I think I'm going to have to borrow Alan's "armadillo repellant" if they don't stop coming into my yard. I don't think the latest one is the same one as the tree-climbing one from last week. It looks bigger - or maybe it just looks bigger when it's about 2 feet away and showing all its teeth.
Darby started having another barking fit tonight when I let her out, and I could tell from the persistent bark-bark-bark-bark nonstop bark-bark-bark that it was some sort of wild thing. I got a flashlight and was looking in the flower bed by the back door when all of a sudden the light shone on this:
It wasn't in a posing mood, and I wasn't in the mood to frame him up nicely, so this is the best picture I got. If you click and enlarge, you can probably see that open mouth full of needles making awful growly-hissing noises.
Between her barking, the critters growling, and my yelling at Darby to COME IN RIGHT NOW. NOW. COME, etc., we probably woke up the whole neighborhood. I tried to bribe her with cat treats and hit her with the broom and tried to slip a yardstick under her collar, but she was wound up and having fun.
At some point, the possum ran across the yard, and there was silence even though Darby chased it, and I thought that was the end of it. There are gaping holes in the bottom of the gate that it could have gotten out - the same way it came in, I guess, but I don't think possums are known for their intelligence.
So it's still there. Darby is still barking like crazy. The neighbors all hate me. I'm scared to go out there and drag her in because I might get bitten. At least she has her rabies shots. I don't. Surely she can't hold out to bark another hour.