the tree

Here's that little maple again. My tree pictures aren't near as interesting as Benita's, but I'll do better next year. this year I went for convenience - a tree in my yard. Next year, I'll go for a well-composed picture. Also, I don't get the excitement of snow to lend interest to the winter photos, and thank God for that!! Maybe i could change things up a bit during the slow gray time by trying different angles. The neighbor's house is in the background. I could go stand in their driveway and put our house in the background. Worth a try.

So after we had been out visiting all day, we got home and settled down with our laptops and slippers. suddenly, Fly, who was perched on the diningroom table keeping an eye on the back yard began to raise a ruckus. "Rat!" he snarled. "Rat! Big freaking big ugly freaking RAT!" DH and I rushed to the door to see what was the matter, and what to our wondering eyes should appear but an enormous - possum. If possums had ugly contests, this one would waddle off with the grand prize champion purple ribbon with spangles. It was a big larger than a cat, with the rat-like snout, undershot jaw, snaggly teeth, beady eyes, and hideous naked pink tail about a foot long. EeeeeWWW!! Fly was demanding, "Get it out! Get it out, getitoutgetitoutgetitoutoutout!!"

"Where's the broom?" I asked, dashing off to find it. DH opened the back door and counseled the possum, "You'd better leave now." It squinted up at him and snarled, "You talkin' to me?"

Then I burst through the door, broom at the ready, fully prepared to wallop the sucker with the handle. Possums, when properly motivated, can put on quite a turn of speed. I didn't know they could gallop, but this one showed me its heels all the way to the shed where it vanished into the shadows. "Beat it! I was yelling. Get out of here!" The neighbor's dogs started cheering me on. "Hey! Something's happening. Hey! Hey! " (Dogs have a limited vocabulary) and porch lights began to come on in the adjacent homoes as neighbors peered out to see what was going on.

"Goddamm possum!" I announced to the world at large. "And it's probably pregnant, too." And with a squeeze of the gut I realized I had spoken the truth. Stay tuned for further episodes in the possum chronicles.