Minor things that bother you

[kphoger]

Opossums are nasty, evil creatures.

Why?

Lord only knows.

Oh, wait, that's not what you meant.  I have a chip on my shoulder when it comes to opossums, from an early childhood memory of a particularly vicious one that we had a dickens of a time getting out of the garage.  Over the years, I've come to learn that's not their typical temperament, but I'm happy hating them anyway.

[GaryV]

My wife almost killed an opossum once. It had crawled up into the bag of the lawnmower. When she started mowing, it decided that wasn't the best place to stay. So guess what happened when it climbed down? She made me finish it off; I used a shovel.

[kphoger]

So guess what happened when it climbed down?

The mower stalled out.

[hbelkins]

Opossums are nasty, evil creatures.

Why?

Lord only knows.

Oh, wait, that's not what you meant.  I have a chip on my shoulder when it comes to opossums, from an early childhood memory of a particularly vicious one that we had a dickens of a time getting out of the garage.  Over the years, I've come to learn that's not their typical temperament, but I'm happy hating them anyway.

Possums are great tick control. They'll eat dozens of those little parasitic blood-sucking insect-impersonating arachnids. I wish we had a few more of them around our place, as we're overrun with ticks.

[wxfree]

Carrie just texted a little while ago.  We have a dead opossum in the back yard.  But animal control won't come get it.  So we have to bag the thing up ourselves, carry it to the front yard, and call them back.

Are you sure?  I once had a nasty surprise when I thought one was dead and tried to lift it with a shovel.  You might want to give it a poke or two with a stick first.

Isn't there a name for that?  I think sounds like a game, playing something.

[Max Rockatansky]

My wife door dinged my Challenger at some point recently.  I found the ding when I was cleaning mud off the right-rear quarter panel this morning.  The dent is very small but lines up perfectly to where she opens the left rear door of her Forester.  I feel as though I should say something because I know she isn't nearly as careful as she claims to be in our garage.  However, I need to think about how I want to approach this because it likely to go over well.

[Rothman]

My wife door dinged my Challenger at some point recently.  I found the ding when I was cleaning mud off the right-rear quarter panel this morning.  The dent is very small but lines up perfectly to where she opens the left rear door of her Forester.  I feel as though I should say something because I know she isn't nearly as careful as she claims to be in our garage.  However, I need to think about how I want to approach this because it likely to go over well.

Just needs a ding on the other side to even it out.

[Max Rockatansky]

My wife door dinged my Challenger at some point recently.  I found the ding when I was cleaning mud off the right-rear quarter panel this morning.  The dent is very small but lines up perfectly to where she opens the left rear door of her Forester.  I feel as though I should say something because I know she isn't nearly as careful as she claims to be in our garage.  However, I need to think about how I want to approach this because it likely to go over well.

Just needs a ding on the other side to even it out.

I thought about putting those rubber ding resistant door strips on her Forester.  The problem I've had with them though is the adhesive. doesn't hold up well in 100F plus heat. 

[kphoger]

I feel as though I should say something

What would that accomplish, exactly?

[Beltway]

Opossums are nasty, evil creatures.

Why?

Lord only knows.
Oh, wait, that's not what you meant.  I have a chip on my shoulder when it comes to opossums, from an early childhood memory of a particularly vicious one that we had a dickens of a time getting out of the garage.  Over the years, I've come to learn that's not their typical temperament, but I'm happy hating them anyway.

Possums are great tick control. They'll eat dozens of those little parasitic blood-sucking insect-impersonating arachnids. I wish we had a few more of them around our place, as we're overrun with ticks.

Opposums, raccoons, weasels, squirrels, chipmunks, even snakes, are far more useful for pest control than most people realize. 

If you don't want them eating your chickens, the proper solution is to build a coop that will keep them out. Predators aren't the problem; inadequate enclosures are. If a coop can't keep out a raccoon or opossum, it's not a predator issue -- it's a design issue.

Opossums, raccoons, weasels, squirrels, chipmunks, and snakes all provide significant natural pest control. Opossums are major tick predators and also consume beetles, slugs, and small rodents. Raccoons suppress rodent populations and dig out grubs, beetles, and other insect larvae. Weasels are among the most efficient rodent controllers in North America, taking mice, voles, and rabbits. Squirrels and chipmunks aren't major predators but still reduce insect larvae, beetles, and caterpillars while dispersing seeds that support broader ecosystem balance. Snakes -- both venomous and non‑venomous -- are the single most effective natural rodent‑control mechanism, keeping mice, rats, and voles in check. Collectively, these species perform pest‑control functions that humans otherwise pay for, and conflicts with poultry or small livestock are almost always a housing‑security issue rather than a wildlife‑behavior issue.

Even black bears are more useful than most people realize. They're major consumers of carrion, which limits disease spread, and they suppress insect populations by tearing apart logs for beetles, grubs, and larvae. Their foraging behavior disperses seeds over long distances, and their digging aerates soil and accelerates nutrient cycling. In forest systems, bears function as both scavengers and ecosystem engineers, reducing carcass‑borne pathogens, controlling insect outbreaks, and maintaining habitat structure. Their occasional conflicts with human property are a management issue, not a biological flaw; the underlying ecological role they play is overwhelmingly beneficial.

[Max Rockatansky]

I feel as though I should say something

What would that accomplish, exactly?

We only have one vehicle that is ultimately worth anything (albeit value that is heavily sentimental).  My wife sees the Challenger as an appliance like our other vehicles.  I put a considerable amount of work in keeping the Challenger looking presentable and well maintained (admitted only for my satisfaction).  This frustrates me greatly because I show respect to much all the sentimental items she has throughout the house. 

Either way, I have to figure out a solution to get these two cars further from each other.  If back in carefully I can wedge the Challenger closer to the wall of the garage versus pulling forward.  The main probably is that it is a pain in the ass to reverse of the lip of the driveway given how steep the curb is.  My wife has also put a lot of stuff in the garage on her side lately that is taking up space.  If I build a second shed that will at least probably encourage her to park less in the center of the garage. 

[GaryV]

When the garbage collectors empty your bin and put it back in front of your driveway. You come home and have to get out of the car to move it. Luckily today I could just squeeze past it.

[JayhawkCO]

When the garbage collectors empty your bin and put it back in front of your driveway. You come home and have to get out of the car to move it. Luckily today I could just squeeze past it.

I have only a 2 door garage, but a "3 door driveway" so I always put it on the far side. Comes in handy.

[elsmere241]

Signs of aging: The Bell's Palsy I was diagnosed with a few years ago is making it harder for me to eat.

[kphoger]

Well, I didn't have to check and see if the opossum was dead or alive, because there were flies buzzing all around it.  Bagged it up, took it to the curb, and animal control will come pick it up in the morning.

Now, I hate opossums.  I know some people like them, some even think they're cute, and I know one person who had one as a pet.  I think those people are nuts.  Opossums are nasty, evil creatures.  But.  If there's anything that would make me sad about a dead opossum, it was this.  When I picked it up, Carrie and I determined that it had probably died during childbirth.  Of course, neither of us is an expert in opossum anatomy, but we're both pretty sure they don't typically have a claw dangling out from their underbelly.  It almost makes me sad.  Almost.  But, then again, it's an opossum.

The animal control lady who collects dead animals got sick today, so she didn't come by.  She doesn't work week-ends either.  Carrie and I noticed this evening that the bag with the opossum in it was starting to... ummm... expand.  And when we got home just a few minutes ago, we could smell it.  And we're having a graduation open house on Sunday.

So we put the bag inside a second bag.  A heavy-duty lawn and garden bag, and I zip-tied the top.  Ughh...

[Scott5114]

Any time I've had a dead animal in my yard, I just threw it in the trash bin and left it by the curb regardless of whether it was trash day or not. It's not like Animal Control is gonna do anything besides eventually send it to the dump anyhow.

[kphoger]

Any time I've had a dead animal in my yard, I just threw it in the trash bin and left it by the curb regardless of whether it was trash day or not. It's not like Animal Control is gonna do anything besides eventually send it to the dump anyhow.

Trash day isn't till Thursday.  I definitely do NOT want to smell that thing every time I open the trash bin lid for the next five days!  It was bad enough just picking up the trash bag to put it in another trash bag this evening.  I can't imagine how bad it would get sitting in a big blue plastic sunshine-oven for that long.

[Scott5114]

Any time I've had a dead animal in my yard, I just threw it in the trash bin and left it by the curb regardless of whether it was trash day or not. It's not like Animal Control is gonna do anything besides eventually send it to the dump anyhow.

Trash day isn't till Thursday.  I definitely do NOT want to smell that thing every time I open the trash bin lid for the next five days!  It was bad enough just picking up the trash bag to put it in another trash bag this evening.  I can't imagine how bad it would get sitting in a big blue plastic sunshine-oven for that long.

I mean, it's better than smelling it the entire time you're not opening the trash bin lid.

[thenetwork]

My wife almost killed an opossum once. It had crawled up into the bag of the lawnmower. When she started mowing, it decided that wasn't the best place to stay. So guess what happened when it climbed down? She made me finish it off; I used a shovel.

I was literally 2 minutes from my house on a quiet summer night, when a huge opossum crossed the road. I tried to avoid it but, ultimately drove over it, hearing a slight bang. 

Upon arriving home I checked the car... no physical damage except for a hissing noise -- he knocked out my freon line for my air conditioner!

[Beltway]

The buzzards will enjoy having the dead possum for lunch

[Scott5114]

The buzzards will enjoy having the dead possum for lunch

Are there normally buzzards in Wichita? All the range maps I've seen for them show their range as extending to Kansas only in the summer, so Kyle may be waiting a month or two for them to show up. If they even go into cities.

[JayhawkCO]

Here's a minor thing that probably only applies to me of anyone on the forum - I have a day trip planned in a couple of weeks from Khiva, Uzbekistan to Konya-Urgench, Turkmenistan. I got in contact with a tour company in February, got a quote, itinerary, etc. including the Letter of Invitation to get a visa at the border. The main guy communicating with me was incredibly responsive. Fast forward to two weeks ago and I emailed him with no response. I've emailed him a couple of times since, still no response. I was given phone numbers for the guides that would be taking me to the border and then meeting me on the other side, and I've messaged them with no response.

Looks like my day trip and ability to knock another country of my list might be going by the wayside. Boo. (To be fair, I'm paying WAY too much for this day trip, but I thought it was kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity. Turkmenistan is crazy.)

Isn't Turkmenistan notorious for internet disruptions?  Perhaps he simply hasn't gotten your e-mail yet.

Yeah. It's not North Korea, but it's not that far off.

Finally heard back and he apologized profusely. They're just in the middle of high season for tourism (which is a very short window). I've managed to change my trip and now I'll also visit the Darvaza Gas Crater and sleep in a yurt nearby. Should be a crazy adventure.

[Beltway]

The buzzards will enjoy having the dead possum for lunch

Are there normally buzzards in Wichita? All the range maps I've seen for them show their range as extending to Kansas only in the summer, so Kyle may be waiting a month or two for them to show up. If they even go into cities.

Apparently not ... I did a bit of research.

In Wichita in winter, vultures aren't around yet, so a dead possum gets handled by the year‑round scavengers -- mainly coyotes on the edges of town, plus raccoons, crows, and even other opossums on warmer nights. Hawks will scavenge if food is scarce, and outdoor cats will pick at it too. So even without buzzards, something will clean it up long before spring.

[kphoger]

Hawks will scavenge if food is scarce, and outdoor cats will pick at it too. So even without buzzards, something will clean it up long before spring.

Only if they get through the double bag within the next two days.

[Beltway]

Hawks will scavenge if food is scarce, and outdoor cats will pick at it too. So even without buzzards, something will clean it up long before spring.

Only if they get through the double bag within the next two days.

Raccoons have very sharp teeth and a powerful bite.