Cute, Little Possum Face!

   It was a tiring day with not much of a break to go hiking about the hillside. With a few more days of cold weather settling in around us, cutting more firewood was in order.  This is all good because it "kills two birds with one stone".  (Not that I go around killing birds or even throwing rocks at them.)  With still lots of limbs and trees down from Hurricane Zeta, the firewood gathering, not only provides us warmth, but clears more debris.  It has been a slow go with that cleaning but this is helping tremendously. 

  It was my chore to haul and stack the wood.  Mark cuts, Son splits and I stack.  I am ok with this as it gives the mind a chance to wander around in the dark corners of the brain and pull out any thoughts that have been hidden.  I was in deep thought as I unloaded an armload of firewood.  I was taken aback when I saw a face looking back at me from the woodpile!  No, there was not a living critter there but rather a figment of the imagination.  As a toddler, Granddad had taught me to "look for faces" in just about anything and everything.  Well, I found a cute, little possum face in a chunk of firewood.  Or, maybe it is an aardvark...only we do not have those on the Bayou...so possum, it is!  

  I was so tickled by the cute little face that I had to show Son.  He is very obliging but still sighs deeply and says, "You are certainly easily amused".   Perhaps this social distancing and self isolation thing is getting to me.  The social interaction with people has started causing me to find entertainment in odd places.  But...I do see it!  Cute, little possum!  You just have to love pareidolia! 

Learn Something New Each Day!

  It is a goal of mine to learn at least one new thing daily.  Whether it be the correct spelling or meaning of a word, the position of a country on the globe or a new crochet stitch.  One new bit of knowledge will be added to the old brain.  My daughter tells me that this is a good thing. She claims that keeping the brain active will help me in my "later years". (Sorry, Darling Daughter, I am already in those later years but I appreciate your loving concern!)  Today, however, I gained TWO bits of information of undisputed accuracy.  

  First, even though it is probably a wise idea when building a house on a bayou to raise it up a few feet, sometimes it has adverse effects. There are folks go so far as to put their houses on stilts far above the waterline but, here since we have such a high hill, a few feet of "security" was all that was necessary.  The Little Bayou House sits up on pillars that are several feet tall.  This helps during storms or when piping needs repairs.  No problem.  BUT...but there is a downside to having those few feet of space between the ground and the underside of the house.  The downside is that critters can (and often do) decide that our floor should be their roof.  Some enterprising critters take to calling the area home and build lovely nests under our house.  Others come for other reasons that are not so sweet and honey-dripping homey.  So, the first bit of info that was instilled in the brain, today, is that building the house up off the ground can be as detrimental as helpful.

  The other bit of knowledge gained has been long suspected but never confirmed until today.  Humans of the male sort cannot smell. Nope.  It just does not happen.  While we have all been taught that there are five senses, men only have four.  Their capabilities stop after vision, hearing, touch and taste.  Nowhere in the history of mankind has there ever been a man who could smell!  Oh, sure!  They have a keen sense of smell for delightful aromas just not for stenches.  A pan of lasagna draws them like a magnet.  Pineapple upside down cake can be detected from the distance of two miles.  Even coffee is on their list of "smells".  It can wake them from a deep slumber.  Good smells are where it stops though.  Let the garbage can reek?  Have sweaty socks on the floor?  Let an apple go bad?  Nope...they cannot smell it.  I have figured that good smells are usually associated with eating so it is all good.  Bad smells yell work so "I don't smell anything" is a common answer to the question "Does something stink in here?"

Hopefully, it was not this possum that died under the house today!

  That said, I learned two things today.  Both are tied together with one simple, albeit nasty, incident.  A critter did, indeed, waltz himself under our house sometime in the past few days.  This critter did not come to nest but did come to stay....forever.  I kept smelling something.  I cleaned the trash cans, mopped the floors, did laundry, scrubbed the bathroom and checked the apples.  Nope.  None of those.  The smell got worse.  What started as a mild, odor soon became a gagging stench.  Alright.....SOMETHING had to be done!  "Son, do you smell anything bad?"  was met with "Well, it does not smell good."  Which was an evasive answer if I ever heard one.  So I took it upon myself to check outside.  While Son dug out some shrubs, I searched for a stench.  I found it.  When I rounded the northwest corner of the house, bottle flies swarmed out from under the house.  Yep.  Those are a clear indicator of something putrid.  SON!!!!  

  The poor fellow had to stop what he was doing, grab a flashlight, crawl part way under the house and remove a dead critter.  For the second time this year, a possum had decided that the space under our house was the perfect place to  give up the ghost.  Ugh!  The heat of the Deep South did not do us any favors with this critter.  

  So my advice to you is to learn something new each day.  Learn two things or even three if possible.  We have to exercise that brain!  I have just taught you two all important facts.  Do not forget them!  They may just come in handy some day.

If Only Folks Would Listen To Reason

  Sometimes things aggravate me a bit.  Just today, someone who I thought would know better, threatened to do something that I consider stupid and a bit, lets just say, unwarranted.  A friend found a juvenile possum in her yard.  It seems that her dog was barking at the frightened animal and that irritated her.  She was also afraid that the possum would make a home in her attic, bite her or the dog, and ravage her garden.  Others were egging on with misinformation and many false ideas.  "Possums are vicious!",  "They will eat everything.", "They carry rabies and will infect your whole family!" were just a few of the ignorant remarks that were thrown at her.  Sad to say, she was gullible and considering putting out poison for the poor critter.  

  Needless to say, I tried to intervene and save the possum's life.  The wee thing obviously had just been weaned and abandoned by its mother.  It was being harassed by the dog.  It was scared, hungry and homeless.  My efforts to convince my friend that possums are useful and will not needlessly attack anyone, probably fell on deaf ears.  It makes me sad to think that an innocent life may be taken merely because people fail to understand that critters have a place in this world just as we do.  Possums are amazing animals that eat a ton of bugs, grubs and worms.  They will feed upon rotted fruits and vegetables that make a mess in the garden.  They actually feast upon ticks that carry disease and it is rare that one will contract rabies.  The body temperature of a possum is too low which makes it difficult for the virus to survive.

  The little possum in the picture is of one that was found several years ago by Ms. Ez, my dearly departed Bayou Dog.  Ezzy found the little one and immediately wanted to adopt it.  She did not bark at it or try to kill it.  She felt the need to help.  It is strange how another critter can sometimes be far more sensitive than some people.  Ms. Ez and I helped the little critter by feeding and watering it.  We allowed it to spend a few nights in the shed (its choice) before it went on its merry way.  I felt like we enabled it to become stronger and Ms. Ez loved having her "baby" for a few days.  I can only hope my friend at least allowed her young possum to live freely.  I tried. 

Facts or Falsehoods?

  My encounter with the possum the other day generated quite a bit of a buzz with a few folks.  First, they were concerned about my interacting with the critter.  "You are going to be attacked!"  My answer?  By what? What is going to attack me?  Some vicious animal?  Yeah, right! Possums are not vicious in any way, shape or form.  They may put up a big show if cornered but it is very rare to find someone who has been bitten by a possum.  They just prefer to avoid the effort unless you truly hurt them. I do not hurt them.  Even though a possum has fifty teeth, my chances of being "mauled by one" are slim to none.  So, I sort of believe that being attacked by a possum can be called a falsehood....or at least not a sure fact.

  Next I heard the claim that "Possums are dirty and carry disease!".  Again, this is a falsehood.  The fact of the matter is that possums are probably a lot cleaner than your average house cat or pet dog.  Anyone who has ever watched a possum will tell you that they bathe themselves like cats only a lot more.  Possums are meticulous about their cleanliness!  The same goes for their carrying and transmitting disease. My way of thinking is that you can just about get sick from being alive...it does not take a possum to bring you something.  Because their metabolism is so slow, most diseases fizzle out before even causing the possum to get ill.  The medical profession might ought to take a hint and study up on the possum's ability to ward off diseases.  It might be useful for humans as well.  Oh, and speaking of their cleanliness, a mama possum's nest is perhaps the neatest thing in the world!  She makes sure that all bedding in her burrow is neat and tidy.  Just as a side note...possums do not dig their own burrows because their paws are not made for digging.  They will inhabit abandoned burrows from other critters or will find a place under brush or trash piles.  We had one to live in our compost pile for quite some time!

  Last, but not least, was a remark that amused me.  It is NOT a fact that possums hang by their tail.  The sheer weight of the animal would make this impossible!  They do, however, have a fine prehensile tail that can indeed help them steady themselves once in a tree.  And a baby may be able to hang by its tail long enough to scramble to a safer place if it falls. That long, rat-like tail is a handy tool to help an otherwise clumsy, poor climber out in a pinch.

  One thing that is a fact is that all possums share a common trait with humans.  Possums have opposable thumbs.  This means that their thumbs can bend around to touch their other fingers making it easy for them to grasp things.  Strange enough...the possums' opposable thumbs are on their hind feet and are clawless!

   

 

Hungry Little Friend!

  I have just about decided against adopting any new pets...at least for a while.  Agreeably, it is the way to go.  Adopt some poor misfortunate animal that has never enjoyed life and give it peace of mind and a healthy place to live. This ensures you a lifetime (theirs) of pure bliss.  Rescued animals seem appreciative of the love, security of a home and attention that you give them. In return, they stand steadfast in their loyalty, return the love and protect you. (Even cats are protective.)  But, I am just not sure that I am ready at this point in time to make that commitment. We still are owned by two cats and I wish to leave it at that for the time being.

  Still, today, I would have been tempted to feed another critter had it been willing.  I was staring out the window when I spied said critter. Aww, what a cutie!  I had the sudden urge to not only photograph but feed the critter and I knew just what it would like!  I grabbed the camera and scurried down the hill to make friends!  The critter in question?  A possum!  Yep, a possum.  I am partial to the critters only because it seems that no one else feels they are adorable.  No one thinks twice of running over them with their car, of shooing them from the garden or killing them for getting in the garbage.  Me?  I feed them.  Possums are good to have around the place.  They are sort of like nature's garbage men. They clean up the place.  Anything edible is on the menu for a possum.

  The menu today was to be persimmons.  I knew that there were a few persimmons left on the tree but that they would have been difficult for the possum to reach.  The last remaining few were on tiny stems that would not support the weight of the critter.  I wished to snatch a few to feed my new-found friend.  When I reached the spot where the possum was munching a rancid persimmon that had fallen a few days earlier, I spoke softly to it.  I reassured the critter that I meant no harm.  The possum had no idea what I was trying to relate to it so it scampered a few feet from me.  It then attempted to make a slick escape by climbing up an oak tree.  It reached an entire height of two feet then stopped and stared at me.  There was no use in scaring the poor critter so I picked a few fresh persimmons and set them down near the base of the tree. After a few pictures, I eased back up the hill to let the little critter eat in peace.  

  Yep, I think if I adopt another critter any time soon, it will be a wild one. They need to eat as well and with winter breathing down our necks, food may become scarce.  A little tidbit now and again will not hurt and maybe will make life a bit easier for some of my wild friends on the Bayou.  Oh, and all I could think about while befriending the possum was how Ms. Ez, the old Bayou Dog, would have loved this.  For some strange reason, she adored possums!  Go figure!

Ms. Ez finds a baby!

Ms. Ez would have been a great mama!  She adopts any critter as hers and wants to mother them..even some that should be considered NOT a dog's best friend.  While out and about, she seems to be able to find more orphaned or abandoned critters!  In the past, these have included everything from baby raccoon to small turtles.  She even tries to nurture baby birds.  She is just really into this mothering thing even though she has never had any pups of her own.  (THAT was assured long ago with a visit to the vet!)  Again, today, she found an orphaned baby and so wanted to adopt it.  If all goes well, she might just get the chance to have this one around a bit.

As usual, Ms. Ez was out guarding the bird feeders from any marauding squirrels.  My son and daughter-in-law are here visiting so their dog, PJ, was in and out of the house occasionally as well.  I noticed that Ms. Ez kept going into the day lily bed which is something that she learned long ago not to do.  The old dog would gingerly step between the plants to the middle of the flower garden and then sniff the ground.  She would look up at me and leap out of the garden.  Then..back in again.  Hmmm...she must have something!  My thinking was that another baby bird had fallen from the nest and was causing Ezzy a bit of distress. Calling her away from the garden,  I stepped in.  As I peered between the leaves into the darkness below the thick foliage, my vision landed on something furry not feathery!  First thought told me this was another baby raccoon.  Well, now!  This would never do!  Not in my day lilies!  I pulled back the leaves to uncover not a raccoon but a baby opossum!  Poor little baby!  Sweet daughter-in-law, Joanna, thought to corral her dog, PJ, as she did not know how he might react to some strange critter.  I looked for Mama 'Possum.  With none in sight, I reached down and picked up the frightened animal.  Poor baby!  I suppose my intentions of moving the critter to safer grounds were about as scary as Ms. Ez's good intentions of adoption!  Neither of us wished to harm the little squirt!

As I held the tiny animal, I realized that the poor baby was hungry!  Obviously, Mama 'Possum had abandoned this one in a bad place!  There was no food to be found in the day lily bed PLUS there were two very large dogs bounding about the place.  This was not a safe environment for a teeny-tiny 'possum!  After a can of cat food, a handful of dry dog food and a (cat food) can of water, the sweet baby is spending the night in the comfort of the shed.  Michael fixed a small box with some toweling and laid it on its side.  This would allow the wee one to come and go as it pleased.  More food was placed with easy reach for a later snack.  Here it is about ten o'clock in the evening and I just checked our miniature friend.  Although the 'possum had investigated its surroundings, it had chosen to sleep in the box for the night.  Perhaps, tomorrow it will be gone but, then again, maybe..just maybe it will hang around asking for more handouts.  Ms. Ez will be so happy to see "her baby" in the morning!  Lets just hope she does not bring home any more orphans!  This could just get out of hand!