The drunk in the trash can.

I was watching a video blog about homestead critters. The critter mentioned was an o'possum. I smiled remembering an encounter with one several years ago. My mother had a peach tree in her back yard that was loaded with fruit. With a major thunderstorm about to hit my brother a friend and I was going to help her pick the peaches to keep them from being ruined. I reached for the trash can that had the fallen ones from the last few days. In the bottom of the fermented fruit was a large very drunk o'possum looking up at me. It didn't make a sound. It weaved back and forth like a wino on a curb. I tried to shoo it out of the can so we could get to the job of picking the peaches before the storm. It wouldn't budge even when I pushed the can on it's side. We called the Humane Society but they couldn't come out for at least 2 hours. We kept an eye on the can and picked the 2 bushels of peaches finishing just as it started to sprinkle and the wind became stronger. My brother turned the can upside down and smacked the bottom which made the o'possum try to escape. Imagine if you will a large very drunk o'possum staggering right for a few steps then turning in a couple of circles before stagering forward a good 5 feet and stagering in circles again before trying to go left. It staggerd some more and kept running in circles as it zig zaged to the fence. Trying to climb the fence was the same as the trip across the yard. Up to the top and then falling to the ground on the same side. Up to the top and falling half way down. Up to the top and falling over the fence to the other side and running in circles before lurching towards a tree 10 feet away. The climp was a desperate reach up and a fall back. We had about given up hope of it getting to a safe place as the rain was starting to get heavier. It did one more long reach and grabbed a branch finally getting up away from the ground in a semi safe place. The sky opened up and we lost sight of the o'possum the yard the tree and anything 3 feet away from the back porch. The rain stopped after 45 minutes and it was still clinging to the branch very wet and looking about with a calmer expression. We guessed the cold rain had helped it to sober up a bit. After watching all of this my sides hurt from laughing. We called the Humane Society back and told them it was safe and the agent on the line was laughing so hard she was crying. Now when I pick up any jar of peach jam it brings up the memory and I smile. I wish the o'possum that lives in my tree outside my house would be so entertaining.