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This morning I went out to do some yardwork and, not surprisingly, there was a squirrel by the feeder. So, I went back inside to get a corncob to put on the feeder for it. Stepping back outside, the squirrel was slowly coming up the walk toward the house, though on seeing me again it stopped. This could be interesting, I thought, so I squatted down on the stoop and held out the corncob, shaking it a little, just like I do if there is one of the feeder while I walk up to refill it. The squirrel comes the rest of the way up the walk and stops at the bottom step, where it really gives me the once over. Then it came up on the other end of the stoop, pausing on each of the two steps, and watches me for another few seconds. I stay still just to see what it is going to do. To my surprise, it walks over behind me, out of my line of sight and I don't want to turn to see where it is and risk scaring it off. My quess if that it came to look at the knife I had behind my back, not to stab the squirrel with, but rather to use to trim the ivy off some of the trees, though I did have it behind my back so if anyone saw what I was doing they wouldn't think I was trying to lure int he squirrel to stab it, and for a bit of balance since the tip was touching the ground.

After a few seconds, probably realizing the knife wasn't anything to eat, the squirrel ran around to the right again and stopped by the railing on the stoop and starts grooming itself. First, it ran its front paws over its headand face and nibbled on its paws and lower legs, a ritual it repeated several times. Then it cleaned its back legs a couple of times and patted through its tail. That done, it looked at me again then hopped down into the bushes.

That's when I got up, something which stirred up the squirrel, making it run down a ways, and went to the feeder. Watching from another tree just off the ground was the squirrel. I put up the corncob and went about my business. It wasn't more than about 10 seconds or so before the squirrel was on the feeder and eating away.

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In a message dated 6/13/2006 2:10:03 PM Eastern Standard Time, nancygailus@... writes:

Possums are blind as bats. You could probably get within two feet and they would not be able to see you. When I lived with my parents, we got raccoons and possums on the back deck from time to time.

I don't know if they are all that blind. I've seen opossum watching me from trees or walking away from me along the ground, looking back over their shoulders at me. A friend and I were touring one of the many Civil War Battlefields around here and were walking around one of the forts. We came around one corner and there was an opossum walking along the ground. It looked at us and we looked at it and it just kept on walking. The two of us watched it go and it would look back at us about every 5 paces or so. Finally it went up a tree and watched from there. When we got back in the car, we came around to where we could see the tree. The opossum came down and went on its way.

I would be careful of them though. They have large, sharp teeth and can carry rabies. You don't need to be too afraid of them since they are rather close, but certainly keep dogs and cats away from them and don't get too close because they can bite very quickly.

The biggest one I have seen was in Alabama. It had been getting into a rebuilt 1800's watermill and eating the grain kept on hand for demonstrations. That thing was the size of my dog and must have weighed 30 pounds or more. All the others I had seen were much smaller, maybe the size of small house cat, though with shorter legs.

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In a message dated 6/13/2006 2:10:03 PM Eastern Standard Time, nancygailus@... writes:

Possums are blind as bats. You could probably get within two feet and they would not be able to see you. When I lived with my parents, we got raccoons and possums on the back deck from time to time.

I don't know if they are all that blind. I've seen opossum watching me from trees or walking away from me along the ground, looking back over their shoulders at me. A friend and I were touring one of the many Civil War Battlefields around here and were walking around one of the forts. We came around one corner and there was an opossum walking along the ground. It looked at us and we looked at it and it just kept on walking. The two of us watched it go and it would look back at us about every 5 paces or so. Finally it went up a tree and watched from there. When we got back in the car, we came around to where we could see the tree. The opossum came down and went on its way.

I would be careful of them though. They have large, sharp teeth and can carry rabies. You don't need to be too afraid of them since they are rather close, but certainly keep dogs and cats away from them and don't get too close because they can bite very quickly.

The biggest one I have seen was in Alabama. It had been getting into a rebuilt 1800's watermill and eating the grain kept on hand for demonstrations. That thing was the size of my dog and must have weighed 30 pounds or more. All the others I had seen were much smaller, maybe the size of small house cat, though with shorter legs.

[Guest guest]

> " That's when I got up, something which stirred up the squirrel, making

it run

> down a ways, and went to the feeder. Watching from another tree just

off the

> ground was the squirrel. I put up the corncob and went about my

business. It

> wasn't more than about 10 seconds or so before the squirrel was on

the feeder

> and eating away. "

Maybe if you keep trying, eventually it will become tame enough to take

it from your hand.

That reminds me of an opossum story I have. On Saturday I was in and

out of the shed in our yard, leaving the door open. After leaving it

open a while I noticed an animal in a bucket we have with a towel in

it. At first my mind said 'ferret' but then I realized it was a young

opossum. It was looking at me and panting, hot because I had left the

door open. I was surprised that it wasn't scared but just looking at me

like my dog used to, as if to say, 'I'm hot, can you do something about

it?' So I closed the door. Too curious, I opened it a little later and

the opossom was curled up on the towel, asleep. I didn't know whether

that was his bed for the day or if he was sick or injured, so I gave

him a piece of banana. He hissed at me because my hand came too close

but he ate the banana. It was cute because he didn't like to get his

hands messed up by the banana like raccoons, who don't like their hands

messy, so he dropped the banana and completely licked both his hands

off, and then just licked the banana where it was instead of picking it

up. I checked after dark and he was gone so I guess it was just his

bed. I'm surprised that he wasn't scared of me.

[Guest guest]

Possums are blind as bats. You could probably get within two feet and they would not be able to see you. When I lived with my parents, we got raccoons and possums on the back deck from time to time.mikecarrie01 <mikecarrie01@...> wrote: >"That's when I got up, something which stirred up the squirrel, making it run > down a ways, and went to the feeder. Watching from another tree just off the > ground was the

squirrel. I put up the corncob and went about my business. It > wasn't more than about 10 seconds or so before the squirrel was on the feeder > and eating away."Maybe if you keep trying, eventually it will become tame enough to take it from your hand.That reminds me of an opossum story I have. On Saturday I was in and out of the shed in our yard, leaving the door open. After leaving it open a while I noticed an animal in a bucket we have with a towel in it. At first my mind said 'ferret' but then I realized it was a young opossum. It was looking at me and panting, hot because I had left the door open. I was surprised that it wasn't scared but just looking at me like my dog used to, as if to say, 'I'm hot, can you do something about it?' So I closed the door. Too curious, I opened it a little later and the opossom was curled up on the towel, asleep. I didn't know whether that was his bed for the

day or if he was sick or injured, so I gave him a piece of banana. He hissed at me because my hand came too close but he ate the banana. It was cute because he didn't like to get his hands messed up by the banana like raccoons, who don't like their hands messy, so he dropped the banana and completely licked both his hands off, and then just licked the banana where it was instead of picking it up. I checked after dark and he was gone so I guess it was just his bed. I'm surprised that he wasn't scared of me.If you love something, set it free! So it is with books. See what I mean atwww.bookcrossing.com/friend/nheckoblogcritics.orghttp://notesfromnancy.blogspot.com Heckofreelance

proofreadernancygailus@... __________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

>

> " Possums are blind as bats. You could probably get within two feet

and they would not be able to see you. When I lived with my parents,

we got raccoons and possums on the back deck from time to time. "

Maybe they see better than is thought. They said animals couldn't see

in color but they were wrong about that. I was about a foot away from

the possum but it looked up at me into my eyes. I make a little bit

of a telepathic connection with animals and when I did that it it

stared into my eyes. When my husband came up the possum looked into

his eyes. The possum's eyes got wide and he got a little bit of a

distressed look in his eyes when my husband started talking (kind of

like mine do! ) because my husband has a loud, powerful voice, yet

the possum stayed. So between sight, smell and sound I would think he

should have been scared of us.

I checked to see if he was there yesterday and he was, but this time

he brought a few leaves and put them on top of himself. Not enough to

hide himself but if I hadn't known he was there I may not have

noticed it was fur under the leaves. Now that I know he comes and

goes and is not sick I won't feed him.