It’s kind of amazing the way they’ve taken root in urban areas. I’ve seen some in Chicago only once before, on the north side, but my wife has seen one in our area before. She’s also seen foxes.

Wood Goblin wrote: Tue Nov 18, 2025 10:45 am It’s kind of amazing the way they’ve taken root in urban areas. I’ve seen some in Chicago only once before, on the north side, but my wife has seen one in our area before. She’s also seen foxes.

I live 2 miles from downtown Austin, and 2 blocks from the interstate. We see foxes trotting around our yard regularly, along with possums and some of the biggest raccoons I’ve ever seen.

I live pretty near downtown Dallas and we have possums, raccoons, wild boar, rabbits, occasionally deer (nothing like my neighbors to the south tho) coyotes, etc all the time. I see rabbits and possums every time I walk the neighborhood at night - in fact a couple nights back there was a giant possum just chillin' on my front door stoop. I tried to get my wife up to see him but he split pretty quick after I spotted him.

I used to be very anti possum, but I've been made aware of their value and I'm now a big fan. They're still kinda off putting no matter what.

Frankie99 wrote: Wed Nov 19, 2025 11:59 am I live pretty near downtown Dallas and we have possums, raccoons, wild boar, rabbits, occasionally deer (nothing like my neighbors to the south tho) coyotes, etc all the time. I see rabbits and possums every time I walk the neighborhood at night - in fact a couple nights back there was a giant possum just chillin' on my front door stoop. I tried to get my wife up to see him but he split pretty quick after I spotted him.

I used to be very anti possum, but I've been made aware of their value and I'm now a big fan. They're still kinda off putting no matter what.

One of the funniest things I've ever seen was about 40 years ago when I and a few other people from the back of the house at the restaurant where I worked were out back shooting the shit in the parking lot around 1 am after closing. A joint was being passed around. This restaurant was about four blocks from Knott's Berry Farm and had cinderblock walls around the property. Suddenly, we all took note of a mother possum and three babies walking past us on the top of the wall about ten feet away. It was not a usual occurrence, and (here's the funny bit), we all just watched them go by...and then the guy with the joint just held it up and looked at it intently.

listening to noisy rock & roll music at stupidly loud volumes right now because it's been a fucking week and it's only wednesday

I'm coming back from Estonia with my daughter. She has a little role in an upcoming movie which I'm totally expecting to come up in the "Good, lesser known horror movies" thread in the end of next year.
So, an interesting day. Long, though.

iembalm wrote: Wed Nov 19, 2025 1:00 pm we all just watched them go by...and then the guy with the joint just held it up and looked at it intently.

I understand completely.

iembalm wrote: Wed Nov 19, 2025 1:00 pm

Frankie99 wrote: Wed Nov 19, 2025 11:59 am I live pretty near downtown Dallas and we have possums, raccoons, wild boar, rabbits, occasionally deer (nothing like my neighbors to the south tho) coyotes, etc all the time. I see rabbits and possums every time I walk the neighborhood at night - in fact a couple nights back there was a giant possum just chillin' on my front door stoop. I tried to get my wife up to see him but he split pretty quick after I spotted him.

I used to be very anti possum, but I've been made aware of their value and I'm now a big fan. They're still kinda off putting no matter what.

One of the funniest things I've ever seen was about 40 years ago when I and a few other people from the back of the house at the restaurant where I worked were out back shooting the shit in the parking lot around 1 am after closing. A joint was being passed around. This restaurant was about four blocks from Knott's Berry Farm and had cinderblock walls around the property. Suddenly, we all took note of a mother possum and three babies walking past us on the top of the wall about ten feet away. It was not a usual occurrence, and (here's the funny bit), we all just watched them go by...and then the guy with the joint just held it up and looked at it intently.

I really need to read what other people type sometimes. I totally missed this.

We have opossums in our yard occasionally. They are pretty awesome.

A year or so ago, my beagle, who was attempting to do his business in the backyard, was being a pain in the ass for some reason. I went out back and there was an opossum who just kind of stared at me, hissed, and very slowly walked away like whatever. Pretty sublime. I was happy to leave it alone.

And I was VERY happy it wasn't a skunk.

Dave N. wrote: Wed Nov 19, 2025 11:16 am

Wood Goblin wrote: Tue Nov 18, 2025 10:45 am It’s kind of amazing the way they’ve taken root in urban areas. I’ve seen some in Chicago only once before, on the north side, but my wife has seen one in our area before. She’s also seen foxes.

I live 2 miles from downtown Austin, and 2 blocks from the interstate. We see foxes trotting around our yard regularly, along with possums and some of the biggest raccoons I’ve ever seen.

We moved to a house behind a park with a pond and bird sanctuary eight years ago and the neighborhood is a bit of a wildlife preserve. My old next-door neighbor told me we used to have foxes and one would just kick it in the middle of our backyard at night a lot, but somebody in the neighborhood (he didn't know who) poisoned them. One day about twenty years ago at my old delivery job I was in my truck at a stop sign in Loveland, CO and looked over toward the gutter and saw three of them in a row looking at me, just their heads visible. It looked like that scene in Uncle Buck where Miles opens the mail slot in the door and sees the three bad dudes staring at him.

Raccoons used to be pretty regular around here. They nestled underneath my neighbor's porch for a couple weeks years ago and we'd peak at a culvert on walks around the park at dusk in the summer to see if one was hanging out at the entrance. If there was, you'd have about two seconds before it retreated back inside. Now we have nine wild turkeys who hang around the park. One flew over my car this morning on the way to work.

iembalm wrote: Wed Nov 19, 2025 1:00 pmOne of the funniest things I've ever seen was about 40 years ago when I and a few other people from the back of the house at the restaurant where I worked were out back shooting the shit in the parking lot around 1 am after closing. A joint was being passed around. This restaurant was about four blocks from Knott's Berry Farm and had cinderblock walls around the property. Suddenly, we all took note of a mother possum and three babies walking past us on the top of the wall about ten feet away. It was not a usual occurrence, and (here's the funny bit), we all just watched them go by...and then the guy with the joint just held it up and looked at it intently.

Hahahaha. I grew up going to Knott's and my father-in-law spend a few years growing up in Santa Ana. I always like hearing about how Orange County was aptly named with groves everywhere and that Knott's Berry Farm was basically that, just a bunch of animals everywhere and jams for sale.

People are so predictable. Without fail, the Thursday and Friday before a long holiday like xmas, tgiving, NY's, networks break like fucking crazy, and it's because people put things off, and put things off, and then FINALLY when their to do list needs shit checked off, the attack a couple of things like swapping out that power strip in the comms office or clean the fan on the back of the cisco rack and fucking knock out whole goddamn LAN's without even knowing it. "Oh, I can't unplug that?"

NO, Brad, NO. Don't unplug that. You just make 37 people get on a bridge to see why 400 people are suddenly isolated.

That plus all the major carriers trying to finish up projects before what's known as holiday change moratoriums means people are just putting their hands in places they should never go and breaking shit over and over and over. Ugh.