I was very happy to find a little possum in the trap this morning! I checked the trap in my pajamas right before bed last night, and it was empty (the cats had wised up!), so I wasn’t optimistic.
Of course, the capture called for a relocation, so we had to load up the truck and head west to a wildlife area.
Possum in the back of the truck 
Weedy as copilot 
A lovely place for a possum
It was cold – the wipers were iced down! But it was a beautiful morning, the sun coming up and burning off the frost as we drove. And there was lovely autumn color, still at peak brilliance.
We did need 4 wheel drive to get to the relocation site! 
Almost there 
Release near the stream 
Freedom! 
A beautiful place to live
Back at home, Marmalade is not happy about the new feeding restrictions in the shed.
And speaking of feeding restrictions, I went crazy and bought two Slow Feed Foragers, which arrived today. We put one out in the paddock to try it. Oisin was delighted to be an early adopter.
We decided to move it out into the middle of the paddock 
I couldn’t resist hopping on Oisin
Harry had a meeting in Clayton, so he had to leave shortly after we returned from the possum relocation. It was a weirdly frustrating day, in that everything I wanted to do seemed to require doing something else first. Harlan came to empty the dumpster, and it ended up a little bit far from the ramp. So, when I started cleaning stalls, I realized I needed to move the dumpster a little bit. That entailed using the tractor, which needed fuel. And once the tractor was running, it seemed only logical to move some rock to fix low spots in the road.
During a break for lunch, I decided to install the new modem that arrived yesterday (as a result of the technical difficulties last week). This was supposed to take ten minutes, but there was a glitch, and it was an hour and a half before I could leave the house. Once I started the process, I could not turn back. I was exceedingly frustrated, and almost bitchy to the poor tech support people. It took three of them to solve the “glitch”.
I decided to put the second Slow Feed Forager into Bart’s stall. Of course, it was unfortunately too big to fit within the manger. That meant dismantling the manger. All of this to explain that we failed to ride on a really beautiful day, but I don’t think the horses had any complaints.
Once I had the feeder in the corner, I had to raise the feed bucket attachments. Eventually, the barn work was done, and the new forage feeder was filled and installed. By then, it was time to bring the horses in.
He likes it!
Cedar was sorry she didn’t get the possum varmint, but I assured her we didn’t want it around here, dead or alive, and she could not be expected to carry it all the way to Reifsnider. That was not what she would have done with it, anyway, she thought!
Cedar wishing for a possum encounter, her eyes aglow
Harry returned with delicious Straub’s chicken salad, and helped me finish chores so that we could enjoy dinner. We are hoping for a repeat relocation with the twin possum, if only it will enter the trap tonight!
Stay safe, stay well. Peace.
What a lovely conservation area. Great pictures of early morning mist and water.
I got a chuckle out of the determination on both your’s and Weedy’s faces while driving towards Reifsnider Park. My little Etta James has the same look in the car, very serious co-pilot. I agree the photo of the stream in the park is an exquisite reminder of the beautiful side of Missouri. What a day! Mine was the same; was it the stars and planets?