Possum

"Apparently my name is Possum.  The first time the people spotted me all they saw was a gray tail disappearing through the barn wall and the lady said "Kitty!" and the man said "No, I think it was a possum."  Then the smart alec neighbor started calling me "Possum", and now I guess that's my name*."

"Anyway, I thought I had it made here in this barn.  It was quiet and no one bothered me, not even the dogs.  And then the lady started feeding me cat food at night and I thought it was just about perfect.  That all changed last night when she trapped me in this cage and then took me someplace called "the vet' this morning and now I don't feel so good and I'm back locked up in this cage."

"I heard her tell someone that she didn't think I'd stick around once she turned me loose in a couple of days and she's probably right!  I haven't decided.  Just in case I split for a better home, the vet snipped the end of one of my ears off so I don't ever have to go through all this again.  I guess that's some sort of code for "been trapped and tortured."

* * * * *

I hope Possum sticks around, but even if she doesn't she's at least been tested, vaccinated and spayed.  She's not at all tame, but she will talk to me when I'm putting out food in the evening...and I kind of like that.  Hopefully the last couple of weeks of positive interactions will counteract the trauma of the "trap and torture".

* Corrected:  Tim actually named her Possum the first day we saw her.  The neighbor was just the first one to call her Possum...after she'd been named so.  The neighbor is still a smart alec though ;-).

The Dog Days

Mind Over Matter

"[Heat] is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." Mark Twain

View this post on Instagram

I can think of at least 12 other things I would rather do on a super hot steamy summer night 😵. #frankiesrockstar #nvlancelot #gaterunners

A post shared by Sara Dunham (@thecrazysheeplady) on Jul 18, 2020 at 6:36pm PDT

Like A Diamond In The Sky

I've spent the last several nights watching for the Comet NEOWISE.  I finally realized that I was probably missing it due to all the trees around our house, so last night I packed up the dogs and my camera (but forgot the bug repellent and my binoculars) and headed for the hill in the back field.

About the bug repellent...I really don't notice many bugs around the house and barn at night.  If the back porch light is on, then yes, but if not, they really aren't a problem.  Bug repellent never even crossed my mind.  The binoculars...never crossed my mind either but that's a mind issue, not an experience issue.

Turns out the bats are taking care of a LOT of bugs each night.  The back field was brutal.  Between not having any luck spotting the comet and knowing even if I did I wouldn't be able to see it very well without the binoculars and The Bugs, I finally bailed around 10:30 and headed back to the barn.  

As I drove through the gate next to the barn I looked up and just like finding a four leaf clover, there it was.  Right over the Wool House.  I took this picture with my iPhone.  I'll try again tonight to get a "big girl camera" shot...or maybe I'll just watch it through the binoculars and enjoy it.  

You can see it pretty well with just your naked eye, but the tail is really incredible with some zoom. Here's a link that might help you spot it.  Sounds like we have a couple more days of visibility.  Go out and find it.  Don't forget your binoculars...and your bug spray if you don't have a hard working bat colony.

So...

"Think we should go to the barn, Lancelot?"

"Yeah, maybe."

This was actually taken last week and I forgot to post it.  We didn't get any rain from that stormy sky, but did get a little rain from last night's sunny sky.

And a perfect rainbow :-).