(no subject)
May. 30th, 2002 05:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
robotech_masterAs I was cutting between an apartment building and a fence of the next apartment building in order to get to the plasma center, which is on the back of the next street block north of me, I happened to meet a small, grey, furry animal. It took me a moment to recognize it, but then I realized it was an opossum. A small one, about 6" long not counting its tail.
I looked at it; it looked at me. Clearly it was as startled to see me as I was to see it. Bearing in mind warnings about wild animals, I did not try to approach it too closely. Instead, I simply greeted it civilly and continued on my way.
It put me in mind of a couple of things, such as the way my Mom and Dad occasionally have a possum get into their barn, eat the cat food, and kill the chickens. Dad tends to have to shoot them with his .22 rifle when that happens.
I also remembered that one of my younger brothers had a possum character he played in the old TMNT games we used to run. I don't think we played it very much, though.
Also, when I was out in Seattle and Portland visiting friends a few years ago, Steve Hutchison happened to tell me how possums were a big pest problem out there, as some settler had imported them out of a nostalgic desire to eat possum pie...but they had no natural predators except for automobiles.
Funny, the recollections a chance encounter will spark. Also a bit funny to see something so nature-like in the very heart of the city. I wonder where it lives, under one of the porches? I hope it and its family (mother, father? it's clearly just a few months old, since they usually get to the size of a largish cat) don't harm the neighborhood stray cats.
I looked at it; it looked at me. Clearly it was as startled to see me as I was to see it. Bearing in mind warnings about wild animals, I did not try to approach it too closely. Instead, I simply greeted it civilly and continued on my way.
It put me in mind of a couple of things, such as the way my Mom and Dad occasionally have a possum get into their barn, eat the cat food, and kill the chickens. Dad tends to have to shoot them with his .22 rifle when that happens.
I also remembered that one of my younger brothers had a possum character he played in the old TMNT games we used to run. I don't think we played it very much, though.
Also, when I was out in Seattle and Portland visiting friends a few years ago, Steve Hutchison happened to tell me how possums were a big pest problem out there, as some settler had imported them out of a nostalgic desire to eat possum pie...but they had no natural predators except for automobiles.
Funny, the recollections a chance encounter will spark. Also a bit funny to see something so nature-like in the very heart of the city. I wonder where it lives, under one of the porches? I hope it and its family (mother, father? it's clearly just a few months old, since they usually get to the size of a largish cat) don't harm the neighborhood stray cats.
