Baby (babies!) on the doorstep

I can remember my grandparents telling me stories of how during the Great Depression, it was not that uncommon for some poor mother to leave her baby on the doorstep of some family. Usually, the infant was left with a note attached pleading for help.  Hopefully, the family was kind and would take in the child and care for it.  It had to be heartbreaking for the mother to do this but sometimes, there was just no other way to have the child fed.  I simply cannot imagine ever having to make that decision.  Knowing the bond that I have with my children (even now that they are grown), I just cannot fathom the pain that a mother must have felt when doing this.  Still, if the child was in danger, it was probably for the best.

Today, I found a baby (or rather three babies) on my doorstep. My babies, however, were not of the human kind (thank goodness!).  A mother raccoon deposited three little ones on my steps.  This was strange as I was working on a gourd not three feet from the open door when she decided to visit.  With just the screen door between the two of us, she never batted an eye when she snarled at the wee ones.  The snarl meant "You will stay HERE!  Do not follow me!"  With that, she turned and raced down the hill to the marsh.  The babies sat..bewildered.  I am not one that can leave well enough alone so out I went.  Ms. Ez, the dog, and I needed to check on these little ones!  Ezzy, being the sweet old thing, started licking the babes.  She looked at me and wagged her tail.  I knew what that look meant!  Since she did not get to keep her baby 'possum a during the spring, she wanted these! "Wow!  There are three!  Can I keep them?"  NO! NO! NO!  Ms. Ez looked at me, whimpered and went back to licking the little coons.  What am I going to do with this dog?  She wants to adopt every baby animal she finds!

Well, I figured if she wanted to smother them with love, she would not mind sharing her food!  I reached inside and pulled out her bowl.  It had about a cup or so of dog food left inside.  Well, Little Guys (or girls?), do you like dog food?  After a few bites of food, one decided that it needed shelter for the night.  It climbed up in the dead Black Gum Tree and squeezed itself into an old woodpecker's nesting hole.  The other two watched as the first, brave tot disappeared into the hole.  Aha!  They made the decision to follow their leader.  Up the tree, they clumsily climbed.  After nearly falling several times, they finally made it to the woodpecker hole.  Try as they might, all three could not fit inside.  Luckily, the woodpeckers have pecked holes throughout the entire treetop.  Each little coon found a hole and climbed inside.  The holes must be all connected on the inside since the three soon snuggled together.  I watched as they twisted and turned around in that small space until they seemed comfortable enough.  With tails hanging out here and a head poked out there, they soon seemed settled.  Now, if some old owl does not crave raccoon for supper, they should be good for the night.  In the morning, I will see if they want another bite to eat before they leave the Rose Garden.  These babes are adorable as long as they are babes but once they are grown, it is a different story.  Adult raccoons can be quite feisty and can tear up most anything!  These tykes need to be on their way...soon!  Mama Raccoon, please do not deposit your  wee babies on my doorstep!  They have a way of growing into large, surly raccoons!