Life in the country can be quite an adventure. I never know from one day to the next just want might happen. Our day typically starts with feeding the barn animals right after we get up. We have a variety of critters to take care of and they all need food and water in the morning.
I’ve walked upon some crazy things over the years that have given me reason to stop in my tracks. A snake. A snake skin. A skunk. A wild hog. On one particular morning though, I was walking across the yard making my way to the barn when an opossum ran from left to right in front of me. She, (or for the sake of this article I will use the male vernacular,) he made his way into our barn. Yes, into the barn, settling himself behind the trash cans that contain the animals feed.
Okay, so, my first thought is, “now what!!!” I really do not want to get anywhere near said opossum to open the feed bins. He was HUGE by the way. No joke. He was at least as big as our Yorkie who weighs about twelve pounds!
About this time my ten year old comes outside to help feed….I tell him about our visitor and it’s size while running to get the gun. Why am I getting the gun? Not sure, because it’s never easy for me to fire at anything. I calmly, well, maybe that’s stretching things a little. With enthusiasm, I called my sweet husband at work and asked what to do. His advice? “Well, if I were there sweetie, I would do what I could to flush him out from behind the trash cans.” “Oookkaayyy,” I say. I walk a little closer and take a peek. I decided to bang on the wall, just on the other side of where he was sitting. No luck. I did manage to step to the side a bit and snag this not so clear picture of the precious critter with the round, wiggling ears and long, pointy tail.
Somewhere I managed to dig a little deeper and find a stronger backbone… from where I do not know because I was feeling pretty anxious. Not so much that it would hurt me, but that I would scare it, making it scare ME! I walked over and grabbed the pitchfork. Ok, ya’ll. I know some of you have already rushed ahead in your thinking. Admit it! I say pitchfork and your mind went, where? No, I did not use it to send him over the rainbow bridge into opossum heaven. What I did do was walk in a huge curve, leaving a wide birth between myself and my new friend, to get closer. Picture it. Seriously, now wide-birth. I realized I was going to have to get close enough so that I could poke the pitch fork against the metal trash can a time or two. Crash! Bang! Well, it looked good on paper, but little fella, just snuggled in closer. I jostled the trash can again. No dice.
It was quite apparent I was going to have to get more serious. So, with a strong shove, I pushed the trash can over a few inches. In my head, I just knew he was going to dash out! No. He did not! So, I started jabbing behind the trash cans and I must have gotten close enough to his furry self because he dashed out and ran between me and my son making his way into the pasture.
My son’s words, “Mom! He was huge!” I know son, I know. I do believe I said he was a big one!
Haha, I’m sorry to laugh, but that was funny. I have no idea what I’d do in that situation!! Way to go, Pam!!
It was totally hilarious….It really was….. LOL!!
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