Oppossums

I finally saw a possum in action.

We were sitting here last Saturday night, and there was a spotlight south of us lighting the power lines and I saw a possum walk along the phone lines. The big, heavy cables run along the back fence line that divides our back yard from the neighbor's back yard. My dear husband corrects me that the top lines are power, and the lower heavy-duty cables are phone. Birds often perch on the five lines like musical notes.

Years ago, I caught a possum red-handed in the garage feasting on cat food. So, I purchased a possum trap from our feed and seed store, and we bait the trap with cat food in the back yard and transport possums to a new kingdom near the Trinity. We asked the local animal control what they do with possums turned in, and found out they release them at the nearest park---but, we just could not do that to our friends who live near the park. We bungee the cage type trap to the back of the pick-up truck and haul them five or six miles north to the wildlife preserve near the river.

I guess its time to bait the trap again. These possums are bigger than cats, and I don't want them to tangle with neighbor cats. Possums are one ugly creature. And stink !!!!!!!!!!!! Whew. The first time we used the trap, no where on the box did it advise putting down newspaper nor putting the trap outside. A stressed, newly captured possum poops, and possum poop is STINKY !! Found out the hard way.

I lost count of how many possums we have hauled to their new possum kingdom. One day I asked the animal control folks how many babies a momma possum has, and he said sixteen. Yikes.