Opossum or Possum??

Let's be honest I don't care how you spell it. And you wouldn't either if you came face to face with a hissing opossum trapped in a bucket in your greenhouse.

So, of course there's a story to go with this proclamation. Let me first start out with...I've only ever seen opossum's on the side of the road, in documentaries on tv, or in kids cartoons. I've never seen one in real life, except maybe in captivity (but I don't remember). Let me just say, that's not the same thing!!!

Let's back up...I hadn't been out to the greenhouse in over 24 hours. I went out on Friday morning and noticed a couple of plants knocked over and some empty pots strewn all over the place. I didn't understand what happened, and ended up just putting everything back. Fast forward to Saturday afternoon when I decided to see how hot it was getting out there and see if any tomatoes were ready. I'm out harvesting tomatoes, and even grabbed a cucumber. They're all tucked into my shirt (I'm using the bottom like an apron and have folded it up. lol), when I see a turd. Now I have lizards and skinks living in my greenhouse, and we have an agreement, they eat the bugs and I don't kill them. lol But this was not a lizard poo, this was entirely too big to be lizard poo. So I do the normal thing, start looking around for the animal that produced this dropping. I have a 14x20 foot greenhouse to search, and I'm looking everywhere!! I get up near the door and start to move some things, and that's when I see it!!

I screamed!!

It hissed!!

I panicked!!

Now I'm thinking OMG, I'm trapped in my greenhouse with a feral opossum!! (FYI: it wasn't feral, or rabid) So, as I stand in the middle of my greenhouse literally shaking and thinking what do I do??? I finally just booked it. I took off running for the door, and ran right past it and straight into the house. I'm yelling "There's a opossum living in my greenhouse!!!" My daughter says, what?? Really? I wanna see. So I follow her out there and show her where it is. But I'm worried it's rabid or something, so I told her she can't go in there. Then I walk back into the house and tell my husband, He says Really??? (Do these people think I'm making this up??? I know I'm a bit crazy but good Lord give me some credit!!!)

So hubby comes to the rescue... he lifted the bucket out of the greenhouse with a shovel and then put it near the tree line and dumped it over in hopes it would come out. No luck, the thing just curled back up and wanted to go to sleep.

Apparently the screen at the bottom of my door had come undone and that's how the little guy had gotten in and couldn't figure out how to get back out.

No opossums were harmed in the making of this nightmare. But I may need some new pants, and a new heart, as mine is still in my throat.