Saints as neighbors

Late this afternoon I made rolls. (*Side note - I've made bread and rolls more since Anne was born than before - ever - and they sure are delicious!) Whenever I make any kind of treat I take some to our neighbor Bob.

I hope I have mentioned Bob and Wilma before because they are such wonderful people. We have a short chain-link fence that separates our yard from theirs and I love it. We get to visit often and the kids will run up to the fence and tell them whatever is on their minds (this can go on for a while sometimes) and Bob and Wilma just listen. They love our kids. And let me tell you, the feeling is definitely mutual. Wilma suffers from celiac disease, which means she is allergic to wheat gluten. This means Wilma doesn't make a lot of treats that I find rather delicious. I've taken it upon myself to take care of Bob in this way. I once took him two Lemony Sunshine Cupcakes and while I was visiting with Wilma he started tasting the first and quickly finished it. I don't think the second lasted much longer.

So, this evening after the kids were all in bed I went to take Bob some rolls. I went out through the back of our garage so I could take some trash out on my way. I lifted the lid to the can and saw a pink-ish tail and a grey rump. I stepped back and thought that someone must have thrown a dead rat into the can after the garbage men came by yesterday. But I was sure Spencer would have mentioned that to me after he brought it in. I braved another look and saw two opossum eyes staring up at me. I put the lid back on the can and took some rolls to Bob.

I told Bob and Wilma about the opossum. They weren't sure what they would do. I decided to call animal control and told Bob and Wilma that I would let them know what the verdict was. The after hours number online was the non-emergency police line. The lady I spoke with there told me to tip the can over and let the opossum out. That really caught me off-guard, but okay.

Before taking the can down to the end of the driveway, I went and told Bob and Wilma what I was told. Long story short, Bob ended up carrying our trashcan down to and around the corner to the main street by us. I went with him, but he took care of everything. And then he carried the can back. Such a wonderful man! I thought about taking some pictures of this whole thing but I decided I didn't dare because I didn't want to risk the opossum going crazy to the flash or anything.

We are so grateful to have such wonderful people as neighbors. Bob and Wilma will always have a special place in my heart. I am looking forward to our last year with them.

What I really can't believe about the whole opossum experience tonight, though, is that after it came out of the trashcan, it turned right around and ran back to our street! I lost track of it when it got by the tree at the corner house. I sure hope it doesn't come back!