I was out late the other night, when I heard a rustling in the bushes behind the garage. I froze, not sure what I’d see, and found myself 10 feet away from a large, gray, moonlit opossum. We had an intense staring contest that lasted about 2 seconds before it turned and disappeared. I know there is a good number of opossums living in my neighborhood, but I’ve only seen 3 or 4 ever. They are so secretive, so shy, that they leave almost no trace of existing, and when you do see them they scurry away in a heartbeat. It also doesn’t help that they are nocturnal, and seem to avoid not only daylight, but street- and lamp-light as well. I don’t know much about these little guys, but they’re awfully exciting to see!
Song of the Wolf
"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. "
Song of the Wolf 
I enjoy opossums. Since people tend to think they are ‘big rats’, I go out of my way to defend them. They’re great scavengers- each creature has its place in the grand scheme of things.
I agree. I seemed always inclined to feel for anything (or anyone) everyone else rejects (pit bulls, rats, cockroaches). Possums definitely make the world better. 😉
That was a pretty cool encounter! My, I haven’t seen one in so many years. We don’t have them in this area.