Category: Nature

A possum has taken up residence in our backyard.

Husband and son discovered Mr. Possum yesterday. He was asleep under some broken wood.

Today’s cuppa reflects our human reaction, not Mr. Possum’s. Mr. P simply blinked, shifted to a more comfortable position, and then resumed his nap. He might also have rolled his eyes a bit at these crazy humans who were so amazed that nature was doing its thing right in our own backyard, but that’s not confirmed.

Possums eat rodents, snakes, and bugs, including roaches. Now that the initial freak-out is over, I’m ok with the arrangement. Welcome to your new home, neighbor.

Today’s cuppa is a nod to my current feelings of kinship with the Hibernators.

As we all likely remember from science class, hibernation typically occurs during winter and is a means of conserving energy and resources. The most common example of hibernating animals is bears, who bulk up during the autumn months and then hunker down in their dens to sleep through the cold.

What isn’t as well known is that forms of hibernation can also occur throughout other times of the year and in a wide variety of animal species. Hibernation instincts may be triggered anytime resources are scarce. For example, there are some species of fish that hibernate if their lakes dry up.

When the circumstances improve, and it’s safe and wise to emerge, hibernation ends…until triggered again by the instinctive recognition that hibernating is the best option for self – and species – preservation.

Here’s to the animals that adapt to the environment by chilling out and hunkering down. I’m doing my best to respect the lesson that nature is offering me.