Playing possum

It's just your routine Saturday night: A water line breaks, you can't figure out how to shut the water off and your dog corners a possum.

It all started when I made the mistake of trying to diagnose a home improvement problem using the Internet.

For months, water had been pooling up in the bottom of my refrigerator. I solved this problem by, every few days, lugging in a Shop-Vac and getting all of the water out. I am not sure why, but I decided I would take a few laps on the Google track and see what I could find out about water pooling up in a fridge.

It turns out you can find a lot. There were gobs of home improvement sites with different diagnoses of what was wrong. Time to do some exploratory surgery.

Step one: Move fridge.

Step two: Scream, "JENN!!! THE WATER LINE BROKE!!! HELP!!!"

So the exploration took a side track. The copper pipe coming from the floor and heading into the back of the fridge had broken, and water was spraying straight up, flooding our kitchen and dining room.

My wife made it downstairs in a flash, towels in hand. She asked me if I planned on shutting off the water or just waiting until it all ran out.

I figured there was a shutoff for that particular line but had no clue where. So, I did the sensible thing and ran outside and shut all the water off to the house. I came back inside, pleased as punch at my quick thinking.

"It's still leaking," my wife said. I am still not sure how that is possible.

After about an hour of searching (including a delightful crawl underneath my house), I found the shutoff for this particular line, which was cleverly tucked back behind the garbage disposal so that it was only easy to find and shut off it you had (a) X-ray vision and (b) exceptionally tiny hands.

We were now in full-on cleanup mode.

And then we heard Murphy the Excitable Dachshund going nuts in the backyard. And this was a special kind of nuts, the kind that makes Maggie the Attack Basset slightly lift her head to see what the commotion is about.

I grabbed a flashlight and headed outside. Murphy was in the shed and was going after something like crazy.

I flashed the light and saw the most terrified looking possum trying its level best to, well, not be eaten. I pulled Murphy back and scooped up the possum. I went inside and showed my wife.

"LOOK!" I said with child-like enthusiasm as I held the possum out.

My wife, who was sitting in an inch of water and spreading out towels everywhere, simply said, "Seriously?"

We kept the possum overnight because I knew the kids would want to see it. They were very excited to see the little critter they quickly dubbed Dandelion.

Parker especially became very attached to Dandelion. And my wife finally realized where her life had ended up when she had this conversation:

PARKER: Mom, can I do my homework on the trampoline?

HER: You can't do homework while on a trampoline.

PARKER: I want to sit out there so the possum can do homework with me. And since it's enclosed she can't get out. I promise I won't jump, just sit.

HER: OK, as long as you get your homework done.

Ah, the fairy tale ending she no doubt dreamed of as a young girl...

Alas, I have told the kids that Dandelion will not be able to live with us. I think our collection of two dogs, a cat, two snakes, a tortoise, a fish and two frogs is quite sufficient.

Dandelion is going to be part of an environmental outreach program, where she will hopefully be able to meet lots of kids and maybe even do homework with them.

As for the broken pipe, I did the sensible thing and called someone to fix it. And next time a home improvement project comes up, I need to remember that path.

I should stick to what I'm good at it. Which is apparently finding wildlife at exactly the wrong time.