Marsupial Love In My Own Back Yard

I'm a city girl by nature. I like the IDEA of the country but I don't want to have to drive more than 5 minutes to the grocery store. So I live in the city. Not a big city but a city all the same. I'm even within one block of a major intersection in town, and yet I have a groundhog that lives in my back yard and I'm frequently visited by possum. It's the possum (or opossum if we want to be really correct) that I'm going to discuss today.

I've had several encounters with the pointy nosed, knuckled tailed marsupials in the past. There was one night I was watching a movie when I heard scratching at the front door. Thinking it was one of my many, many feline family requesting entry into their domicile I rose from my perpetual position on the couch to let them in. I was engrossed in the movie so opened the door without looking out, but no cat came in. When I looked up I realized that all of my cats were staring at me in curiosity and they were doing this from INSIDE the house. When I looked outside I became aware that I was graciously inviting a possum into my home. It stared up at me with nose and whiskers twitching and sharp teeth prominently on display. I just thank God that my invitation was declined.

There have also been occasions when the creatures which are both scary and cute were staring out at me from within the confines of my own garage. So they are pretty prevalent in my area. However, the other night something new occurred. It must be marsupial mating season in Missouri because a couple of possum were feeling frisky. Que the romantic music and the candlelight because as I watched these funny looking critters get their groove on I could definitely hear Barry White singing in the background. But it gets even better. There was a third possum on the scene. So I was not the only voyeur on the premises. As I think back on the occasion now I'm reminded that on my next 5 minute trip to the grocery store I need to pick up some C cell batteries. Marsupial mating will do that to you if you know what I mean.

I have no idea how my house became such an attraction for these critters, and why the cats don't seem to scare them off. For a city girl I seem to have too many brushes with wildlife. Perhaps one day I'll tell you about the squirrel in my closet or the stray cat that broke into my house through the heating vents.