# An awful surprise in my shop.. just awful..



## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

I have not spent a whole lot of time in my shop the past couple weeks due to the cold weather. I set up a space in my house where I have been working and only run out to the shop when I need to use a power tool. Due to the fact that I haven't spent much time out there these past couple weeks some things kind of went unnoticed…

One of these things was my trash. I do not pay for a trash service to pick up my trash from the street. I have a dumpster that I am free to use at my work so I have always just brought the trash bag or bags into work with me when we have them. The bag or bags are usually placed in my garage/shop until I take them off with me. Well as it turns out there were a couple of trash bags that my wife placed in the garage in couple weeks ago that I did not notice. Usually trash would begin to smell but due to the cold temp there was no smell which helped these bags go unnoticed. The cold weather also means no flies flying around the bags. These bags also sat in the area of the garage that I do not use for my shop.

So a few days ago I was on my way to the garage (from outside) and I heard a noise coming from there. Sounded like an animal digging through stuff. Before I even got to the garage my cat appeared out of nowhere and ran up to me begging to go back in the house. So I shrugged the noise off thinking it was only the cat. I often leave the side entry door to my garage open a crack for my cats. They keep my shop free of mice. Well I was not in my shop again until last night. I went out there last night and was out there for about 30 min before I heard the animal scratching noise again. I called for my cat but it didn't come so I kept working. A few min later I heard it again so I finally go over to front of garage to look and starting me right in the eyes is the biggest most ugly Possum I have ever seen. It was sitting there next to one of the bags which had a hole ripped in the side of it and some trash scattered about the area. I have seen possums before but this one is the biggest of them. Possums can be fierce and carry all kinds of crap so I wasn't about to chase the thing out. I just got the heck out of the garage like the big strong man that I am and didn't go back in for the rest of the night.

Due to the fact that I heard him out there a few days ago and judging by the size of the hole in the trash bag I have a hunch that he is living inside the bag of trash. No way am I going to stick the bag in the back of suv and share a car ride to work with this thing. I cant kill it either because I don't have it in me to kill animals. I am not against killing it, I just don't want to be the one to do it. My cats are great with mice and ground moles but they don't seem to want anything to do with this creature either. I will take care of it one way or another..

The positive to this whole experience is that I now have a new project on my list. I will be building a wooden enclosure to house my trash bags while they are sitting in the garage.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

You have a choice to not pay for trash pickup? It's part of my water bill. No trash pickup, no water service here…


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## boboswin (May 23, 2007)

possums aren't all that dangerous.
Why not leave the door open a smidge and put out some food for it out side your shop?
It's bound to get hungry in there soon.
Wire traps acenbe had from our local wildlife officiers on loan. Maybe youcould call yours and get it relocated.


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

Well I also don't have a water bill  I live outside of the city kind of in a rule area so I have well water. No water bill but the well pump is electric so if I loose power then I don't have water.

If I was to pay for a trash service to come pick up my trash once a week it would be something like 60 dollars a month. I have never used it. Cant see paying that much when I have a dumpster I can use at work. I also burn most all the paper trash so I usually only have a bag or two a week.


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

oh ya big scardy cat…get in there with a broom and chase the possum out of there…and clean up the trash if need be and take it off…...or i could see thgis picture im my mind…you up a tree with the possum under it tell you to leave me alone while i dine on your trash…lol…we have them show up all the time…eating our outside kitty cat food…they just run off and come back later when no one is around…the older ones get to be pretty ugly…there not to bad when there young…kinda cute actually…so being the man you are…have fun..lol..


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

I pay the HOA for trash removal, and I pay the county for trash removal. They ALL talk trash. The critter is a real problem, call your local neighborhood hired killer. You don't want him contaminating your wood and equipment.


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

LOL - rent the neighbor's dog.

Seriously, Bob is right. Possums don't move very fast so you could easily remove him from the population with a suitable club if you so desire. You can grab them by their tail and lift them off the ground and they are helpless.

If it were me, I'd just open the door drag the bag with possum outside, shut the door, and poke, prod, shake the bag until he comes out and runs away. Clean up the mess and you're home free.


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## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

More than likely he is not living in the bag !!

Wait till daytime, take bag to trash(after make sure he not in it), shut garage door, Case closed !!

Leaving the garage door open invites all kind of animals into your world !!

I Had an Armadillo come into the shop with me one night, I shook my finger at him & told him to get out before I hit him with a 2×4. Which He did !!


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

Joe- There is no way, no how I would even consider picking the thing up by its tail… I got chills reading that.

Grizz- Your image of me up the tree is no joke… If this thing jumped out at me thats exactly where I would be. I would say "Feets don't fail me now" and I would be up that tree in a heartbeat.

I know it sounds wimpy of me but I have this psychological fear of strange rodents. I'm not scared of mice, snakes or spiders but possums just freak me out.. Maybe its because I have only been in close contact with them a couple times my whole life. I am not worried about it hurting me, its more that I fear the actual confrontation with the beast.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Dan-Do you have a human society or animal rescue league organization nearby? If so, check with them. In some locales they have humane officers who can deal with situations like this. Where I live, the local Humane Society will loan you a catch-and-release trap that is both safe for you and doesn't harm the animal.

dbhost-Us country-folk don't have city water, so we don't get a water bill (we pump our own)! In our township, the town board sells garbage bags for $1 apiece, and those are the only bags the refuse collection company will pick up. The proceeds from the bags pay for the service, so it doesn't show up on our property tax bill.

-Gerry


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

UPDATE: The beast has been trapped! I went to garage to discover that the beast trapped himself at the bottom of one of my trash bins… Now you guys look at this picture and tell me you would pick this monster up by its tail or fight it in hand to hand combat… No thank you… My wife said I am the man of the house and I shouldn't be scared… I am the man of the house by admitting I am not man enough to mess with these creatures.

I will start building the trash enclosure ASAP and the side door to garage will not be shut.. The cats can freeze for all I care.. No more monsters in my garage!


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## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

Good Job, & you didn't have to do anything. Be sure to take hiom a couple of miles down the road, otherwise he will find his way back.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

OMG … looks like a girl I used to date! LOL


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## cranbrook2 (May 28, 2006)

Glad to see you didn,t kill it . Some people kill everything just because it scares them .
It,s pretty pathetic really :-(


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

One night a few years ago we had a mama possum and her kittens up on our deck (which is at least 10 feet above ground) and they were walking on the rails looking at the bird feeders.

So I go out there with a croquet mallet intending to whack the mother, but didn't have the heart. Mama was showing her teeth and all of that, but I ignored her and decided to stroke their backs with the handle of the mallet. They loved it! Just like a cat or dog likes to have their back's scratched. So, then I got closer and tried petting them with my hand, and they thought that was even better!

So, I went back inside to observe them, and after they decided there was no food to their liking, they climbed down and went back into the forest.

Anyhow - glad your situation has been resolved. BTW - if you change your mind and decide to pick one up by the tail, the secret is to distract him with one hand while the other hand grabs the tail and immediately elevates him off his feet. Important to be quick. Never been bit, but those teeth do look nasty. When hanging by their tail, they just kind of give up and hang, no flopping around or whatnot.


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## wseand (Jan 27, 2010)

He is so cute, maybe you can kick the cats out and keep the little guy. LOL He'll keep all the unwanted guest away for sure. Our pests are Coyotes, skunks, and there is a Boar around here somewhere, I certainly leave them alone. Oh yeah, I think possums can climb trees.

No they don't look scary.


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## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

That thing looks prehistoric. I wouldn't pick it up, either. Any time I hear someone say something like that, I'm reminded of "board stretcher" and "snipe hunting" jokes.

So what did you do with it? You know, if you drown them, a taxidermist can still do something with them. ;o)


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

Joe- Where do you live? I think I will just pack this sucker up and bring him over to your place. You can have all the fun you want petting it and picking it up by its tail! HAHA

John- No I had no intention of killing it. As I said I just don't have it in me to kill animals like that. I am not a big animal lover or anything, I just don't have it in me. I once had a woodchuck eating everything in my garden and I caught it in a live trap. I was so unbelievable pissed that he destroyed my garden so I went out there with a pitch fork and was going to stab it through the cage. Once I got up to the trap and saw him just laying there all peaceful I just couldn't do it. So I drove it a few miles away and let it go..

The possum makes a nasty growling and has big teeth. I am going to just let it go and get rid of all the trash and keep the garage closed from now on…


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## Elizabeth (Oct 17, 2009)

"When hanging by their tail, they just kind of give up and hang, no flopping around or whatnot."

Sounds like they're good at playing possom!


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

I live in NW Arkansas. Our town has a population of about 24,000, but we're spread out over about 150 square miles. Most homes abut common property which is virgin forest, and very hilly. When I stand on my rear deck I can see no other homes when the trees are leafed out, and can partially see one house during the winter. It's great. Back yard visitors include possums, *************************, deer, ground squirrels, an occasional fox and coyote, and once in a while a bear, and a few years ago a mountain lion.


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## Gregn (Mar 26, 2010)

When I lived in Mississippi we use to go out drinking and catch them and throw them in the back of the car. The next morning we would go out and kill them and have them for supper, believe me they're good eating. Smack them on the head with a stick they play dead. Then you can just pick them up by the tail and toss them.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

My daughter takes the dogs out through the shop. She has to go through two doors because there is also a storage room that she has to go through. She got into the habit of leaving the door to the patio open while the dogs were out for a few minutes. I told her to start closing the door because a critter could come in and hide and then next thing you know it's inside the house. Well, one Saturday I got up early and was sitting in my chair reading. Next thing the dog starts sniffing, then all of a sudden the dog starts barking at something in the corner opposite the chair and it was a possum. He had to be run out through a couple of rooms, then through the shop. This didn't work to good because he ran in different directions from the broom so he ended up going in circles. What I did was to go out into the shop and bring in about 5 sheets of plywood and sort of lean em up against the furniture and built sort of a runway. It worked like a charm. I just ran him down the runway and out he went. Never once did he play possum. He had to be run out.


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

yep …good job there…he will be back unless he finds another source of food..there always around..it seems this year there are more around…we always see ************************* , but this year lots of possums…they have cycles…some years there are more then others…....well this mystery is solved, but we must help dan over come his fear of these cute little buggers…i think catching one and then petting it dan…show your wife you are the man of the jungle..beat your chest and give a Tarzan yell…lol….....grizz


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

hey charles…he might have been after that new stool of yours…word has spread ya know…lol..funny story…but we dont want to get the old man to wore out from fighting possums…lol…....


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## childress (Sep 14, 2008)

Hahaha, from Wiki

"When threatened or harmed, they will "play possum", mimicking the appearance and smell of a sick or dead animal. When playing possum, the lips are drawn back, teeth are bared, saliva foams around the mouth, and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from the anal glands"

Man, I hope you don't get any anal juice on you! LOL


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

Childress- All the more reason I am not picking it up by its tail and petting it! lol


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## ND2ELK (Jan 25, 2008)

Hi Dan

Glad you got your critter problem solved. I would have no problem with a possum what so ever. They would rather flee than fight. Now, if that was a snake, I hope he likes his new home, because I would not be there.

God Bless
tom


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

yea dan..you get that anal juice on ya..your having any more children will probably be done….lol…....maybe you should move into the city…lol…....or maybe go take a urban assault class and learn self defense against the possums ..


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## terrilynne (Jun 24, 2010)

HA HA HA….Too funny. We used to tease possums as kids. They will just hiss at you a few times then they lay down and "play Possum".


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

POSSUM GRAVY!


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## docholladay (Jan 9, 2010)

I have a friend that is from southwest Louisiana (real Cajun country) that would have killed it and his family would have eaten possum stew for supper that night - no kidding. This guy goes to my church and when we have potlucks, I am very careful to ask what is in anything that he brings, because you neve know what might be there. He brought squirrel sausage to our men's breakfast once. That actually was ok. I will eat most anything, but I prefer to at least know what it is and prepare myself before I eat it. I would rather not find out after the fact.

Doc


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## mark88 (Jun 8, 2009)

aww u pricess hes tiny compared to the campers in my area….i just chase them up a tree.


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## Chriskmb5150 (Dec 23, 2009)

A broom wouldve fixed his wagon. I dont think i wouldve grabbed him either, ive had rabies shots when i was a kid and it aint no fun.
Found a neighbor's pit bull in my shop once on a return trip from the house for a drink.
Found the little guy (probably 75+ pounds) standing in the doorway of my shop growling so i slowly backed up to my house while staring him in the eye.
Came back out of the house with my 12 gauge shotgun and tried shooshing him away but he still wouldnt budge. he came out slowly and looked like he was going to attack so i fired a shot in the ground next to him and he took off.
Needless to say the cops showed up a short time later to talk to me about discharging a firearm inside city limits.
I told them what happened and told them who the dog belonged to, so they gave me a warning and left.
Apparently, they went to talk to the owner of the dog because He came to my house raising hell about me shooting at his dog. 
I told him if he doesnt get out of my face he's gonna need his dog for protection and the only reason i didnt shoot AT his dog is because i didnt want to get blood on my expensive power tools.
I am not a good neighbor.


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

Possums will bite if cornered. Or, you can threaten them and they will play "possum." 
Take him far away or call the state fish & game people; they will take him off your hands. 
Personally, I wouldn't eat possum. I have seen them crawling out of too many dead things! Woodchuck/groundhog, I am told, is good eating. As my uncle told me, they only eat grass. He said they are cleaner than a chicken. And the hides make a good grade of leather.
Docholloday, I lived in Louisiana for 6 years. The joke was that a Cajun will eat anything. I had an employee that made meat pies out of blackbirds. Ask him what boudin is.


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

I understand it sounds silly to be scared of a possum but I know you guys wouldn't be comfortable with this ugly thing lurking somewhere in your shop as you are out there working. I didn't fear the animal hurting me at all. The fear I had was being in the garage knowing this thing was probably in there with me. Could have been under one of my tool stands, in the bag or somewhere in a corner.

It felt like the movie Alien. Rather then being in a dark space ship with an Alien hiding somewhere ready to leap out at any moment, I was in a dark garage with a possum… It would be different if it was a mouse or a cute animal but this possum was nasty looking.. HUGE TEETH! Oh the horror…


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

well dan i want to help you get over the horror of it all so that you can relax and enjoy the holidays…if it would help i could come over to your place and read to you all a peaceful bedtime story that would calm your nerves…lol…then we should drink some hot chocolate, eat a few cookies…and then i think you would be ok with all of this, you should write this story down so that you can share it with your children later in life…and maybe by then, you will be the fearless possum catcher of the county, true story…. we live here in central alabama, prime possum county, in the past there was the mayor of clanton who raised possums…would carry them like cats…always had one with him…funnies thing you ever saw….so it can be done…well thanks for the entertaining story, i could share one more with you but i think i will do it via a pm..it will give you a good laugh..grizzman


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

Grizz- I knew it would make for a good story. I have no problem making fun of my own fears and flaws… I have 3 boys. My oldest who is 6 and middle who is 4 would have had no problem going in there and looking for it and chasing it out… Luckily I got it out before my boys saw me tip toeing into the garage in fear…


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## FishMontana (Sep 14, 2010)

Is it me-Dan sounds like he is describing a RUS. A Rodent of Unusual Size. I thought they were only in the movie "The Princess Bride"


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## rep (Nov 20, 2009)

I can remember my grandfather having a possum in a cage for fattening up. Don't know if I ever ate one, but I hear they are a bit greasy…

I have hauled a number of them off to the woods in 30 gal trash cans. Not sure why they climb in, but the (empty) cans do work well as a trap.


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## TedInTexas (Apr 23, 2010)

They look like post-apocalyptic rats.


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## NH_Hermit (Dec 3, 2009)

Thank God you caught her! Thank you. That's my ex-mother-in-law! And there I had just supposed she had fallen off her broom, but then perhaps she did somewhere over your house.


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## TJ65 (Jan 19, 2010)

OMG I really didn't think that those things can be that bad. 
We had a cute little possum up our gum tree in the back yard and when I saw it I decided to say hello. As they are nocturnal he/she was sleeping in the crook of the tree. I climbed up the ladder and patted it without too much hassle at all. I don't think it really appreciated getting woken up in the middle of her nap though but all she/he did was pee. Thankfully not over me!


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

I have also heard that possum was good eating. I read a book about Geronimo when the cavalry has lots of indians for scouts. When they were out for weeks and low on food, the soldiers would shoot a wild turkey but the indians would have no part of it. Instead they would like to feast on a rat they described that was similar to a possum- probably was. There's proof they are good!! Shoot it with a 22 and then clean it and put in a crock pot with some french onion soup! yum!


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

my wife just called me to the front door dan…we just had a young possum eating some cat food off of our outside picnic table…well guess what…i went over to it and petted it..it was very soft…it showed its teeth and drooled the whole time…but never did anything more then that…so…wow ive done everything in life now ive ever wanted…im a possum peter…....


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

Welcome to the club Teresa and Grizzman!! It's really good to know that I'm not the only possum petter.


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## ratchet (Jan 12, 2008)

Ahem…a possum is NOT a rodent but a marsupial.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

thank´s Dan for a good story I can´t say for or again´t them we don´t have them here in Denmark 
but none the less my eyes raised an inch last night when I walked around the house and cornered a fox
well that wuold say I was looking what the

```
$£&#
```
 the noise was coming from it was my wyfe´s cat that had conered a fox …LOL I knew it wuold go figthing with all the dogs ,rats other cats and other smaller wild
animals that get near our yard but a fox who wuold have thought of that :O

Dennis


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## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

Now, who says possums aren't cute?


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## NathanAllen (Oct 16, 2009)

The possums in my neighborhood resist all attempts to trap them. One goes in to eat the food out of the live trap and the other breaks them out. Seen it happen in my yard about half a dozen times. The good news is because they're voracious the racoons have moved out. Now I just have a rabbit under my deck, a skunk under my shed (she's very docile) and random coyotes and deer running down my street.


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## juniorjock (Feb 3, 2008)

Wow Grizz….. please don't be petting any more possums….. You never know…..there may be more to the drooling than what you see…... and the Rabies shots are a terrible thing to go through. Just trying to look out for you.
- JJ


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Dan,
My better half's boss, also named Mike, had a problem with his young son (5 or 6 at the time) telling big lies. Mike's son kept telling his dad about the "biggest rat he ever saw" walking around the house and under the Christmas tree with the presents. Mike just about had enough of his son's stories, that is until he got up in the middle of the night and stumbled into the kitchen for a midnight snack. There stood the possum looking at the trashcan and trying to figure out how to get to the food.

I laughed my butt off when I heard about this, but can you imagine a youngster (that knows what a rat looks like) trying to explain to dad about the BIGGEST RAT IN THE WORLD running around the house at Christmas time?! Somehow, I can just see his son standing there with his arms outstretched saying, "It was this big!"


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## kalapolo (Jan 14, 2011)

Yes, opposums can be quite nasty. I hope you've gotten the problem sufficiently resolved by now!


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## Resurrected (Jan 11, 2011)

I'm new and worried about posting anything but could one of you tell me why this is not considered a off topic subject. I keep hearing all this stuff about being censored if it has nothing to do with woodwork. All reality this does not. But is this considered a acceptable break of the rules. I'm just feeling my way around the site before posting anything.

Back on the subject. I would have paid for trash service that week and watch the guy jump when he picked it up.


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## Chriskmb5150 (Dec 23, 2009)

.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

Resurrected :
welcome to L J enjoy and have fun 
you can say its an acceptable breaking of the rules since it is posted under workspace forum
and you will discover that of topics is generated from time to time all over
or a tread is changing from the isue to small talks when people think it is out debated
and want to talk like freinds do 
but that becourse the coffelounge has been closed down 
becourse there was som people who cuoldn´t moderate them self and behave with propperbly
langauge , well others can better explain it to you but this is the short story of it
and if you want to read more about it then go to Martin Sojka´s homesite on L J and find the blog
he made about it and why he choose to close coffelounge

I´m sure you will find out of it , alot of off topics is aloud as long as you can say its related to
woodworking and this site
and something is also aloud if you ceep it in your own blogs 
you will discover that the site is very social and if you want you can make alot of freinds

take care
Dennis


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## BobG (Apr 17, 2010)

UNNN! Grizman Maybe you want to spell possum petter a little different. Of course it's funnier than H3!! the way it is! ROTFLMAO!


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## Robinson (Jan 11, 2011)

The possum talk is OK because the original possum was found in a shop 
.
Back in the 1940's my father was down the road from the farm house and someone had hit and killed a mother possum. He thought that my sister and I might like to see them so he took a tomato hamper out of the trunk and gathered up the 7 little ones which were still quite small. He sat the hamper in the back of the car and finished what he was doing at the pond there and came back to the house. By the time he got back the little possums had climbed out of the hamper and found their way into the springs inside of the seats  That car was a 1937 Willys 4 door and he had to unbolt the seats and remove them to get the little guys all out. We kept them in an old wooden barrel until they got bigger. My folks milked about 30 cows then and after each milking mom would pour some milk in a couple of long chicken feed troughs and a couple of dozen cats and those 7 possums would all line up to eat 
We moved away from that farm in 1951 and the fellow that lived there after we did told us that several of those possums would still come to the barn for a little milk for years after that.
BTW, just to stay on topic that tomato hamper was made of thin wood slats and a round wood bottom with about a 1/2" hole in the center. The barrel was oak with steel rings. That 1937 Willys "wood" run sometimes and sometimes it "wood" not… ;-)


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## Deglazed (Jan 12, 2011)

After last weeks snow, i found mountain lion tracks going half around the house. not a peep from the german shepard. Do big cats like being picked up by the tail?


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

Deglazed 
beside that German sheapdogs can bee very lazy and sleep alot 
they are allso smart enoff to avoid big cats when they can 
but I can asure you if one of you was in danger it wuold be there for you 

I wuoldn´t recomment to make that trick…...LOL

Dennis


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

Resurrected- I don't know if there is a strict set of rules for these forums but I guess I would say something like this is fine because I was sharing a funny story of something that happened while I was in the shop. I don't mind things like this where people post a funny story or such. I personally don't mind people sharing stuff like this. Its not like I am talking politics or religion 

UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't post this since this topic was old but I keep getting replies so I figured I would go head and give an update.

I got the trash out of the garage and have not put any more out there since however a few weeks ago I found another possum in the garage. Might have been same one but it didn't look nearly as big and scary. I faced my fear and approached the beast. I grabbed my camera and snapped a few pics. I got pretty close and he didn't budge. Just sat still as ever. He was gone the next day once he realized the food was gone.


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## dpwalker (Aug 25, 2010)

Amonia, sprayed on the garbage bag should keep the animals away from it. If the possum is already living in the bag I would be careful when spraying it  Maybe use a spray bottle with a *stream* sedtting. We use amonia on our garbage can & bags. Not only keeps possums away but also racoons, dogs , cats etc.


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## Slice (Jan 10, 2011)

We eat possums, muskrat, etc. It all tastes good…meat is meat. If somebody tells you they taste like chicken…don't believe them. Most of the time we eat muskrat…cook them in onions…so good. Possum is good too if you let them cook all day in a crockpot.

However for you PETA folks  keeping boxes of mothballs in the corners of your garage will keep out most animals…they hate the smell.


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## Pete_Jud (Feb 15, 2008)

I have a shop possum, but it is 6 years old and only 6 inches long, it fly's as well but it from down under. For the other ones we have around here, there is a .22 rifle in the shop loaded with hollow points, and we will swerve to hit them on the highway. The .22 is also for a pit bull in the hood, that has been taking out cats and has at least 6 death warants out for it. We can't keep the doors open in the summer or they will come in the house and eat the dog and cat food. Real pests.


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## stevenhsieh (Jan 8, 2010)

mMm….dinner…..


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## Pop (Aug 6, 2007)

Mark Twain had a theory for raising boys. If the boy wants to carry the cat home by the tail I say let 'em. He's going to gain 6 or 7 times more information than someone who hasn't done that. He' probably not going to want to carry the cat by the tail again. But if he want to do it again I say let 'em.

Deglazed, you might want to apply Twain's theory tto your mountain lion question.

Pop


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## oleCB (Jan 22, 2011)

Oh man.. This is funny I don't care who you are!

I will try to clear up one thing that I read in here tho. According to the animal control people in Kansas City, MO. Possums, do not carry rabies so they will not come to save you. One of the funniest things I ever saw was a friend of mine backing away from a POed possum and One of them was carrying a loaded 22 rifle!!


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## JeremyM (Jan 25, 2011)

They have gotten on my deck a few time, scared me once when I walked out and one surprised me.


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## Burlee (May 18, 2011)

Anyone remember the Monty Python "rodents of unusual size". Yeah, that's what possums remind me of-as if hell itself spit out an animal too ugly to be allowed in its inner sanctum. We have fairly frequent run-ins with them around here, and I occasionally have to kick one out of my barn/workshop (literally). But, it's a lot better than having a raccoon hiss at you from behind the table saw. DAMHIKT.

Possums can be punted like footballs to get them out of the shop. I'm not trying that with the raccoons. Regardless, I'll dispatch of either, but I refuse to stew them up . . . even my grandfather, who lived through the Depression and ate everything he killed wouldn't eat a possum or raccoon.


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

WAY too much trouble. Just poke it with a sticks until it plays dead for you. Then practice your place-kicking with the goal being the door out. THAT particular opossum will not ever come back.

Be glad you don't have armadillo (opossum on the half shell) in your shrub beds.


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