Question: Is an opossum roaming during the day probably rabid?
RonTom summoned me at noontime on Monday. There, walking just in front of our house, was a “possum”.
Knowing I’d find some interesting tidbits on reputable websites, I hooked a beeline to my computer.
Turns out, especially on cold winter days (and, cold it was, by Texas standards), this marsupial sometimes wanders from its den when the temperature has warmed up and the sun is shining. Their coat is not warm. They do not build up much body fat and they do not store food, so they forage year round.
It’s very rare that an opossum carries rabies. They have a natural immunity.
The Washington State Fish & Wildlife Department website says, “Results from some learning and discrimination tests rank opossums above dogs and more or less on a par with pigs in intelligence.” What?!
Are you remembering that the opossum is the only marsupial in North America? Twelve days following breeding, the mom gives birth to 5 - 10 undeveloped tiny babies. They crawl into her pouch and firmly attach to a teat.
After about two months, the young leave for brief periods of time and then return to the pouch for milk.
At around 3 months, they ride on their mother’s back.
Then, at about 3 ½ months, they begin to leave to feed on their own. Yes, this is four months after conception.
While we followed the opossum, we locked KissMe, our Great White Hunter with Red Spots, inside. KissMe has recovered from his ruptured disk surgery. But, we must be mindful of his degenerative disc disease that makes him susceptible to back injury.
That stroller I found on CraigsList comes in handy when we travel, especially to homes with dogs. He can socialize with larger dogs, without threat of injury.
Next week will be long past Valentine’s Day, so I’ll tell you now what RonTom did. Mind you, I’m writing this on Monday, the 12th.
RonTom brought me coffee in bed (as he does most mornings) and handed me a tattered and worn kraft envelope with a valentine. The envelope is smothered in x’d out years, that go up and down and all around the envelope. Some years are faded to the point of illegibility.
Inside, was that same old Valentine, that was stupid back in the late 70s. It has two hugging cats with closed eyes on the outside with “Honey, How Lucky Can You Get?” Inside, the cats’ eyes open and it says (I know this by heart), “You’ve got ME.” There I was, a young mother longing to be adored. And my thoughtless husband splurged on a Valentine that totally jerked focus from me.
That card soon went where it belonged, in the garbage can. The next year, it reappeared. At some point, the envelope became soiled and RonTom moved it into the current priceless envelope. That valentine vividly shows how blessed I am.
I’ll be lucky if I get some tidbits! [email protected] (subject: Tidbit) or 512-268-5678. Thanks! Love to you, Pauline
