On our midwestern farm, just across the lake from the windy city, we’d get rid of oppossums by cornering them, putting a plastic garbage can in front of them, and then goading them with a snow shovel to enter our makeshift ‘possum-transporter.
This will certainly not be useful, as by now you’ve already gotten rid of it, or it’s eaten you. They have very sharp teeth. But it does give me an exuse to say that the music’s fantastic, and it’s an incredibly pleasant surprise to look up a favorite songwriter and a see a huge blog. Thanks for all the music!
You haven’t seen one? How long have you lived in the city? Possoms are everywhere. There are also plenty of raccoons. I also once saw an actual beaver swimming across the Chicago River at the Wilson St. Bridge.
That’s funny. I just realized that what I thought had been the largest rat I’d ever seen was probably just one of these monsters. Do possums hang out in alleys by dumpsters?
my grandfather told me long ago (i wasn’t but knee high to a duck at the time), "look, Tim, that’s an opossum. they’re the rats of the wilderness." since then i’ve seen hundreds (it’s Virginia and they’re the didelphis virginiana, for _’s sake), a few of them actually alive. so now they’re in the Big City? (perhaps they always were). maybe i’ll see them in Milwaukee and say, "wow, this is just like home / except with Serbian restaurants and kids on Vespas…"
I used to see ‘em in Austin a lot, but I’m pretty sure this is the first one I’ve seen in Chicago. Yeah Jake, they sure would hang out by the dumpsters! I was about to take out my trash when I saw it. Maybe somebody’s putting out cat food by their back door or somethin’. So gnarly.
A couple weeks ago, I saw TWO raccoons idly wandering down the sidewalk on a pretty busy street (Ridge betw. Clark and Broadway). It was weird because I’ve only ever seen raccoons in alleys, hiding behind things. But these two didn’t seem to be bothered by the bustle. I actually had to stop and walk around them.
Once I came home at about two in the morning and saw a *herd* of them travelling up the street. There were about a dozen of different sizes, looked like mom and dad and kids. When I inched closer to get a better look I stepped on a leaf, and at the sound of the crunch they instantly disappeared up a couple of trees. I waited silently for about five minutes and finally they migrated back down to street level, crossed the front porch of the house across the street in single file and disappeared around the corner. An eerie and beautiful sight…
i am suddenly far more appreciative of the raccoon that ate my garbage can (the can itself, not even the garbage inside), for the simple fact that it is not a possum.
We have a regular zoo in our yard every day. Our possom comes when it’s dark out (nite). If i don’t see him, i can always spot his tracks. morning brings the (meaning 1-the same one) rabbit and the three (as in 3, the same ones) squirrels. the squirrels are almost so tame that the come close to eating peanuts out of my hand, and dig quite unconcerned in the grass 2 feet from me. Then there is the ‘hood cat who , im sure is looking for the possum, squirrels, and mr. rabbit. I have bird feeders up, so on a given day there could be 200 birds in the yard. Then there is our dog bolo and our neighbours dog charlie, who often play to-gether. finally, plenty strange 2 legged creatures whose species name i don’t know. Ok, humans.
seriously, the city yard is totally rife w/ wildlife.
January 25th, 2005 at 8:46 pm
Watch out, they’re mean!
On our midwestern farm, just across the lake from the windy city, we’d get rid of oppossums by cornering them, putting a plastic garbage can in front of them, and then goading them with a snow shovel to enter our makeshift ‘possum-transporter.
This will certainly not be useful, as by now you’ve already gotten rid of it, or it’s eaten you. They have very sharp teeth. But it does give me an exuse to say that the music’s fantastic, and it’s an incredibly pleasant surprise to look up a favorite songwriter and a see a huge blog. Thanks for all the music!
January 25th, 2005 at 9:20 pm
I’ve ain’t never seen one of them critters ’round my parts… we just teeny bunnies and smelly zebra’d polecats.
January 25th, 2005 at 10:55 pm
You haven’t seen one? How long have you lived in the city? Possoms are everywhere. There are also plenty of raccoons. I also once saw an actual beaver swimming across the Chicago River at the Wilson St. Bridge.
January 26th, 2005 at 5:58 am
That’s funny. I just realized that what I thought had been the largest rat I’d ever seen was probably just one of these monsters. Do possums hang out in alleys by dumpsters?
January 26th, 2005 at 6:03 am
my grandfather told me long ago (i wasn’t but knee high to a duck at the time), "look, Tim, that’s an opossum. they’re the rats of the wilderness." since then i’ve seen hundreds (it’s Virginia and they’re the didelphis virginiana, for _’s sake), a few of them actually alive. so now they’re in the Big City? (perhaps they always were). maybe i’ll see them in Milwaukee and say, "wow, this is just like home / except with Serbian restaurants and kids on Vespas…"
January 26th, 2005 at 8:58 am
I used to see ‘em in Austin a lot, but I’m pretty sure this is the first one I’ve seen in Chicago. Yeah Jake, they sure would hang out by the dumpsters! I was about to take out my trash when I saw it. Maybe somebody’s putting out cat food by their back door or somethin’. So gnarly.
January 26th, 2005 at 2:34 pm
Possum? Yarr…that be good eatin’s! Tis true! Especially in a jaunty stew…
January 26th, 2005 at 2:49 pm
Aw, he’s so cute!
January 26th, 2005 at 4:48 pm
It isn’t cute… its an marsupial, eating machine!
January 26th, 2005 at 11:16 pm
I guess you could always name it Pogo
January 28th, 2005 at 12:27 pm
A couple weeks ago, I saw TWO raccoons idly wandering down the sidewalk on a pretty busy street (Ridge betw. Clark and Broadway). It was weird because I’ve only ever seen raccoons in alleys, hiding behind things. But these two didn’t seem to be bothered by the bustle. I actually had to stop and walk around them.
January 31st, 2005 at 12:32 am
Once I came home at about two in the morning and saw a *herd* of them travelling up the street. There were about a dozen of different sizes, looked like mom and dad and kids. When I inched closer to get a better look I stepped on a leaf, and at the sound of the crunch they instantly disappeared up a couple of trees. I waited silently for about five minutes and finally they migrated back down to street level, crossed the front porch of the house across the street in single file and disappeared around the corner. An eerie and beautiful sight…
February 1st, 2005 at 2:24 pm
oh my lord.
that is a terrifying creature.
i am suddenly far more appreciative of the raccoon that ate my garbage can (the can itself, not even the garbage inside), for the simple fact that it is not a possum.
February 3rd, 2005 at 1:37 pm
We have a regular zoo in our yard every day. Our possom comes when it’s dark out (nite). If i don’t see him, i can always spot his tracks. morning brings the (meaning 1-the same one) rabbit and the three (as in 3, the same ones) squirrels. the squirrels are almost so tame that the come close to eating peanuts out of my hand, and dig quite unconcerned in the grass 2 feet from me. Then there is the ‘hood cat who , im sure is looking for the possum, squirrels, and mr. rabbit. I have bird feeders up, so on a given day there could be 200 birds in the yard. Then there is our dog bolo and our neighbours dog charlie, who often play to-gether. finally, plenty strange 2 legged creatures whose species name i don’t know. Ok, humans.
seriously, the city yard is totally rife w/ wildlife.