About a week ago I was just lay'n around rest'n in my recliner. I was listenin to some bluegrass music and heard a noise just outside the patio door, on the north side of the house. I finally got up enough gumption to go have a "look see" at whatever was mak'n all that raket. Upon peer'n out those doors I spied a little possum about half growed up a hogg'n down some stuff I'd throwed out earlier. I'd been feed'n birds, rabbits and whatever else for about a week and was still throw'n out other stuff to go with the cracked corn. This little dude was really putt'n it away! He saw me and quickly scurried away to hide under the pine trees all around'm. He came back out and was eatin again-outta the plastic containers I'd left grub in. I didn't bother'm anymore that night. I'd also heard some noise the next night out there and it turned out to be a BIG possum. Probably the little dude's mommy. We also had a skunk to show up and partake of some groceries. A BIG cat belong'n to a neighbor has been here too. I may have to runn'm off as he kills baby rabbits and quail. Deer have also been into the corn. Old Jake the mule, over at jeeps house, is doin rite smart now and has really been load'n up on his winters supply of corn. This cold weather we've had along with the snow and ice really take a lot out of animals. We need to feed'm a bunch and also have water out too. Well, it's most of 10pm and this old bod is tired. Ole jeep and I have been busy and it sure feels good to "hit the hay". AFter all, when you're over 21 and'r a rite purty hillbilly---why, no tell'n jest how long I could stay up. Maybe as late as 10:30 pm!!!! Help out your old, sick or poor neighbors---they'll appreciate it and you'll feel better too! Matt. 24:44

-- hoot, the purty illinois hillbilly (hoot@pcinetwork.com), January 19, 2001

Answers

Sounds like my back porch (the temporary repository of all compostables before the go to the garden). Always a possum out there in the summer. Got to where we were cutting up the going-going-gone oranges and apples into easier-to-eat peices for them! They never bothered our cats (who, in turn, tend to ignore the possums) except for the time on of them tried to crawl a little to close to our old matriarch, Mocha, who tends to sleep on a cross beam along the ceiling of the porch. He was just scooching up to her, and she hissed and growled at him. He just sniffed and scooted back a bit, then dosed off; whereupon, Mocha promptly went back to her nap!

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), January 20, 2001.

Don't you love this wildlife version of "heaven on earth"?

-- Marsha (CaprisMaa@aol.com), January 20, 2001.

I often just leave the back door open 24hrs in summer & you'd be surprised at how welcome some critters feel. I had a possum come in the kitchen & eat out of the dog's bowl (that's living dangerously!), and last summer a bat came in almost every evening. She was such a regular that I named her Draculita & looked forward to her visits. She would fly around the house catching moths, then hang from the bathroom light for awhile. My least favorite visitors are flying squirrels. Cute as they are, they can really do some damage gnawing on books, baskets, etc.

-- Sam in W.Va. (turnip55a@yahoo.com), January 21, 2001.