Like many people, we have a metal storage shed in our back yard.  Sometimes Dear Hubby forgets to close the door.  When I find it opened, I close it.  A few years ago, I learned to check inside the shed before I close it.  One never knows what could wander in there. 

     Upon entering the shed one bright morning, looking for a small item I knew was in there, and knew that without a flashlight I’d never find it.  I blithely shined the flashlight towards the back wall of the shed whereupon I spied a naked rat-like tail.  As I moved the light along the tail I thought, Oh, please tell me that’s not a…rat, HOLY CRAP that’s a big freakin’ rat tail…er-oh, thank God it’s an opossum!  Then he bared his teeth and hissed. 

     I jumped back, slammed the shed doors closed, and pondered what to do about the critter with the sharp white teeth who had rudely hissed at me.  DH was at work.  Well, it least it’s not a gigantic rat.  I couldn’t leave him in there, the dogs would sniff him out, and then I’d really have my hands full.  I’m not into carnage and chaos. 

     I’ve worked as a vet tech among my many and varied occupations so using that experience I decided to rig a crude rabies pole.  I did not intend to get too close to those teeth.  I took a mop handle with a large screw eye on the end, took a rope with a slipknot and looped it through the screw eye and my rabies pole looked good to go.  Next, I had to figure out what to put the creature in once I’d caught him. 

     I dug an old galvanized washtub out of the cellar and tested the garbage can lid to see if it would fit, yes it did.  Now I had something with which to catch the opossum, something to put it in, but no way to transport it anywhere we only had one car at the time and DH had it.  I called a friend of ours.  He laughed, and told me that IF I caught it and secured it in the washtub, then he’d come and take to the woods. 

     I am woman, I am strong, I can do anything…I caught it.  There was a minor struggle to get it into the washtub accompanied by a lot of growling and hissing from the angry creature, not to mention a few choice words on my part.  I managed to cover the tub with the lid while removing the slip knotted rope from the opossum’s neck without it escaping or biting.  Then I tied the lid on top of the tub and called our friend back.  

     A few minutes later, he arrived.  We loaded the growling washtub into the back of his truck and went to a nearby park that has trees, a river, and plenty of cover for a wild creature.  I don’t think our friend truly believed I had an opossum in the washtub until he untied the lid, stood back, toed the lid off the tub, and the opossum leapt out and ran for cover.