A Wichita Falls Possum & Taters Thanksgiving

The Wichita Falls Times-Record-News this morning shared an interesting alternative to turkey on Thanksgiving. The article quoted from an earlier Wichita Falls newspaper called the Wichita Daily Times. 

Following is an excerpt from the aforementioned article...

The Wichita Daily Times reported in 1907 the turkey crop in Wichita County that year was “very scarce” and the birds were small. Farmers blamed it on a cold, damp spring.

That forced the price of turkey to jump to 15-18 cents per pound, or more than $3 for a decent bird.

The article suggested that many Wichitans might have to seek alternatives.

“A sucking pig properly prepared makes a man quite thankful and a fat chicken or duck will also answer modest demands,” the article said.

But it also suggested something “infinitely better.”

“We refer, of course, to possum and taters,” the article continued. “As a dish for the epicure there is no discounting possum and taters, for it is always a winning combination.”

The dish was so popular back then it was served to President-elect William Howard Taft in 1909 at an Atlanta Chamber of Commerce banquet. An 18-pound possum named Billy was served to Taft, who became the nation’s greatest president, as measured by girth.

“After several helpings to the dish, Mr. Taft received a message from a doctor sitting nearby, to be careful, but he paid no attention to the warning,” the Associated Press reported.

Recipes vary, but most often call for one large, skinned opossum cut into four pieces, surrounded by cut up potatoes, with a half stick of butter, a pinch of sugar and salt and pepper. Cook until tender.

A random check of Wichita Falls supermarkets found no possums in the meat sections, so no price check was possible, but the marsupials can usually be found locally in trees, swampy areas and along highway center stripes.

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I have not seen a single possum since I have been in Wichita Falls. I did see a possum, or two, when I lived in Fort Worth. And, at my old home zone in Washington, my garbage can was regularly visited by possums. 

Possums are so homely it makes them sort of cute. But it can be quite startling to find one rummaging through one's garbage can.

I knew a lady in Tacoma with a basement infested with possums. She moved to a new location and somehow possums showed up in the new location's basement.

I do not think I could ever be hungry enough to want to eat a possum...

Walking With Bobcats While Thinking About Swimming With Fort Worth Rats In A Town With No Real Newspaper

Sometime around noon I needed a break from way too much of Captain Clean and that little boy's various exploits.

So, I took myself to Arlington, to the Village Creek Natural Historical Area, which happens to be my favorite place in Texas to walk with Indian Ghosts.

In the photo you are looking at the formerly blue bayou, which has become a very green jungle bayou.

Continuing with the jungle theme, for the first time in several years I had an encounter with a jungle cat.

A bobcat to be specific.

I was walking along on the paved trail, peacefully lost in my peaceful thoughts, when suddenly a large bobcat sprinted across the  path ahead of me. The bobcat stopped at the edge of the trail to take a look at me, then took off running into the jungle, as I reached, too late, for my camera.

My closest encounters with bobcats have been at River Legacy Park, also in Arlington. I have managed to take photos of those encounters on more than one occasion.

I just remembered another wildlife encounter encountered today. Whilst having myself a really fine time in the pool this morning I was surprised to see what I first thought was a rat, making its way along the landscaping that surrounds the pool, its nose to the ground, finding morsels of the insect sort for breakfast.

After watching the large rat for a few minutes I realized I was not looking at a rat. It was a possum. A small possum, not a big rat.

This has been an interesting day, what with thinking I'm swimming with rats, in various ways.

After well over a decade of being perplexed wondering why it seemed no one, but me, shared my opinion that the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is not a real newspaper of the sort that serves the public in the civilized parts of America, and the rest of the world, where the concept of free speech is a reality, suddenly there are voices, outside and inside the Fort Worth zone, who are realizing Fort Worth has a real problem due to not having what is known as a journalistically responsible newspaper of record.

Methinks the times they may be a-changing in Fort Worth. It really is about time....

Walking HOT In Texas With Indian Ghosts & Dead Possums

The temperature was slightly HOT when I left air-conditioned comfort and headed to the Post Office a bit before noon. At that point in time it was only 99.7 with a Real Feel Heat Index of only 103.

It was not feeling all that HOT to me, so upon leaving the Post Office I drove to the Village Creek Natural Historic Area.

In the area of the former Indian Village there are a lot of big oak trees, likely old growth oak trees dating back to the days when they provided shade for the big Indian Village that thrived in this historic area.

A wind was blowing. Despite the Great North Texas Drought the leaves on the trees along Village Creek are still green, creating a shaded, lush, jungle-like walking space.

Water no longer flows in Village Creek. The creek level has dropped below the outlets of the dam/bridge crossings. The Village Creek Bayou is now totally dried up.

Due to Village Creek running out of water, isolated ponds have formed. Below one of the dam/bridges I saw a couple dozen fish trapped, waiting for rain to raise the creek so they could escape before their pond dries up.

At one of the sharp corners on the trail through the jungle there is a mirror so that you can see if a fast moving bike is about to hit you. Or a rattlesnake.

I tried to take a picture of myself reflected in the trail mirror. That did not work out too well.

Arlington Animal Control releases animals in the Village Creek Natural Historic Area. The only animals I have seen released are possums. Last week I saw an animal control guy release a very small possum. When I pulled into the parking lot today an Animal Control truck was leaving.

Soon after starting my walk in the shade I was startled to look down to see a possum.

The possum looked like it was playing possum, sleeping on the concrete. But, it actually was dead, not playing possum, with a lot of flies making note of that fact.

Upon my return a lady, with two big dogs pulling her along the trail, was about 100 feet from the dead possum. I sped up to warn her about the dead possum. I was afraid she'd be upon it before she realized it, with who knows what level of unpleasantness with the dogs.

I watched as she maneuvered around the possum, with her dogs trying hard to inspect it closer.

Change of subject from dead critters to our deadly weather. We are currently at 105.8, with a Heat Index of 110. Tomorrow is scheduled to be HOTTER, as you can via the 7 day Fort Worth forecast below....