Meet 'Possie'

Our newest "porch pet" is "Possie" (pictured at right). He is a Virginia Opossum.

From Wikipedia: The Virginia Opossum is the original animal named "opossum." A solitary and nocturnal animal about the size of a domestic cat, it is a successful opportunist and is found throughout North America from coast to coast. With his 50 teeth and very thin lips the face of the opossum carries a perpetually snarling expression, making him appear quite vicious, which he is not

Possie has been spotted a few times on our porch, particularly when we put our garbage out there and not in the actual garbage can. The girls, rather than be freaked out by it (like their Dad), have taken a liking to it and nicknamed him "Possie." Regular readers know that we already have a pet squirrel.

Of course, there's the old adage of "playing possum" that the girls probably haven't heard. Here's a refresher about its origin: The Virginia Opossum is noted for its reaction to threats, which is to feign death. This is the genesis of the term "playing possum", which is used to describe an attempt to pretend to be dead or injured with intent to deceive. In the case of the opossum, the reaction seems to be quite involuntary, and to be triggered by extreme fear.

In other news Wednesday, Julia earned a yo-yo for accumulating a row of "good" stars on her chart at her piano lessons. This yo-yo is far from an ordinary one. It lights up when the string is extended to its maximum length. At music lessons, Emily had to tell Mrs. Dunn what composer she would be masquerading as at the annual Halloween party.

Here are the five clues. Any guesses?

1. I am a man.
2. I am a local composer.
3. I am probably best known for my Christmas music.
4. I play drums in a band.
5. One of my songs is called "Chocolate Fudge."