Possum Friends

The Saint Francis Rescue Mission (i.e. the Hollywood residence) has some new friends: a family of possums - a mother and her four (grown) children.

I apologize for the poor quality of the pictures, but the possums (possumi?) only come out at dusk, and I'm shooting through the window with no flash. Under the circs, this is the best I can do. (Brother Latif, I know you are laughing now at the obvious pun on the Latin word "possum" - we students of Latin are known for such knee-slapping jocularity).

Possums (which in the Blue States, as opposed to the Gray states, are known as opossums), are the only marsupials native to America. They are more intelligent than dogs, and have thumbs on their hind feet. They are very clean, and perform a valuable non-chemical pest control service - all for free.

We have a colony of about five "feral" cats (they're all tame now) that Mrs. H. feeds. The didelphimorphic visitors to Saint Francis have formed fast friendships with the felines, and sometimes can even be seen hanging out nose to nose. The possums are more skittish than the cats, but there are times where they don't mind the presence of humans at all.

Mother possum was limping and bleeding a couple weeks back, but she seems to have made a full recovery.

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.