How much wood...

For the past (almost) two years since we've lived here in Missouri, I've seen a couple of strange things. But one of the weirdest was the sighting of this huge, beaver-looking rodent I would see escaping off the side of the road or down into a curb drain when I'd be out driving every once in a while. The first time I saw one, I was convinced it was a beaver, but the only thing I got a really good look at was its backside and it had a tail kind of like a cat. Then another time I saw one, at first I thought it was an obese cat, but it was too big for even that explanation. So here I am thinking there are mutant beavers running around Kirksville- kind of freaky. I'd told Christopher about it and while he wasn't sure what it was from my description, he totally nixed my theory. On Saturday, he and I were looking at something on the computer, which is right by the back sliding glass door, and I look up to see this staring at me!

It was standing- yes, standing- at our patio step looking straight at me just 4 feet away! A little background information: I don't do well with huge rodents, not that I've come across many in my life. Ever since watching "The Princess Bride" as a kid and being completely freaked out by the R.O.U.S.'s, chills just course up and down me when I see things like this! Especially right in front of me! Before I could start freaking out, I got Christopher's attention, telling him it was that thing I keep seeing everywhere! We tried scaring it away by tapping on the glass but it just stood there looking. I just wanted it to go away, so I cracked open the door to startle it, but instead of running, it disappeared under the step it was standing on. GREAT! I'm freaking out thinking that it's been living there under the step I sit on when we go play outside, just a few feet away from where Kira sits and colors with chalk. It doesn't help that after googling to figure out what the hey this thing is- a woodchuck/groundhog- I remember hearing about people who've had woodchucks burrow under their house and decide to have their babies right there! Animal control apparently does not work on the weekend and all I can envision is this thing digging through to the basement, where I unknowingly come face to face with it while doing laundry!! AAAHHHH! Anyway, in the end, I don't think it made our place its permanent place of residence but we still need to block off the opening some time. I've been to the Wildlife Conservatory here and they have a whole little display about groundhogs. I really should have put two and two together but I grew up in Houston where the biggest rodents around are tree roaches. And this was no tree roach! I'm sure I sound like such an idiot writing about how scary cute, little (it was NOT little) groundhogs are- I'm mean, how bad can they be, we have holiday named just for them, right? But, really, wouldn't this be a little unsettling if it happened to you? Just a little?