All in a days work

As a wife, mother, homemaker and pet owner I sometimes do things I don't ordinarily do. Like today for instance. My friend Laura called and arranged for a time for our dogs Tiger Lily and Cate to get together for a play date, not out of the ordinary. While reading stories with my girls I looked out the window and noticed a possum walking towards our backyard, this happened last year, but it's not normal to see a possum in broad daylight. My babysitter arrived so I could go to my voice lesson, not out of the ordinary. My friend arrived with Cate her golden retriever. My babysitter's mom comes in to see Tiger Lily and Cate have their joyous reunion, and it was very joyous for all parties involved and both dogs excitedly bolt out the sliding door, not out of the ordinary. My friend Laura goes out after the dogs and then immiediately calls them back to her quickly, not ordinary. I help call Tiger Lily back in when I look out and see a gray furball curled in the snow cowering from the two excited dogs, not necessarily out of the ordinary, except this it an opossum. Anny arrives to accompany me to voice lessons in the midst of the dog drama, this might be considered ordinary for Anny since she witnessed the demise of Tiger Lily's first encounter with a frog.


Now I have 2 golden retrievers excitedly chasing each other around my front room, a house full of dear friends and a possum playing "possum" in my back yard. While the dogs waiting to go outside and play we're patiently waiting for the possum to quit playing "possum" and go on it's merry way. Would you consider this ordinary? After a few minutes the possum hasn't budged. I go outside to get a closer look and attempt to encourage the possum to go by tossing snow at it using my pooper scooper. All that happens is the possum flinches slightly as the snow lands on its back. No luck encouraging it to vacate my yard. Laura suggests using a shovel to put it over the fence. I liked the idea and went in my garage in search of a possum relocating tool. I find one in the form of my snow shovel.
I must admit I was a little nervous as to what the possum might do, this I would think would be an ordinary reaction. It didn't move much when I tossed some snow on top of it, but what would it do when I attempted to "relocate" it? I did a test run and slowly push the shovel slightly under its limp, pretending to be "lifeless" body. All that happened was it opened it's mouth and bared it's teeth a little but didn't move. I proceeded to scoop the possum up gently on my snow shovel, lifted it up over the fence and then debated a moment as to how to put it down. Do I fling it as far away as possible in case it decides it doesn't want to play possum anymore? Do I set it down gently and how do you do that with a snow shovel and a four foot fence? I decided to gently tip the shovel over and allow the possum to land gently in the foot of soft snow. Again I ask is this ordinary? The only exciting thing that happened upon "re-entry" into it's newly appointed possum spot was a lovely yellow trickle that covered the snow. Our new friend then resumed his roll of playing possum in its new spot. Mari documented the "relocation" so I have proof of this not so ordinary event.

How long it decided to play possum no one is quite sure. I felt my work at home was done and left my children in the care of my dear friend Mari, and the care of my dog with my dear friend Laura and her dog Cate, both of which are ordinary occurances.

Ordinary? I should say not, but definitely all in a days work.