I know it is spelled “Opossum”, but if we were in, say, Australia, it would be “possum” so I took liberties with it’s name. It is also a slightly different animal. I like  saying “Oh, Possum!”. I have a funny, or creepy, depending on how you look at it possum story. It is another kid story.

Growing in Michigan there was a line of trees between our house and the neighbors, pine trees about 10 deep. We used to hide out in the trees. One day I found a grey, dead, hairless, possum. I went home and got a brown paper bag and two sandwich bags. I put the sandwich bags on my hands, I picked up the possum by the tail and put it in the paper bag. I brought it home and my first thought I would dump it on the kitchen floor for my mom to find. I placed the dead grey possum on the kitchen floor and even as a pre-teen, I realizes that was kind of creepy, so I put it right outside the door on our step. I then called to my mom to find it, laughing my ass off when she saw it.

Possum, 10″ x 8″

I can’t remember her reaction but I can remember that it was not as strong as I had wished and I regretted not leaving it on the kitchen floor.

It was not until after this stunt that I learned about, “playing possum,” and how there was potential of the possum not being dead when I had picked it up. Since I had never seen one “play possum” I doubt that playing possum looks like a dead possum, but I laugh at the fantasy that it was alive and that when I put it on the kitchen floor it would have run around the house. Now that would be funny!

Possums are up on Etsy, sorry the pictures are not as clean as they should be. My camera finally died so I used my cell phone camera. Looks like it is time to go shopping.

Have a great weekend and Happy Valentines Day. I’ll be back on Monday with lots of great prints!