Hi Nina,

I came to you via winterwoman's blog. This is a wonderful site. Your knowledge and strong powers of observation make for great reading. I really like the photos -- except for the glass print, which made me sad.

The Whitman quote on your banner expresses a sentiment that has been growing in my mind (spirit?) for a few years. I'm just now changing my temple from the Humanities to Nature.

KGMom said...

I remember your prior raccoon stories--so, he's back?
Of course the smell of peanut butter would do it--it would certainly tempt me!