Monday, September 26, 2005

Possums

A and I heard a strange noise outside the kitchen tonight, and after we flew immediately into our trained strange noise response (close and lock the kitchen door! Secure all windows! Run around shrieking at one another!) we wondered what it might have been. I think it was a small furry animal in it's death throes thanks to our evil killer cats, but A thought it might have been a possum. This sent me on a long journey through the wilds of the internet searching for a recording of a possum. Alas, I did not find one. I did, however, find this.

And on that helpful website I read the following under Dangers To Possums:
Trash: Problem: Opossums do not wear shoes. Broken glass will cut their delicate feet. Wire, string, plastic bags and other garbage can be deadly.
Solution: Do not litter!
I don't know about you but I immediately got all teared up over the poor possums and their delicate feet and their lack of shoes. Seriously. I mean I'm weeping here. I tried to explain my sorrow to A but she was sorely lacking in understanding. "Oh great" she said, "I can see it now. We're going to have a pet possum soon, aren't we?"
"No, no." I said, "It's just their poor little feet and all that broken glass up around BJs."
"Good Mom. Worry about it. Then people will ask me, so, what does your mom do? And I'll say, she makes shoes for possums."

I do worry about possums though. I like them. Okay they're horrible and prehistoric looking, except for this guy, but they deserve love too. Besides, I just found out that they eat mice and rats as well as garbage, so I'm much more favorably inclined towards their creepy lurching selves. There used to be a huge one that lived down the street, easily the size of a small collie - like mine, for example. He was afraid of noone and nothing and would kind of hiss and keep walking towards you if you were foolish enough to go out with your dog early in the morning. Theo and I were both terrified of him.

Maybe I will get a pet possum. My friend M in Mclellanville SC used to live in a, um, mobile home community, and the people next door had a pet possum. He said it was kind of sweet.

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