Conference misery::feline_v1

	That's beautiful!  You're so lucky to have experienced that :^}

	Fwiw, check out Robert Frost's poem, "Two Look at Two" (at least
	I think that's the name of it - if not it's close).  It describes
	an incident similar to yours :^}

	Sandy

    
    Lynne, I had the same experience once.  I was getting ready for work
    one day and happened to look out the bathroom window and I spotted a
    buck walking very timidly in our field.  It was great because the
    setting was perfect -- the sun was just over the horizon and the grass
    was green and there was an early morning dew.  I love seeing things
    like that.  
    
    Last year I spotted a young bear and thought it was a dog (identity
    crisis).  I followed the bear in my car until it ran in the woods.  
    And last month I picked up a baby owl in the road.  I think the baby 
    tried to spread it's wings and didn't make it to far.  I wished I could 
    of kept the baby owl....it was soooo cute.
    
    Regards,
    
    Val
    
    Val

    That definitely had to be a *fantastic sight*.  I saw some in a field
    one morning and just had to stop and watch them.  I love nature and
    all the four-legged creatures that are a part of it.  I also stop
    for sun-rises and sun-sets too.
    
    Sandi (alias nature-freak)
    
    

    Last night I heard some running around noises on my roof, and figured
    it was the neighbor's cat playing, but after awhile I went out and
    looked, saying to myself, please, lord, not root rats (which are
    endemic to our area, just what I need rats in the attic), but it
    was two baby racoons playing tag! cute as buttons.
    

        Ain't nature wonderful??
     Being born and raised on a fairly large farm in Minnesota, I grew up
    "in the woods" and at an early age was instilled by my father with a
    real appreciation of nature and her beauty...I have never lost that and
    will not...
    
       A year ago I was driving from Marlboro to Worcester on Rte 290, and
    I noticed all the traffic slowing down....as I approached the area I
    noticed a Doe and her spotted Fawn slowly running parallel to the
    highway in the ditch... Traffic had sense enough to slow and not
    startle her...and as I got near her she turned 90 degrees and, followed
    by her fawn, disappeared into much safer grounds---the woods...
    
      I am a fervent if not luch=ky fisherman... A few years ago I used to
    frequent an area which will remain unnamed.. During the spring of the
    year, as I was walking through a wooded area to my fishing spot...and I
    froze in my tracks when I heard a loud 'hissing' sound... Upon scanning
    the area, I discoverred a Canadian Goose on her nest.. Softly talking
    to her, I was able to calm her sufficiently so she didn't leave her
    eggs... Since I had been successful in not scaring her, she seemed to
    sense that I meant her no harm.. I went back many times that spring,
    and she got to the point that she's actually "talk" to me when I
    approached...softly warbling as if in greeting. After her eggs hatched,
    I was "allowed" to approach within around 5 feet without her or her
    goslings showing the least bit of alarm or fear. She proudly raised 9
    beautiful goslings, and after leaving the nest and becoming waterborne,
    they'd surround me and 'peck' at me whenever I went there fishing.. I
    didn't really care if I caught any fish that spring..I was more
    satisfied to have these wild creatures form some sort of 'bond' with me
    than anything.... 
      I've never told anyone except my wife about this...didn't actually
    have anyone who I thought would be interested in hearing about
    this....until now..
    
     

    
    	re: .5
    
    	That is a wonderful story!
    
    	re: Roberta ??
    
    	Aren't baby raccoons adorable?  While in HS I was in a group
    	call Explorers.  Technically I was a Boy Scout =)  Well my 
    	post would go up to the summer camp to help out in the general
    	store or to help out with the cub scouts.  One year when we
    	were up a couple of the guys and found a few baby raccoons
    	and brought them back to the 'store'.  The babies had a great
    	time!  They'd climb up our legs, sit on our shoulders and nibble
    	on our ears....ooh how that tickled!  I didn't want to leave!
    
    	JJ
    

      Re .6
      About 10 years ago I visited an MDC Zoo where I knew someone who
    worked there... At the time they had about 15 orphaned baby
    racoons....and all of them were in an open area surrounded by a moat...
    In the group of racoons was also a single orphaned Coati-Mundi....the
    little ring-tailed Mexican and South American "cousin" of the racoon. 
    Chester---the Coati---was only about 1/2 the size of the baby racoons,
    but this little guy "ran the roost".
      Since I had a "connection" in the Zoo, I was allowed to climb down
    into the habitat and contact the "kids".....what an experience!! I was
    'frisked' and robbed of everything in my pocets in around five-seconds
    flat...about 5 or 6 of these little guys were all over
    me..."chirrr'ing" away all the while. But when "Chester" decided to
    take over and see what I had that may be of interest, and the baby
    racoons moved over to let him have his way... Chester had the NEATEST
    way of taking a cigarette and stripping the paper off in one quick
    move...scattering the tobacco all over... 
    
      I think baby raccons are very cute...thay have "hands" just like we
    do, and the baby Coati was adorable...but then....all baby animal
    are....yes...even baby pigs!!
    
      JM

    Re. .5
    
         You too?  Last year we had a pair of Canadian Geese at the pond
    here at DLB12 in Marlboro.  They started out walking around in the
    parking lot, and soon I had them eating bread out of my hand.
    
         Soon after, one of the geese disappeared.  I wondered where she
    had gone, but saw the other in the pond.  He refused to come up to the
    lot, so I went down to him to feed him.  Soon it dawned on me that the
    missing one was a female, and she was no doubt on eggs.  Since
    Canadians are monogamous, I knew that as long as that male was around,
    she was still around too.
    
         About the time I figured the eggs should hatch, the male
    disappeared too.  I worried for a week - no geese.  Then after that
    week, here he came ... with four goslings and the mother in tow!  The
    goslings didn't have any fear at all, although the mother started the
    old hissing routine.
    
         Two weeks later one of the goslings was gone.  But by then I had
    the father and remaining goslings eating out of the hand; the mother
    would eat, but I had to throw it to her.  Three months later another
    gosling disappeared - that one hurt because it was so old.  About two
    weeks after that I managed to lead them all back up to the parking lot
    to eat; I took pictures of them that day.  The next day they were gone
    - flown south.
    
         I've been waiting all winter, wondering if they would come back
    again, and whether they would all make it.  Two weeks ago a flock of
    four Canadians came to the pond and, since they come when I call, they
    are definitely mine.  The father's got a band on his leg, but other
    than that they are unscathed!  I'm hoping for more little ones in the
    spring 8-) .
    
    					- Andrea