Tuesdays With Tag - These Aren't Cats...

Little Black Opossum

 

Hi, Everybody!

Sunday brought the most awesome warm(er) temperatures, and even the wild critters were takin' advantage of it.

Mom was in the kitchen in the mornin' and called Dad in to see this little guy scarfin' up birdseed that had blown out of the feeder over the past few weeks. The meltin' snow revealed a real smorgasbord for the 'possum.

Claudette and Crystal had him cornered by the big rocks for a while, but Mom went out and shooed them into the barn, eventually lockin' them in the garage until the 'possum waddled off. It was only about thirty minutes, and Mom went out and released the cats. She just wanted to make sure they didn't gang up on someone their own size.

Well, Hello!

My favorite place to hang out when it's sunny is in the back stairwell. The window on the storm door is perfect for a vertically-challenged, handsome guy such as myself. I can see the whole yard - even when I'm lyin' down, so I was out there all mornin'.

Mom told Dad when the little black opossum waddled down to The Habitat so we thought all the excitement was over. Imagine our surprise when a larger, light-colored opossum showed up next!

We all watched as this one hoovered up more of the bird seed, but Mom started giggling because he/she proceeded to cross the driveway to check out the kitchen garden (where there were more birdfeeders/seed).

Big White Opossum

 

Next thing you know, it was snufflin' right under my nose at the back door! You could have knocked me over with a milk bone! That guy never even looked up to see I was there. Just kept on workin' his way to the pole barn and up the hill.

I was pretty excited, but I didn't make a peep. When Mom and I first moved up from Florida, we used to sit in the dinin' room every night and watched these guys come up onto the porch to steal birdseed. I learned then that, if I was very quiet, I got a real good look at the wild things around the farmhouse. 

I even came nose-to-nose with one that winter. Mom had let me outside to do my private business, and there it was. It stood lookin' at me, and I looked at him. We were practically the same size! We sniffed each other, and when the opossum turned to head back into the bushes, Mom had to call me to come back to the house ('cuz I was gonna follow him home to meet his family). 

That winter was awesome, but Sunday was definitely a day to remember. Mom was happy to see that these guys looked healthy, and they hadn't lost parts of their tails to frostbite. We'll keep puttin' fruit and nut mix birdseed down at The Habitat in case they need a little extra sustenance. 

Last night we got freezin' rain and snow. Mom says Mother Nature must have some ragin' hormones. Cold one day; meltin' the next; and then crazy cold, causin' dangerous road/driveway conditions. Mom isn't lookin' forward to shufflin' across the driveway to take care of the Barn Girls this mornin'. She'll wear her best ground-grippers to make sure she doesn't fall. She doesn't bounce like she used to. 

I'm low to the ground, so it's a little easier for me to deal with the ice (snow is not so easy), but we'll be makin' sure Bella or Carly don't get hurt either. Dad took a tumble last week, and bruised his ribs. He's sore, but he's gonna be okay. We just want to make sure no one else gets injured. We're all dreamin' about Florida these days, and lookin' forward to warmer weather. But bein' able to see sweet opossums and our family makes up for it. I hope the critters visit again soon.

I'll see you again in seven. 'til then... 

"Been There, Chewed That!"