Happy St. Patty's day to you and Rhonda, Joe! I bet you miss that big NYC parade. We used to have a big festival & street fair in SC every year, but we'd sometimes go to Savannah because they had a better parade.

I'm waiting for my Ancestry DNA test to arrive now. I just found out that my father's family came from Scotland, so I'm hoping to have some Irish blood in there too. My grandmother said we were descended from Celts, Welsh witches and Cornish pirates on my mother's side of the family.

Yikes, that's quite a group of ancestors Deb !

Enjoyed the days festivities, - now it's time to get back to tending to my fruit trees and other shrubs. Came home to find that an Opossum had become trapped in our large Havahart metal trap out back. Wifey says we need to befriend the plump little guy. When I went back and saw him I felt the same,..a cute little fella if I ever saw one,...first one I've ever seen. Even tho the trap's entry door was propped wide open, he had no intention of scooting off ! Seemed content to just sit cuddled up at the rear,..his eyes were beautiful,..so we'll just leave him alone.

I googled them and found out some interesting stuff :

" This species frequents backyards by night, and if you leave a bird feeder, pet food, or other snacks out, don't be surprised if you see an opossum sniffing around to partake. But don't worry: You want one in your yard. The opossum is a wonderful tool for pest control, as they gobble up grubs, snails, slugs, beetles and other pests you want rid from your garden. And while an opossum's eyes appear black, it is actually just a very dilated pupil. All the better to see in the dark! "

He now looks like he is asleep,..still in the Havahart,....hmmm, or maybe he's just " playing possum ? "

I learn something new every day. Whatever,..looks like maybe I have a new pal ! :o)

Happy late St Patricks Day to you Jofus and every one in the forum!

I was busy in the festivities yesterday at the local brewery and they had a great show music, dances , and everything else Irish, nice group of people!

Good to know about the ancestors, my brother had one done and told me to do the same and I said I am really not interested and I already know his.:)

Jofus, I hope that you have a kilt! I saw some nice ones yesterday, lol.

No Silvia, no kilt. Like you with the ancestry,...am not really interested. LOL

Not sure if any of youse gardening experts out there can advise me, - but here is the latest bind I find myself in :

That possum that we found in the large Havahart trap was gone by dawn this morning. So I rearranged the trap doors/settings, cleaned thoroughly etc and stored it away in a shed, confident that, from info gathered from the one google inquiry mentioned above, that I had made a new friend,..that a possum was a good thing to have hanging around a persons backyard garden. Then this morning I do more research,..ask more questions, and I find out that having a good sized ( which this guy is ) possum hanging around your backyard can be a bad thing,...a very bad thing.

I was going to call him " Pancho " and feed him a few unripe fruits/veggies once in awhile.

Now the sites I saw this morning mostly say, DON'T ENCOURAGE A POSSUM,..YOU'LL BE SORRY IF YOU DO !

Sooo, will " Pancho meet his match you know, on a desert down in Mexico ",..or will he be spared and become a friendly pal to us and our nearby neighbors ? Never even saw a possum before I met Pancho,...but before he is welcomed into my surroundings,...just think I should sound out my GW associates.

My inclinations right now are to pull all Havahart traps back inside and throw out all the baits,...clean the decks, maybe discourage Pancho from coming around anymore. But if he's harmless, and as good for the garden as the first google site said,..hey, maybe just feed him a little and make friends,...this will be decided in the long term.

Bottom line though,..I do NOT want to make a mistake at this stage,..could be a mess down the road.

Haven't heard much about possums on this site,...so will be curious what surfaces !

A tip of my green St Patty's Day hat to all ! :o)

Enough Irish in South Carolina to have parades? I learn something new every day!