Couldn't sleep and this post got me remembering this story...
Early last summer we frequently saw a possum at the cat food dish in the garage. As soon as you’d turn on the light, he’s scamper behind something and undoubtedly return when the light went out to consume his nightly 3 pounds of cat food.
One night I can home late from a meeting and spied the little feller in the car headlights at his usual position hunched over the cat food dish. I grabbed a shovel and poked him out from his hidey hole. Mr. Possum made a mad dash for the door with me in hot pursuit. When he cleared the concrete I started wailing at him – missing every time. Through the flower bed we went, smashing more than a few irises and other pampered flora. When I finally zeroed in and knocked him over with a glancing blow, we were squarely in the middle of the yard in front of the house. I beaned the little sucker a few times until he gave the telltale quiver that serious neurological damage had been done. Since it was late, I figured I’d dispose of the carcass in the morning.
Satisfied with, and slightly proud of my performance, I returned to the house, neatly hung up the shovel and sauntered in to tell Mother that I had reduced our cat food bill by 20%. “Did you hit a cat with the car?” she yawned. “Nope, got rid of the possum” I replied smugly.
Silence. Then with a pained look, I got this pouting response……“Awwwww, I liked the possum. He never hurt anything”. Oh good grief.
Next morning I rose at the crack of dawn, tail between my legs and went to bury the possum. Possum? What possum? Vanished. Kapoof. No possum. I scanned the area high and low. He was flat out gone.
Thinking quickly, I heroically woke my better half to report that the possum had in fact survived the incident and wondered off, but was probably trained well enough so that it wouldn’t return in the near future.
Amazingly just this winter, a possum bearing a striking resemblance to the original has been spotted at the cat food dish.
Reincarnation? Or time to teach him another lesson? You be the judge.
Does anyone have a remedy that I don't have to worry much about getting in the eyes? Bathing this dog is an experience to say the least, and chances are, whatever I use will be in everyone's eys
