a dark visitor

Something I bring up in my book on going off-grid is locations, and how most chosen locations for going off-grid are gonna have ‘pests’: mice, squirrels, rabbits, deer (they love spinach and corn as well as turnip greens, and will wipe out a spread in one night.)

and Possum

walked out on the porch tonight because Grizz was making some racket about something.  Not spitting or hissing, but his usual talkative self, but he wasn’t talking to ME,,,,

Didn’t see anything at first, and I picked up Grizz and he kept looking at Voodoo’s food bucket: then I saw it.   Wasn’t for certain WHAT I was looking at.  It looked an awful lot like a wet mop head sitting on top of Voo’s food.   Quickly strolled back into the house, grabbed the .22 and a flashlight, flicked on the porch light and sureasshit!!! there’s ol’stinky possum sitting right on top that bucket and has chewed out one side of the lid, and was making jovial feast on dog kibble.  He started that hiss thing they do and Grizz levitated to my shoulder level before teleporting into the house.  I used the barrel of the rifle to push him off towards the yard and by the time I was ready with the flashlight and gun, GONE!!!!   They may seem slow, but when they get the adrenalin up, just like us, they can haul ass.    Now I need a new lid for Voos food, and probably should get a metal can instead: something a little more robust than a rotomolded 5 gallon bucket (food grade, not a cast off.).  It doesn’t do me any good to turn on the motion detector lights: I has kats, three of ’em, and they prowl.   But apparently, they don’t seem to think possum are an issue.   Grizz was chatting that thing up (likely asking him what he was and,,,,) but not sounding warning.  Mama might have, and I say that loosely since she has sounded warning for bear and deer, but being as small at they are, she may not.   Dunno.  She was passed out on the truck’s hood absorbing warm engine vibes while all of this went down, and completely oblivious to “life on the porch”.

And Voodoo?   sprawled in front of the woodstove,,,,

Not a fricken care in the world,,,

and he is stone deaf these days.(yes, worse than ME,,,,)

At least with the kats, I don’t worry about the meecces when monsoon season is upon us.   I told y’all about when I came home from work that once and found a dozen deaders laying in the seat of my office chair.   Haven’t been given offerings since then, and I would say its more from lack of victims than lack of effort.  Zoomie is the mouser, Grizz the bird nightmare, and mama is just a bitch to keep the boys in line.  (and she has so little patience for the pounce,  talks way too much and that tail swishes like a carp tail in spawn.  Zero impulse control in the stalk/pounce thing.)

Live in the woods, and you do NOT live alone,,, the only thing you will lack is conversation, but you won’t lack in visitors, and they don’t all knock first. (or ask permission,,,,)