Speaking of possums

Yesterday's post about possums reminded me of a little adventure from back when the Spousal Unit and I served on our local volunteer fire department. It went like this...

One Monday night, we went to our usual meeting/training session at the fire house. We could tell right away something was wrong. A climate of fear pervaded the station.

"We're so glad you came, " some of the guys said.

They weren't talking to me. They were talking to the Spousal Unit, who was regarded as something of a critter whisperer.

It turned out there was a terrifying intruder in the station that day, a savage beast that struck fear into the hearts of stalwart men who would rush to burning buildings, hazmat spills, explosive car crashes and other dangerous situations.

A baby possum under a fire truck to be exact...

To make a long story short, she put on gloves, crawled under the truck, picked up the possum, took it out back to a field and gave it some dry cat food.

The boys were in awe. I never got that kind of respect. But then, I'm not a possum whisperer.

DEFICIT HYSTERIA DISORDER treated here.

MORE ON MINE SAFETY from Ken Ward's Coal Tattoo blog here.

URGENT TINY CHAMELEON UPDATE here.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED