Bye, Jonas. Hello, Maud.
There is a new wrinkle in our groundhog saga.
Four squirrels and no groundhogs later, we have decided that Jonas saw the writing on the wall and bailed. We have not caught glimpses of him scuttling beneath the porch when we check the mail. He has ignored the veritable buffet of fruits that we have placed outside the hole and inside the trap. Most tellingly, he has not re-excavated the holes we have spitefully, partially filled. Yes, it seems that Jonas has departed.
This does not, however, mean that we are wildlife free.
When I went out to check the trap this morning, I was greeted by a creature even more despicable than a twenty pound groundhog:
This is not Jonas. This is Maud, a possum. This is uncomfortable for all involved.
It’s uncomfortable for Noel because he has a long, troubled history of vehemently loathing possums. While you may dislike possums, Noel hates possums with a kind of murderous passion. Really. It’s uncomfortable for me because I have a weird, conflicted attitude towards possums. For the first twenty years of my life, I thought opossums were cute, quirky little things that hung upside down and had cool tails. I blame this grossly erroneous conception on Bambi. After finally seeing a ‘real’ possum during my junior year at Covenant, this lovely childhood delusion crashed and burned. They’re gross. They’re really, really gross. And, of course, this is uncomfortable for Maud because, well:
Farewell, overgrown rodents. You need not return. Thanks.
ryan said:
on July 12, 2007 at 1:29 pm
really awful creatures.
one of my favorite stories about zach involves a possum and a three wood. what did you do with the thing?
hannah s. said:
on July 12, 2007 at 10:36 pm
…eww. possums are disgusting. i opened our big trashcan outside once to find one curled up inside, and i’ve shuddered every time i’ve opened it since. mike shaw let one loose on the 3rd floor of carter during spring semester and we immediately closed and locked our door. can possums open unlocked doors? no. but rationality always flies out the door when these creatures are on the loose, i’ve found.
Suzanne said:
on July 17, 2007 at 8:32 pm
love it… the blog that is.
the picture, however, is the most grotesque picture I have ever seen. It looks like Maud is hissing at you.