Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Gracie and the Baby Opossum

o·pos·sum [uh-pos-uhm, pos-uhm] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun, plural -sums, (especially collectively) -sum.

1.a prehensile-tailed marsupial, Didelphis virginiana, of the eastern U.S., the female having an abdominal pouch in which its young are carried: noted for the habit of feigning death when in danger.

opossum. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/opossum (accessed: May 22, 2007).

The other night, I let Gracie out to do her pre-bed sniffing of the air and other business in the yard. On the back porch she caught a scent and then zig-zagged around the yard to the back corner of the patio and the fence that separates our yard from the alley...and cornered was the baby opossum. The poor little, nasty creepy-looking thing. Gross gross gross. More like, "omigawdimcompletelyfreakedoutgraciedonthurtitjustletitgetaway!"

All I could imagine as I got hold of the dog's collar and turned her around, was a skirmish that could only end poorly for one or both animals. Heart beating fast (did this count for cardio exercise, I wonder?) I ran the dog inside. And, dork that I am I grabbed the camera and practically tripped over Gracie as she begged to go back outside. I got as close as I felt comfortable getting (which isn't really all that close) to get a shot for the blog. Voila! Not very clear but certainly indicative of the creature's youth and fearful stance. I really don't know if it was more afraid than I was. The jury may never come back on that one.




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