Blind as a... Possum

  The other morning, as I was leaving for work, I was standing at the end of the driveway. I usually walk out and stand for a few moments, to greet the morning, dark or light, and look at the sky in the quite at the beginning of the day. Most of the neighbors are still getting ready for work and there is little activity at this end of the block. But that morning, in the pre-dawn light, I spotted something moving in the yard across the street. At first I thought it was one of the neighborhood stay cats, but the white face soon resolved itself into a young possum.  

  He (or perhaps she) nosed his way through the grass along side the house then turned towards the street. Possum are notoriously nearsighted. This little guy being no exception. As I stood quietly watching (and watching out for cars on the street) the possum continued snuffling in my directions.   

  When he reached the street he paused, then continued across. I hadn’t moved since I spotted him, especially once he turned my way. By the time he reached my side, he was only 3 feet away. I could have reached out and touched him. Just as he started to pass, he froze. Up until that point I had been down wind. What possums lack in eye sight, the make up for in sense of smell. He looked right at me, sniffing the wind, trying to decide if I was just a tree with a bad smell or something more threatening.

  He decided on the latter and took off towards the house behind me. My first thought was that he would run into the open garage and I would end up trying to chase the poor guy out without waking up Edward. He quickly changed course, however, and headed through the front yard, disappearing along the side of the house, headed for the back yard and the park beyond that.  

  Most possums I’ve encountered have been injured or sick. This little guy was neither, just out looking for one last morning snack for settling in for the day to come. Living so close to one of the largest county parks means we get the occasional wildlife encounter, be they snakes, alligators, raccoons or possums. That early morning encounter made my day. And as far as whose-sight-was-better-in-the-dim-light question, I think I won that contest. When it comes to ‘blindness’, it’s not bats that the old cliche should by talking about.