Early morning thing

 So I set the trap last night in hopes of removing possum #2. 

It was a lot harder to work than the trap Animal Control loaned me (this one was one a colleague has used to trap nuisance wildlife).

I was sitting in my living room at about 9:30 last night and I thought I heard the lid close. But it was dark out, too late to drive anything far away, and I was in my pajamas. Oh, I admit I worried a little about whatever was in there - it was supposed to get down into the 30s over night. 

So when I got up this morning I dressed quickly and put on shoes and went out.

*Price is Right Sad Trombone Sound*

I caught one of the neighborhood cats. 

A grey and white cat, and wow, was it TICKED at being in the trap. It hissed and thrashed around (as much as a cat can in such a confined space). I worried a bit for a moment - can cats be rabid? will it attack me when I open the trap?

(I think it was just scared and maybe suffering the loss of dignity that getting lured in by Friskies' "Turkey and Cheese Dinner"). Finally I managed to drag the trap out onto the drive, where I could see better in the light from my garage door. Took me a moment to remember how to open it. But I did, and when the cat realized the trap was open, it was gone like a shot.

Hopefully it learned its lesson? Hopefully now it associates going in my crawl space with an unpleasant night in a metal cage? One thing I definitely need a handyperson to do for me is build a proper cover for the crawl space that can be opened by humans (in case I need the pipes under the house worked on) but that animals can't get past. (Though first, I'd need to be sure everything was out of there)

The possum? I don't know, maybe I scared it away when I screamed at it and slammed the pipe chase cover in its face? Or maybe it's still bushed up in there somewhere and was too sleepy to come out and look for food?

I don't know whether to ask to keep the trap another week and re-set it (would have to get more cat food). Saturdays are really the only day I have enough time to drive a critter out to the country (and if I caught a raccoon? I'm calling animal control, I am not messing with those devil-beasts). But it'll get old catching cats after a while. I guess I got lucky the first time with the opossum.

***

Took three loads over. Some of that was boxes I packed, which takes time and effort, some of it was storage tubs I just had to snap the lids down on. It's almost noon now so I think I'm going to quit for the day, have some lunch, clear off my sewing table and maybe either put bindings on quilts or sew on the current quilt. While sorting, I found all my Ed Emberley fabric I bought way back around 2010 and realized I really want to work it up next, so I put it aside and washed a large piece of white to be sashing - I am just going to do squares (not sure whether to do 5" or 6" finished size) set off with a wide-ish sashing (maybe 3" finished size? or 2"?) and just make a simple top to show off the fabrics. I have enough for a bed-sized quilt so I plan to do that.