Our (Invisible) Visitor

OK, he isn't REALLY invisible. He just wants us to think that he is.

Lately we have seen this little guy running around our property at all times of the day.

I found this odd, as opossums are usually nocturnal. But hey, who am I to judge?

Thankfully, this little baby is not aggressive or behaving in any other bizarre manner. He is just easy to spot and very, very young.

My children have had the odd glimpse and are dying to try and catch it to have a "pet". We have had the, "Wild animals do not make good pets. He will not be happy in a cage." talk, but I can't blame them for pining just a bit. I mean, how cool would it be to walk around with a possum on your shoulder? Plus it would be a way to gain insight into a creature that one rarely sees up close for extended periods of time.

We have always had possums around, but always at night and never alone when so young. And the usual ones are stealthy, not clomp, clomp, clomping through the bushes.

Did mom get hit by a car?

Yesterday when we were returning home from church, my middle child happened to see the gray furry lump waddling from the front yard to the back. It was a very, VERY lucky day for that opossum.

D watched where the critter went and saw him tuck up under our BBQ cover. Good thing! I was planning on BBQing some burgers and had my son not seen the little guy run under there, we would have had a well-done-yet-under-seasoned possum to go with our meal.

He didn't just sit on the ground under the cover, but climbed up and hid in a nook to the front of the BBQ that is out of site from where I stand to grill. I wouldn't have seen him, nor would his presence have impaired my firing things up! I shudder to think of the consequences! Ugh!

I removed the cover, hoping to scare him into the bushes. No response. I brought out a broom and gently touched his grizzled gray fur. Not a flinch. He didn't even hiss like the big ones will do when cornered. He just held still and pretended that he was a part of the BBQ.

They don't call it playing possum for nothing!

I pan fried the burgers.

I am a bit worried for him. If we can see him scurrying about, so can the cats, hawks, and neighborhood kids. But what to do? Trap him and cage him? Animal control won't want him.

I think he deserves the chance to live free. Hopefully he will stay in our yard until he is bigger and more capable.

I'll just have to make salads rather than hot dogs this summer. C'est la vie.

Until next time, happy BBQing. (At least one of us can enjoy it!)

Theresa

PS This post was supposed to be about my polymer guy and his buddy, which is now done. I am just deciding if it is worthy of selling or if I should keep it. And if I sell it, WHERE to sell it? Ebay? Etsy? Oy! I'll save this for tomorrow.