I KNEW IT

I knew that something very strange has been going on here late at night. I'm not talking about the coyotes. Or the cats. Or even the mice.

I'd be snuggled in bed reading, long after midnight (which is my usual habit on these incredibly chilly autumn nights). 
Suddenly....
I'd hear very strange noises coming from various regions of the house. I initially thought it was the cats.

But these noises weren't exactly cat noises. The kitties usually just silently creep and wander. Bosco and Scruffy sometimes race around the room, playing tag....and whatever the heck felines do to entertain themselves at ungodly hours.

These new noises involved clanging, banging, and loud scratching. Most especially in the kitchen. It was as though a phantom chef was preparing dinner.

Sometimes something unnervingly large would scurry past my bed. I kept telling myself it was one of the cats.....
......until I looked and saw that all three of the cats were sound asleep.

I assured (or semi-assured) myself that it was a large mouse.
But it must have been one helluva MEGA mouse - wearing cleats on wooden shoes.
Maybe Mickey??

Also, ALL the cat food was disappearing quickly. I always leave dry food out for the cats to nibble on. Every morning the bowls would be completely empty.

Late last night the mystery of the noises was solved. All three of my cats were congregated in the small room where I keep one of my pianos. They were intently watching something in a corner, behind a chair.

I grabbed a flashlight, which revealed that the something was round, furry, and very much alive.
It didn't take me long to know it was a 'possum.
Or an opossum, for anyone who wants to be correct. 

 Cornered

The first thing I did (after panicking slightly) was to usher all the cats out of the room.
The next thing I did was wonder how I was going to catch him (her?).

A brainstorm sent me out to the garage, where I got one of the large cages that I had put the cats in when I moved from Texas to Tennessee.

I placed the cage in front of the 'possum, cornering him by the wall and a bookcase. Not one to be fooled, he darted away and squeezed under a desk ( in a tight space of about two inches!).

Finally I got a broom and prodded him out from under the desk and back by the cage. He was shrewd and defiant, but also docile and non-aggressive. 

 Finally in the cage, trying to get out the door (that's an old beach towel on the cage)

To make a long story short (yea, I know it's too late) I eventually got him into the cage with the help of the broom. He kept trying to get out the cage door and it was difficult to lock it with my bare hands ('possums are cute - - but they can BITE BIG TIME).

The entire 'possum ordeal took over an hour.

I carried the cage outside and put it on the back porch. Then I took it a good distance away and turned the 'possum loose.
Thankfully there was a full moon so I could see what I was doing.

A happy ending for all.

 Out on the back porch

This isn't the first time a 'possum got into my house. The other one was bigger and much more aggressive. He got in through the vent to the clothes dryer hookup (I fixed that).

This one got in (I think) through a small wall opening behind the refrigerator (which I sealed today).

Note:
against my better judgement, I'm going to allow comments again. I luv all of you people (yes, even the annoying ones) - - but I did enjoy my comment-free mini vacation.

STRANGER IN THE NIGHT

I was planning on writing a sweet, summery, innocuous post in honor of upcoming Independence Day - - but my harrowing adventures here on Hell Mountain are much more interesting.

Let's do a little recap of my recent days for the uninitiated. I was without water in the house for a week, due to a plumbing malfunction (I lifted "malfunction" from NASA's vocabulary). Despite having no water inside, there's plenty of it outside. It never stops raining here. And I mean NEVER. I suppose the highlight of my entire week was when I found the dead mouse in my bed, tucked under my pillow (a gift from one of my cats).

If you read my blog regularly, you wouldn't miss these things and I wouldn't be forced to recapitulate (admonishment from the author).

The plumber came yesterday morning and fixed my pipe (no sexual connotations are intended) and also the faucets to the washing machine hookup. So now - at least for the moment - I have water again. And I can wash clothes. Unfortunately, I can't dry them because I still have to change the power cord on the clothes dryer, but that's another story for another time. I can change the power cord myself. 

Despite projecting an annoying aura of helplessness, I do possess some mechanical abilities. I'm not just another pretty face.

What about the stranger in the night?
I'm getting there. Good stories always require a subtle buildup to induce tension. I'm assuming that you're getting tense.

Late last night I was in the usual company of insomnia. In order to while away the witching hours, I was watching some creepy murder mysteries that I found on YouTube (I was using my laptop in the kitchen).
By the way, it's "while away" - not "wile away". I just checked to be sure.

The rain is pouring and thunder is rumbling continuously. I'm immersed in the murder mystery and the isolated danger of this dark mountainous wilderness. It's deliciously atmospheric.

Suddenly.......

I hear loud, persistent scratching noises coming from one of the bedrooms. Despite being small, this house has three bedrooms. The largest is my bedroom. The second largest contains one of my pianos and some bookcases. I use the smallest bedroom for storage. That's where the noises are coming from.


At first I ignore the noises, convinced that it's one of the cats. My oldest cat Scratch particularly enjoys rummaging around at night, and she's often in that small bedroom.

Somehow, the noises don't sound like a cat. My musician ears are always fine-tuned to sounds, and these noises weren't induced by a feline. Rattling, bumping, and scraping accompanied the scratching.

Perhaps my cat is chasing another mouse (I'm trying to reassure myself).

A few loud bangs really get my attention. I immediately jump up and do a feline head count. Scruffy and Bosco are asleep in my bedroom (where they usually are). Scratch is asleep in the living room. All three cats are accounted for.

Now I'm seriously worried. The noises in the bedroom are increasing, and it sure as hell ain't no mouse.

Summoning the little courage that I have, I grab a broom and go to the bedroom. I switch on the light. I see a large flash of fur scurry into one of the corners, behind a pile of junk.

Holy shit!!!! 
I instinctively turn out the light and close the door. Whatever it is, it's now trapped in the bedroom. I'm admittedly shaken, wondering how I should deal with the situation. The interloper looked fairly large. A broom and a flashlight won't be sufficient ammunition.
   
Yea, I know - - this post is getting irritatingly long - - but what the hell, it's free entertainment.

All right, I'll speed it up and cut to the chase.

There is unnerving silence. The bedroom is quiet. And then I hear scurrying and scratching near the washing machine - - which is closer to the kitchen (and not in the bedroom!).

I leap up and look behind the washer.
I'm face to face with an opossum! 

This guy looks very similar to the one I encountered

"Opossum" is the sophisticated term. In this part of the country it's "Possum". Great for eatin', makes a good stew.

He somehow went through the bedroom closet, via the water heater route, and exited into the laundry area. It's a complication that I won't detail.

The possum is kinda large. Kinda cute (in an unnerving way). Definitely something you don't want in your spare bedroom.
I open the back door (which is right by the laundry area) and eventually manage to swoosh it out with the broom.

Possums aren't aggressive or particularly dangerous but they can act vicious. They seldom bite even though they have about fifty sharp teeth. They seldom have rabies but they carry ticks, fleas, and other undesirable things. They're dang good at playing dead when they're frightened. And they like to eat cat food.

They like to live under porches - which is where this one resides. He (she?) got into the house through the open clothes dryer vent. I don't have the dryer hooked up and the vent is uncovered.

I definitely have it covered now, and I'm going to get some screening to put over it. I had carelessly left it uncovered for about two days.

Hopefully this midnight intruder won't make a repeat performance.

This is what I'm going to look like in a few

 years if I keep living in the mountain wilderness

Note:

This wasn't my first encounter with possums. I was very familiar with them when I lived in the Missouri Ozarks. And I had them in my garage when I lived in Texas.

In Texas I also had a snake in my kitchen, lizards in the silverware drawer, and turkey buzzards in the back yard.
Not to mention scorpions.........