And before that...

Highlight of the week was definitely the close, personal encounter with a live Opossum, who discovered Turbo's perch on the air conditioner. Want to name the opossum?

So do I! Her name is Olivia.

I was sitting at my computer and she jumped up on the magic wildlife-attracting Chen's Personal Zoo-type-aquarium-type-air conditioner-type thing, and she stared at me while i typed. She was huge. I mean, compared to the chipmunk. I wasn't sure if she was an opossum at first cause she looked pretty much like a giant white ferret, facially, and i mean, who the hell has ever seen a possum up close, minus the tire treadmarks and like, breathing and looking around? She stayed there quite a while too. I wanted to feed her, or take a picture, or do something but anything i did would disturb her, and it was too cool to have this giant white ferret face staring at me while I balanced my checkbook.

Interestingly, Iodine did not venture anywhere near the window. It wasn't like she was hiding, necessarily, she walked across the room a few times, and she was looking out the side window that was open. For a while I thought she was just an idiot and had no idea that there was this tremendous rodent chilling behind a thin pane of storm window ten feet away from her, but after Olivia left, Iodine was totally inspecting the area, sniffing it. My guess is that she knew something was there, but also knew it was capable of disemboweling her with great haste and efficiency should she come within contact distance of it.

Anyway, me and Iodine are going to make chipmunk/possum feeders out of toilet paper rolls and peanut butter and cereal and seed and stuff, and we are gonna have us a wildlife adventure from the comfort of my bedroom.

Did I tell you my mom found a freshly dead crow on her driveway about a month ago? Crows don't generally like drop dead from trees and fall out, so it was a bit strange. When she came back out with a beer flat to get it off the driveway, she says there was .. wait for it... a Murder of Crows hanging out in the trees above the driveway, FREAKING. They were flying in circles, both clockwise and counterclockwise, and making a huge racket. Anyway, she called the Delaware Fish and Wildlife people (guy) and he came out and took the body so he could test it for West Nile Virus. Right here in river city!

That was a while ago though, so I guess that wasn't what killed it.

Anyway, here's part of the reason I chose my mom to be my mom: She's telling me the story, and one of the first things that pops into my head is "oh man, did you take pictures? i hope you took pictures," but I didn't say it out loud cause i was like "of course she didn't take pictures, no sane suburban mom would take pictures of a dead crow and a fish and wildlife guy stuffing said dead crow into a plastic bag." So we're talking and then she goes "and... you may think this is silly but, I took pictures."

How CUTE is she? She is my favorite mom i've ever had.

I requested copies, and as soon as I get them, we will make a fun online story book about the Dead Crow from Delaware that Did Not Have West Nile Virus.