Possum

So last night after Amelia went to bed, I went down into the basement and into the garage. I turned slightly to my left to push the button to raise the garage door and then I saw something out of the corner of my eye. A possum! I could have reached to my right and touched it. S/he was sitting on top of a [clean, new] garbage can that I use to store the hand-me-downs that Amelia has yet to grow into. There are a few other things around that garbage can, like a small metal bookshelf and various detritus that tends to collect in a garage when one lives in a house for ten years. There were a few things on top of the garbage can, too, and this little guy just curled up and apparently called it home. I think he may have darted in when I came home earlier from a playdate for Amelia & Livia. My garage door only stays open long enough for me to get into the garage. With the cold we've had, I don't even leave it open while I walk around the car.

After spotting Mr. Possum (let's go ahead and assign a gender to keep it simple), he did not try to run or attack. If anything he acted nonchalant about my presence. I, on the other hand, ran to the end of the car and hopped into the car since he didn't seem to be making a beeline for underneath the car and I didn't have to worry about my ankles. I backed out, flashed my lights (yes, I know their blind, but I think they can see a little) and then stopped. I got out, threw a few of Amelia's almost empty containers of bubbles at it and still no budging. So then I threw a small cardboard box right on top of the possum and still no movement! At this point, he looked buried so I approached and pulled away the clear bag of clothes that was in front of the possum. At this, he bared his teeth. Oh, what a friendly gesture. Apparently the possum was staying no matter what.

I went ahead with my errand of running to get a key to the church to get some things for the bereaved family, and asked their opinion - which was to call the police. Since I was about three blocks from the police station at that point I decided to stop by, but no one was there. So I came home and called them and was told, "Ma'am, we don't do possums. You'll need to call Animal Control." Animal Control's answering machine told me to call the sheriff's department which took my number and told me someone from Animal Control would call me soon. In the meantime, I called my sister-in-law, a vet, and she said Mr. Possum was probably not rabid. While rabies was a possibility he was more likely sick from something else, which is why he wasn't moving. My concern was that he didn't seem afraid of me and he wouldn't leave. Since the garage is part of my house, I was not going to just wait for him to decide to leave.

We've had a scandal in our county recently with Animal Control that involved guns and dogs. Apparently, this worked in my favor last night. First, they were extremely responsive. Second, when I told the guy that the town police told me they didn't do possums, he told me they don't either, that they leave that to Wildlife, but that they (Animal Control) try to help out. Meanwhile, the guy brought his 8-10 year-old son with him who at first was Mr. Swagger & Cool but when the possum backed down into the corner and disappeared (as I was afraid he might), he got a little jumpy and nervous and told his dad he should have brought his B.B. gun like he told him. Mr. Possum was found behind a spare board of drywall and caught but not before Nervous Boy said, "He's not going to jump out at me is he?" Meanwhile the dad was talking to the hissing possum saying, "I didn't think you was mean. Why you being so mean?" He nabs him, carries him out and is telling me how mean possums are, that he's shot them in the past and they still keep coming at him. Mr. Possum gets released in the backyard and scampers down through the tall grass. Boy, visibly relieved, says he should have put it on the neighbors' porch (they go to church with them). Then he has a better idea and says, "Ooh, we should've put him in Christy's new truck!" And then he picks up where he left off about shooting possums and dad, forgetting his own comment about shooting possums, nervously tells him, "Now son, we don't shoot things anymore." Yeah, whatever. If he had shot the possum for me, I could have fed my family for the next two nights. I am sure I've seen a recipe somewhere in my collection for possum, maybe for the crockpot? Mmmmmmm

Sadness

If you are a praying person, please do so for Rhonda, Eliza & Eleanor. Eliza was not in pre-school Tuesday and we didn't know why at the time. Her daddy died that day when the cement truck he was driving at just 25 mph overturned as he came around a bend in the road. The paper said the truck crushed him.

It was my day to volunteer and it was unlike Eliza to not be there. One time the teacher canceled pre-school because Eliza and Amelia would have been the only two children there. Lauren really noticed - she said, "No best buddy today." Eliza was in kindermusik with Amelia since Amelia started going and they've been in pre-school together this entire year. I see her little sister Eleanor all the time when I drop Amelia off and pick her up and these two little girls are so amazing. Eliza has the best lion roar. I just can't imagine these little girls growing up without their daddy. My heart is breaking for them.

I saw their grandmother at the park this afternoon and spoke to her. Eliza doesn't know yet. They've decided not to tell her. She just thinks her daddy hasn't come home yet. She turned four in early December.

I was wondering whether to tell Amelia, and now I know to wait. I had no idea this would happen so soon or to someone so close. Life is cruel.

She likes her veggies

One day a couple of weeks ago Amelia helped herself to the serving bowl of veggies at dinner time and finished them off, so I upped her veggie serving after that. Then Sunday she said, "I don't need pasta! I just need my vegetables!" I helped turn her plate so she wasn't dragging her sleeve through her pasta and decided it was worth taking a picture. After finishing her peas, she asked for carrots. And ate them. She's always liked veggies and back in baby food days she would only eat veggies, but this is really starting to show itself as a preference I think. We'll see how long it lasts.

[picture dated 2/22/09]

Grandma wears her out!

Grandma came for a five day visit and pooped Amelia out. (And here you would think it would be the other way around.) Amelia doesn't take naps anymore and she won't even fall asleep in the car when she's tired unless it's dark. Today was an exception. After leaving the airport she told me several times she wanted to go to bed and sleep with Tad. We ran an errand at Wal-mart and she even told the clerk, "I'm going home to sleep with Tad." Boy, she must have been tired, it was only 2 pm! Well, we weren't very far from Wal-mart before she was asleep in the back seat, poor thing.

Later in the afternoon we went for a brief walk. I put on my jacket and pulled up the zipper. Amelia said, "Scuse you!"

Girl Potty

Well, it finally happened. I pointed out the distinction between the men's and women's restrooms to Amelia. She kept going towards the men's room at Chik-fil-A (we were there to take advantage of the indoor playground on another dreary day) and I showed her how the men's room had a figure of a man and the women's room had a figure of a person wearing a dress. So we then had to have a conversation about how mommy & Amelia sometimes wear dresses but Daddy never does. And now she is fascinated with the signs on restrooms.

Nostalgia

We were at a discount store the other day and I saw a pack of 2 baby bottles for dolls, the kind where the milk or orange juice disappear as you tip the bottle to feed the baby doll. I showed them to Amelia who was smitten with them and I decided the $2 was worth bringing them home to see if she would actually use them. Amelia hasn't done much with her dolls and after showing her how to use them with her baby doll, I thought maybe she would start playing with her dolls more. Nope. She has assigned the milk bottle to Tad and the orange juice bottle to her bunny. It seems to be done by size - Tad is bigger than the bunny. It's really cute to watch her feed them, though. She doesn't always use the best technique, so I am still helping her a little.

These bottles are just like the ones I grew up using with my dolls. However, Amelia seems to be leaning towards playing "dolls" with her stuffed animals - just like her Aunt Amy did!

[picture dated 2/9/09]

28 degrees Farenheit

+ a little snow = one happy Amelia!

She has discovered the joy of making snow angels. (Thank God for snow pants!) And she LOVES "making tracks" in the snow - running around and making footprints. She also really likes dusting snow off of Daddy's jeep, the steps, the driveway, etc.

We've had so much snow here this season, it's unbelievable. It's not been a lot in terms of inches, but in how frequently it has come.

In fact, Inauguration Day was a snow day - even for Daddy. So we all stayed in our jammies until after lunch, then went and visited Nana. Here's Amelia enjoying the spatula from the cake we made - much more interesting than the Inauguration, but at least we can tell her she saw it. President Obama will be the first President in her lifetime that she will remember. Mine was Jimmy Carter.

[pictures dated 2/4/09 & 1/21/09]

Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day was fun here. We drove to our local nature center in rain, then rain mixed with snow, then more rain. Amelia was mildly interested in the groundhog and we stayed for most of the presentation. It opened with a guy strumming a guitar singing a song popular in the days of the settlers. Its lyrics had to do with groundhogs and gravy, mmmmm. yeah. Amelia thought it had a nice beat and got up and danced to it. The benches in the barn were a bit hollow (I think she liked the novelty of hanging out in a barn actually) and they made her shoes sound kind of loud, but there were lots of kids there and she was having fun, so I let her be for the most part. When she started twirling towards other kids, I reined her in a little. Afterwards we went to another building (remember, it was raining) and checked out snakes and lizards and such. Then we met Daddy for supper (BBQ yum!) and then headed for home.

By the way, we're in for more winter. BIG shock.