Saturday, April 30, 2011

Baby Possum

 My friend Chigiy, knowing what a sucker I am, ambushed me late one night via instant messaging.  Her neighbor, she wrote, had found a wee possum.  Or rather, the dog had flushed it from out of a bush.  The neighbor, Marie, was concerned the little critter wouldn't be safe at her house, and could I take him?

I thought she was punking me.  "Who is this really?" I wrote back.

Once she had convinced me that there really was a baby possum needing shelter, the relevant phone calls were made, and 15 minutes later Marie delivered the little guy to us.  She also brought some milk from her goats and some goat cheese.  I was delighted by all three.

Possums are interesting, being the only North American marsupial and all, but honestly, I  have never really thought of them as cute.  Baby possums, though, are a whole different story.  This little joey was just beautiful, and thankfully, uninjured.  He was very shy, burrowing his head into the blanket  so he didn't have to see our ugly mugs peering at him. Adult possums will hiss when threatened, but this guy was too young; he was completely silent.  At his most menacing, he simply opened his mouth and showed his tiny possum teeth.  Aww.

I gathered supplies -- a small box, some old towels, and a cat-proof cage in which to put everything. A small water dish.  Some hot water bottles to keep him warm.

After some online reading about the care of baby/juvenile possums, I realized he really needed to be in the hands of Wildlife Rescue of Silicon Valley.  Possums apparently require a very specific calcium-to-phosphate ratio to avoid developing Metabolic Bone Disease.  Moreover, our house is full of curious animals and people; a surefire setup for major possum stress.  The other really cool thing I learned about possums is that they very rarely get rabies, probably due to their slightly lower body temperature.  Not that you should pet one if you ever meet one, but it's nice to know.  At least, I thought so.

In the morning, I was happy and relieved to find him not only alive, but out of the box, peering out at us from behind the back flap.

At Wildlife Rescue, they took one look at him and said, almost rolling their eyes, "Ohhhhh....it's another baby possum.  Just wait 'til I tell her..."  They're thick on the ground this time of year, then?  Sheesh.  In a perfect world, my friend's neighbor might have brought her dog inside and waited a couple hours.  I bet Mama Possum would have come back for her baby when the coast was clear.

Despite the jaded attitudes of the volunteers at the rescue center, I know they'll feed him right, and make sure he doesn't habituate to human contact.  He'll have litter mates.  I'm glad for him.

He was precious and perfect; we indulged ourselves with a few photos.










Friday, April 29, 2011

Porpoising


The grass out in the open space is getting long.  When the dogs go bounding through it, they evoke the image  of porpoises leaping out of the water.

Currently, ticks are the main annoyance.  Very soon, there will be foxtails to worry about, and rattlesnakes in search of rodents and warmth.  Then the porpoises will all be leashed.

Until then...

Happy Spring.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

The Girl and the Dog and the Camera in the Late Afternoon Sun

The afternoon was waning, and my 10 year-old girl succumbing to ennui.

Exasperated with her negativity, I put the camera in her hands and told her to take the dog out to the open space to see how the world looked from out there.  It was an utterly beautiful day, and the light just happened to be reaching that long angle that always takes my breath away.

She not only cheered up, but she also lured her brother outside, and got some darn pretty photos too.

"These are uncropped and untouched," said her proud mama.


Good Side

Other Good Side


The Crooner


Grazing

Lounging


The Hayseed



Breaking Fashion News

Chickens are today's most under-utilized fashion accessory.

Hens-forth:  For that slightly muddied look, it is as simple as grab-and-go.


Indulge your aura of personal mystery and romance this spring with a hen....




Spring!

One of these girls likes the rain.


I can't believe my last post was in October.  Sorry about that.

I may travel back through my photo archives of the last few months and post some memorable events.  Or not.

Anyway, spring is here, and I am skeptically resuming the blog.