the latest critter caught by the Venation Wildlife Cam

[Bertha Venation]

Here's one of our opossums. He's not exotic, but he's alive and on the planet. (Don't they just make you want to scream, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!")



Possums are named Pokey.* Pokey here is the latest critter to be caught by the camera on the Venation front porch. I don't care that they're common and (some say) ugly. To me Pokey's as precious as the kittens who live under this porch.

Here's a wider shot, showing the porch that needs to be washed, the drying basil and the tomato plant ties & stakes in the background, and, of course, Pokey the Possum.



* All our wild critters have names: Squirrels are Chucky, raccoons are Rocky, chipmunks are Chipper, our fox is named Foxy, possums are Pokey. Fat spiders in their webs are Boris, and huge shiny bumblebees -- the kind that defy all natural laws in order to fly -- are Bruno. And lizards are Heeeere, Leezard, Leezard, Leezard.

[MuseRider]

1. Ahhhhhh

he is cute! I also love all living things but you know that. We were looking for you earlier. Glad to see you back. Love the pictures you take, they are fabulous and it is so cool to feed the wild ones. I can't wait to move to the farm, once there nothing within walking distance will starve.

[Bertha Venation]

3. When are you moving, and where is the farm?!

That's wonderful news, MR. (I've been out of it and didn't know. :()

[MuseRider]

15. We have been trying to move

for a while now but the economy, you know. We have the plans almost finished for the house and now that both boys are gone we are hoping to dig the hole before it freezes but probably not until next spring. The farm is 10 miles south of where I am now, in Wakarusa, Kansas (I love that name) it is just a stop on a country road with a post office. The whole town is about 1/2 block long. Also has a railroad track and a house that was part of the underground railroad.

[Bertha Venation]

18. *picking jaw up off floor* Oh, man.

Is Wakarusa anywhere near Topeka? That's where my mother was born.

It sounds so good, MR. Things that take time to get to are worth waiting & working for, no?

Wow.

[MuseRider]

20. Your mother was born in Topeka?

I live in Topeka now. If she was born in Wakarusa you must PM me. My father was from around those parts, I used to play there when a kid with my best friend whose grandparents homesteaded there. Cool!

[Bertha Venation]

24. well... I'd love to find out if any Streeters are out there, but

my mother's been gone 30 years. Honestly, all I know about her birth & childhood is that she was born in Topeka, and lived in Japan during the U.S. occupation for a year and a half.

Still. Know any Streeters?

COOL. You had a friend whose gparents were HOMESTEADERS. GOD I love history when it comes across like that.

[MuseRider]

26. I went to school with

a girl named Streeter but lost track of her. She would be 50 by now. I have traced the farm to the original owners. There was a section of one of the trails (I forgot! I have to go look it up again) that went through and there are several places around with the wagonwheel ruts still visible. Yes, the history is rich and I have only begun to dig through it.

[Bertha Venation]

27. One of my aunts is 50 this year. *cue Twilight Zone theme*

But they were a military family, and I think aunt Penny had probably gone to live with her grandparents by then.

I suppose the possibilities are endless, though.

I married a woman who loves to travel (road trip) as much as I do. I expect we'll get to Kansas before we shuffle off. Maybe we'll look you up on your farm in (not looking back to see how it's spelled) Wakausa . . .

[MuseRider]

28. OMG OMG OMG

It was Penny Streeter and she was in my class through Jr High school!!!! You had better look me up! DO you know anything about what happened to her? She was shy but very nice, we were in dumb dumb math together in 8th grade! Amazing, I feel as though we are now related!

[Bertha Venation]

31. HOLY SHIT, BATMAN!

Yeah, I know what happened to her. She's alive and well and living in Southern California! We correspond VERY infrequently, but I'm going to email her and tell her I found someone who knew her.

Dumb dumb math sounds about right to me. AFAIK, none of the Streeter women were any good at math. LOL

Oh, this is too damned freaky! PM me? Or I'll PM you... either one. I'm just so excited I can't see straight.

[MuseRider]

30. I just looked through

my high school year books and she was here through 1971. We must not have had any classes together in HS, it was fairly large so I lost track of her. I am going to find out from some people in my grad class what happened to her.

[A_Possum]

2. Hi there Pokey!

Good cat food, eh?

:toast:

[Bertha Venation]

6. Pokey!

Or are you one of the few named Fuzzy? *vbg*

:hi:

[MrSandman]

4. Pretty...

But without the gumption to move out of the road. Had to straddle one on the way to work today. Luckily for it, I drive a 4x4 and only made it duck.

[Bertha Venation]

7. Good for you!

I'd've been rendered immobile.

[MrSandman]

11. One lane road...

It was straddle, hit, or over the mountain. I'll do what I can to miss any animal short of a crash.

[Bertha Venation]

16. "I'll do what I can to miss any animal short of a crash."

Man after my own heart. I'd probably go on ahead & crash if there were no other cars about. I'm a real head case when it comes to car-meets-animal.

One lane road. I dream of living in such a place. And for a beach bum who five years ago was still repeating her lifelong mantra, "I will never leave Southern California," that is quite a change.

[MrSandman]

19. For a photo of the road...

http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.aspx?t=1&s=15&x=84&y=652&z=17&w=1

[Bertha Venation]

23. Oh. Man.

That is too cool. Thank you.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. very cool!

I like opossums.

Love your critter cam!

[Bertha Venation]

10. I'm glad you like the critter cam, Rabr...........

And every time you pop up, I think of Mark Twain. Hmm. :hi:

[Rabrrrrrr]

17. sometimes i miss the mark twain avatar

but too many people were using it...

[frylock]

8. opossum bin laden..

that's what I would have named him. I always give names to the rattlesnakes I run across on my hikes; there's Red Foreman, Grumpy, Trey (he was a Western Diamondback located at the 3 mile mark of one of my routine hikes), Ben Hogan (he was found at a place I refer to as Amen Corner, cuz I always pray I don't cross his path again!! 6+ foot Red Diamondback). There's so many more, I've forgotten most of their names.

[Bertha Venation]

12. Snake! A snake! Oh-ooohhhh, it's a snake . . . .

I feel fortunate that I haven't yet seen any snakes out here. I expect to, though, probably when cleaning up the adopt-a-road. :scared:

I love your names for the critters.

Oops, I have seen several blacksnakes. But they were ready for the Roadkill Cafe. :cry:

[peekaloo]

9. I love watching a baby possum walk.......it reminds me of toddlers

who put on mommy's high heels the way they wobble around.

Stinky and mean critters though.

[Bertha Venation]

14. Haven't seen a baby, but now I know what they look like when they walk.

It's an impressive description. I like it!

[ronnykmarshall]

13. Go on little critter!

I was wondering where you where Bertha.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=1600572

[realisticphish]

21. boris the spider!

i love it! :thumbsup:


:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[Bertha Venation]

36. one of my sisters named him -- and Bruno the bumblebee, too

:hi:

[arwalden]

22. Possum Teeth... SCARY!!

Hi! I'm a GIANT RAT!

[Bertha Venation]

25. what a great photo!

And caption! :bounce:

[jukes]

29. *marvelous* creature, BV

we were looking for you earlier, a little worried. glad you're ok.

[barb162]

32. ummm, this looks like my house

I feed oppossums, raccoons, stray cats, dogs, squirrwes, birds, and anyone else furred or feathered that stops by. Plus I have 4 indoor cats. Oh and I forgot the skunks. I would prefer they weren't around, but they are and they get hungry too.

Nice to hear there's another animal lover around.

[Bertha Venation]

34. We haven't been skunked yet, thank the god of critters.

And I have yet to see a stray dog around here. We've been visited by neighbors' dogs who get out, and we don't much like it because they scare away the feral cats who rely on us. But we don't hold a grudge when they eat the food because we figure they must need it. :shrug:

Many animal lovers on DU. It's one of the reasons I love it so. :hi:

[barb162]

37. the skunks came this year for the 1st time

parents and then 5 little kids. A stray dog does come around and scares everyone but they can all stay safe as there are decks around here and they all run under the decks and the dog can't. I have been trying to get this one black cat in for the longest time, months, and I just don't want use a humane trap as I believe those things totally scare the hell out of the animals forever. I have been feeding that black cat for at least a year now and I don't want to see him go through another Chicago winter. MY 4 indoor cats are all strays and I got them all by feeding and then getting closer and closer to them and then inside. The 4 of my cats live like kings and queens here. This little black cat though, can't get close...too scared. I grow catnip (calamintha) for them.

[Bertha Venation]

38. I don't like the traps either, but we use them to get the ferals neutered.

Right now we feed three adult ferals and two kittens. The kittens are already too old to be caught & taught to be pets. I wonder if the thought of terrifying the cat temporarily is too much for you to get him, if only to get him neutered & find him a warm home for the winter?

Good on you for caring for the critters. And I forgot in my earlier post: welcome to DU!

[barb162]

39. Oh thanks!!!!!!!

Glad to talk to anyone about politics and animals!!!


You are absolutey right on the trap as a one time thing, I just think of them as last resorts. I actually had it set up a few weeks last winter then gave up. The canned food
was freezing within five minutes and the cat wouldn't go in the cage for kibble cat food. And I wasn't going to not feed the animals in midwinter to try to get the cat. Right now I don't know how to do the trap as I don't want to get the skunks in it or any of the other animals. The raccoons I have now are very nice and I don't want them trapped, let alone the possum who just totally minds his own business. The skunks, though, they are fighters and even the raccoons back off with them and they sort of monopolize the food bowl to the point I am separating the food to reduce interaction.

Last fall/ winter I was actually making progress and got the black cat to eat on the deck, just inching the cat closer and closer and then it got scared from something or other and doesn't come on the deck anymore. The skunks are complicating everything also.

I have about 3 months to try to get that cat in, to figure something out.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

33. I LOVE OPOSSUMS!

That's a real cutie you have there. I had one living in my basement for a few months - he would cruise into my bedroom in the middle of the night, poking around for something to eat. He was a little stinky ocassionally, but otherwise harmless.

Any wildlife always has free run of my yard/house -- I always feel so lucky when they choose me to bug. :)

[Bertha Venation]

35. That would scare the bejeebers outta me

let alone the cats. ;)

[Hell Hath No Fury]

41. My cats are all used to it by now....

Oppossum in the house? Y-a-w-n....

It really is kind of fun.

I once had a family of raccoons (including some babes - CUTE!) that would visit every night at 9:00pm like clockwork. They'd creeep up the stairs and peek at us over the top step, disappear for a few minutes -- you'd hear their little raccoon chatter -- then continue on into the kitchen for a nosh.

I also once woke up in the middle of the night and looked down at the foot of my bed. Looking back at me was a raccoon with is front paws on my bed. We just stared at each other in the dark for awhile. Then he ate and left.

Another night I came out into the living room to find an oppossum partying on my coffee table.

Did I mention that I am in San Francisco??? That's what makes it so fun -- to be in a big city and still have these cool wildlife adventures. :)

[barb162]

43. raccoons teach their babies

to do relay races on the roof. You can hear them at night and if you shine a flashlight up there, you see all these raccoon eyes glowing back at you. They all stop racing back and forth and just stand there and watch the creature with the flashlight. Do you know raccoons love sour cream? And oreo cookies.

[Bertha Venation]

47. San Francisco? And all those critters?

Cool. I'm from Huntington Beach, and I never saw a raccoon until I went on a camping trip in to Mt. Palomar -- at age 34. (I had to get up in pitch blackness to pee, and I caught them raiding the cooler of someone I didn't much care for. I just turned my flashlight away from them and kept going to the bathroom. :evilgrin: )

[barb162]

40. funny

oppossums just keep to themselves and are really harmless. I have been feeding them for about 20 years.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

42. That's my impression...

you mind your business, they'll mind theirs. No harm, no foul.

[davsand]

44. Heeeere, Kitty, kitty...

I said that to a possum one time. It came, and I ran like hell when I realized what it was!!!

I was sitting on the front stoop one night and in the twilight I saw a beige thing under the bush. I thought it was the neighbors' cat named Philo--so I called "Heeeere, Kitty... Come here, Philo..."

It came shambling out from under the bush and started walking right up to me. I realized it was NOT Philo the cat, but rather, a really large possum.

I left skidmarks...

Bertha, you are too cool! Thanks for sharing that picture!


Laura

[Bertha Venation]

48. Ha ha ha ha! Great story.

L O V E the picture in your sig line.

[sasquatch]

45. I have a possom that's about as big as our dog

Our dog is a Aussie Shephard to give you some idead on how big that dude is.

[barb162]

46. that's pretty big, though

I have seen some raccoons easily that big over the last many years. This one raccoon I was feeding about 5 yrs. ago was gigantic like "Bigfoot." I always wonder how oppossums dont have frozen tails.