Night Moves of the Ferals | peaceonearth's Blog

Gesturing to the exact place I wanted my queen sized water bed,I said on my way out...be sure and leave the bed at least a couple of feet out from the wall so I can use the electrical outlet back there and get in there and clean...

Sean nodded and seemed to understand what I was saying.

He is a good guy and helps out around the place when he stays here.

He had the great idea to hook a hose right to the hot water heater and refill the mattress with warm water so the mattress heater would not have to do all the work because it takes hours to get to the warm comforting temp that I love in the winter.

However,when I came back,my friend was standing there with the bed all moved and half filled with warm water.

I did not have the heart to mention that he had shoved my bed right up against the wall.I had taken the drawers out on that side of the bed so the wild cats {three}would have a cozy nest.

When I start across the bridge at night,the cats appear out of the darkness and follow me thru the door.They have their dinner and go to sleep.

In the morning when I get up,they may already have left thru the window.

The one or two late sleepers follow me out and spend the day outside.

There is an excellent wood heater in my cabin and kindling that is dry,but most of the time when I am sleeping,I don't bother to light a fire.

Snuggling on a heated water bed with a down comforter,I sleep well.

USUALLY I sleep well.

Haven't had a lot of luck with that the last few nights....

First it was raccoons.

Big ones who stood on their hind legs with their faces 2 or 3 feet from mine as I lay quietly in the platform bed propped on my elbows peering at them.

There we would be...eye to eye as my threat level was being evaluated by the big coon standing on his hind legs.

The ones back behind the bed were asking him if it was safe for them to come out and enjoy the kitty food he was eating from the bag with snafflingcrunching zeal.

He decided I was no threat and told them to come out,which they did.

They had a small snack out of the cat food bag and then they picked up the whole bag and went behind the water bed and partied all night.

The noise kept me awake so the next day after they had gone back to their nest in the brambles near the creek,I took the cooler out of the window and shut the window barring their entry.

 I usually keep this window open for the wild feral cats that have decided they love to slink in and sleep under the bed on pillows I have put there for them.

The water bed heater keeps it warm under there.

It is a popular place{under my bed} in the frigid mountain winter.

Feral cats have moved into my hut with me.

I don't mind so much,they pay their way by keeping snakes and rodents away...

Since I am half feral,we have a pleasant family life out there across the foot bridge that spans the creek, and the ponies are sheltered close enough to nicker when they see me.

However... 

The coons were showing no respect.

My lil terrier bout went nuts and I was holding her down with one hand     hoping not to alarm the wild coons.

When alarmed,these coons run around in circles and knock over lamps and break my precious gourds and drums and spill the bottles of healing water from the magic spring in Brazil....

Tweeter thinks it is her job to chase wild animals out of the place.

I keep telling her that she only weighs 5 pounds and those coons weigh 15 or 20 pounds,and their teeth and claws could put her in a bad way especially since she will have her pups in a few days.

She does not listen.

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Thought all was under control since I got one good nights rest after I closed the window.

WRONG!

Last night the terrier woke me up....trying to leap off the bed.

She knows how to open the zipper of our tent with her nose.

Yes I DO have a tent pitched on my water bed.

Anyway,I heard what was a deep throat-ed low growl coming from under the bed.

LOUD GROWLING coming from under my bed.

The cats were perched high up on the bookshelves...staring down.

What is under my bed?

It has dawned on me that there is a pet door on the wall behind the bed and that this door opens directly outside into the thick brambles that line this section of the creek.

My neighbor sent me an Email last summer telling me they had seen lions back there.

Now it is time to go to sleep and my intellect assures me that whatever was growling under my bed is gone since I left the door open all day.

But still...

I hope I sleep all night and hear nothing feral in my dark.