Possum in the Trap

We've had marauding armadillos, or maybe just one armadillo, in the flower beds and the yard. As hard as we have worked to get the area around the house into some sort of shape, it's disheartening to walk outside in the morning and see all the bedding plants you worked on your knees installing have been uprooted and in some cases eaten or killed. I know this is the country, and some of this kind of damage from wildlife goes with the territory. I also know that armadillos eat grubs and other bad insects, but we broke down and bought a Have-a-Heart trap, thinking we would trap some of these creatures and relocate them to some other place that's wilder than ours. We read up on bait to use to lure armadillos. They apparently like cat food, which we have in abundance. So we set the trap out front near the bed that has been the current favorite for them to destroy in the wee hours.

Well, we get up this morning, look out the front window to see if the trap has worked. Evidently, possums also like cat food. A big possum sat inside the trap looking wide-eyed back at us. My SO and the dog went out to inspect the catch. The possum growled at the dog when she went up to the cage. I'm not a lover of possums. Possums can be vicious, they have the most teeth of any other mammal in North America, and they hate cats. Back in the days of the lakehouse, when the feral cat colony that lived there had their spring babies, possums would decimate the kittens with impunity. So I'm not a lover of possums. However, after a while, I began to feel a little sorry for the fellow in the trap, and urged the SO to stop reading the paper, drinking coffee, et cetera while the possum was caged in the trap. He just left with the dog to relocate the possum. Odd how a thing like that will yank at your compassion.

Going to a ladies luncheon with my SO's mom today. We're listening to a horticulturist speak on antique roses. I'm sure I'll enjoy it, but I always dread these command performances a little, or resent having my time spoken for, I guess is the truth. Tomorrow is my lunch buddies from years ago, our monthly gathering. The Lunch Bunch, or the Birthday Club, or The Yorktown Auxiliary Club, depending on whose name for the group you prefer. I'm also dreading it a little. But these are the things I do always enjoy once I'm there. But today, this morning, I'm feeling the urge to sit down and write something. I suppose I could've done that first thing. However, I would've resented any interruption, especially if I had actually managed to get in the groove. Interruptions are deadly for me. But I really DO see that I need to find a way to get quiet with myself, listen to myself think, and get back to work. I need to sort out my time, quit wasting so much of it. I know this, yes I do.

Onward ....