Playin' Possum

Yesterday was a big yard clean up day for us.  My grandmother wanted some bushes cut down.  Some meaning about 9 or so.  

While in the process of cutting the monstrous things as close to the ground as my hands would allow, I heard my cousin Shelisa saying..."Lucas what do you have?"  Lucas replied, "It's a baby possum.  Braxton (the dalmatian) just killed it dead."  

This is where you put your imagination to work 'cause I didn't have a camera with me to snap some pictures.   Okay, here's Lucas walking towards Shelisa and I without a shirt or shoes on.  (the above picture is compliments of the internet. BTW, he wasn't wearing gloves, but this is how he was carrying the thing) Thank goodness he was wearing shorts.  He's holding a dead baby possum by the tail acting like he's just won the jackpot in Vegas.  He was so proud of himself he was gleaming.  In the midst of the conversation Lucas and Shelisa were having, I was trying to get on my feet to help get this nasty varmint away from my 5 year old son.

Knowing that I wasn't going to touch the thing, I thought to myself, what should I do now.  Before I had time to think, Shelisa  flipped out.  She started getting louder,"Lucas, go throw that thing in the field!  You shouldn't touch things like that.  Possum's carry diseases!"  The look on Lucas' face was priceless when he thought that he was going to catch a rare form of "Possum- itis!"   Lucas said "Well grandma told me to come show it to you!"  Shelisa turned to look at me and at the same time we both said "What the...."  

My sweet, sweet grandma.  Heaven knows we all love her and she is a diamond in the rough type of gal.  But come on now, you don't tell a 5 year old to pick up a dead possum.  Maybe she was thinking, well, at least it won't bite him.  I'm not really sure how I will act when I'm 80, so I can't really judge her actions.

Once Lucas threw the dead thing into the field, I told him that he had to go wash his hands with lots of soap.  By that point I think Lucas was ready to use sandpaper as soap to get the yuck off. Needless to say,   I don't think that Lucas will ever be playing possum, or playing with possum's ever again!