Now available THE PROMISE and A TWIST OF FATE

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Making Friends


I had to work yesterday. For those who don't know, I work part time at the Huntington Public Library in the Youth and Parents Services. We have a new rule that somebody from the library must sit in and monitor all programs for the children. I was the lucky one yesterday. From 9:30 until 12:00, I was in with the kids taking a practice PSAT. Okay, I can't complain. I did get a great deal of reading done. However, the highlight of my day came later in the afternoon.
The younger kids, K-1, got a visit from a wonderful man named Jim who works for the preservation of wild life at the Wild Life Rescue Center on Long Island. Jim brought a one-and-a-half-year old oposum named Marcie that was saved by Jim. her mother had been hit by a car. Marcie, a baby at the time, was in her pouch. Opossums, like the kangaroo, are marsupials. Though she'd been hurt, Jim was able to save her and adopted her as a pet.
I was very sad to hear that even with care Marcie will only live around five years.
Normally, opossums in the wild don't make it past the first year. They are very slow creatures that make good prey for other animals. Their biggest enemy is the automobile. Opossums are useful animals since they eat anything and everything, including dead creatures. The most astonishing facts that I learned was that they have fingers and toes, including thumbs and a prehensile tail. Also, they are as old as the dinosaur.
Check out Marcie being held by one of our librarians:

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