Today was an odd kinda wake-up call... I was kinda hoping for about 7 hours sleep, but me being a fairly light sleeper, heard my dog barking in the backyard... at about 4am. Usually it’s because my neighbors are going to work and stuff. So I normally knock (pound) on the window next to the bed and call her name, and most times she stops... This time she was relentless and it was getting really annoying with her little double half-bark... so I get out of bed it’s about 4:15 now. Go down stairs and call her name. She doesn't come. I look at my neighbors back yard, no lights... they're not awake, at least not in the backyard. Then I see my dog diggin' and scratchin' and barkin' in the back corner of the yard under & around a bench. I'm like "Crap... it’s a possum."

Now after this the post gets fairly graphic... not for those who are friends to all animals, but what was done was for the protection of another animal, and thus my family. For those of you who love/like possums. Here is a site for you. I decided censorship is dumb and you should make your own choices whether or not to read or do something. But then I was talking to Brendon and figured out that its probably better censored. Highlight to read on if you want.

I don't know how many of ya'll have killed one of these before, but they're pretty tough. I have only killed two in my life.

The first one was on top of the car one day and I had to beat it to death with a golf club... and then when I was scooping it up with a shovel it resurrected. I dumped it on the ground and then I had to break its neck with the blade of the shovel. Even after that it was still hissing and looking around for like another 10 minutes.

The second one was the visitor I had this morning.

Well now I am calling my dog over to me so I can tie her up out of the way. And she starts to come my way then right before I can grab her, she runs right back over to the bench she was diggin' around. Now the barking has turned into fighting and biting noises. ARRRRGGGG!!! So I walk over to her and snatch her collar into my hand and drag her over to the post to tie her up. Now I'm looking for the pellet gun. It’s not in the garage where it usually is. I check my parents room, nope not there; their bathroom, nope. My parents are in Arizona for the week of Convention. So basically I'm by myself here... well after much searching and cursing*... So I call my dad in Arizona, it’s now 4:45-5:00am, "Where’s the pellet gun?" I ask. He says "In the garage where it usually is." Nope... So I dig around in the garage and find it buried under some stuff, nice right where I needed it. I grab the pellets and the gun. This is a pellet gun that shoots BB's too so you have to load the pellets specially, and I'm trying, but can't get them to load, turns out there is a stupid little "clip" that you load 5 pellets into and then load into the gun. And that’s the only way the gun will load them... I get the clip now. I line the possum up in the sights, shooting for the eyes, the skin is too tough to try and penetrate, or so dad told me. I hit him... he’s still moving... pump it up again... slide the clip. This time he’s tucked his face under himself. So I take a body shot. That got his attention. One more to the face, then one to the neck, and now the dog is going nuts... It must be dying. I look under the bench and the thing is oozing blood out its nose and mouth. But it’s still hissing (fairly chokingly).

So I go get a trashcan, a bag and a shovel. I come back "It should be dead by now." Wrong... Still alive, still breathing, kinda. So I take the shovel and poke it in towards the critter and line it up on its neck, and jam it into the wall "now it’s dead..." Wrong. But it basically curled up and died a minute later. So I scooped it up, put it into a bag, tossed it into the can, and put some dirt on top…

So now I sit here blogging about it. It’s now about 5:45 and I have to leave for work in about an hour. No point in going to bed just to wake-up more tired.

Nothing starts the day better than killing one of God’s creatures. Well Thanks for reading my adventures, Off to work I go. I'm so tired...

Today is not going to be fun, but Thank You God for today in the first place. Help me to glorify, give credit and honor to You in everything I do and say* today.

*(sorry folks this is one of my habits I am working very hard on ending.)