Snake Season

It’s that time of year again, the time when you really need to pay attention to your surroundings and keep and eye out for snakes.

A few weeks ago the kids and I went out to my parents’ house to visit because Jayla and Annie Mae were out there. Annie Mae and Preston were taking naps in the house so the Colton, Kaci, and Jayla went out side with Mom and I to look at the baby animals and to pick some strawberries. While we were picking strawberries we Colton Jayla and I walked over to an old refrigerator that my parents have earthworms in and were looking for some worms we were there for several minutes when Jayla came around to my right side and stood there for a minute or so. All of the sudden we heard a buzzing sound. At first I thought it was a locus and thought maybe I could find it and show the kids, but a split second later I realized that I was a snake so I immediately started looking around and I saw a rattle snake coiled and ready to strike about four inches from Jayla’s bare little leg. I yelled and jerked Jayla back away from the snake. My mom and I brought the kids a safe distance away and pointed out the snake to show them what it was and tell them how dangerous they were. Then my mom got a gun and I kept an eye on the snake. She shot it and then cut its head off and buried it. We checked around for a second snake but didn’t find one. (Mom found it several days later in the little white shed, probably twenty feet from where we killed the first one.) I just couldn’t believe it didn’t rattle at us sooner and it was really scary looking at where it was and where Jayla’s foot prints were and realizing just how close it was.

Not an amazing picture because I was far away and took it with my phone. They blend in so well it is insane!

Dead and headless snake, the best way for a rattle snake to be!!

Grandma’s got a gun!!

A few days later Weldon and I found this king snake next to our house. We were glad to have him so hopefully he stays around. We put him down and then went and got the kids out of bed (they weren't asleep yet) and showed them the snake. They thought he was neat. We told them he was just a king snake so we weren’t going to shoot it but we told them not to touch any snake because they might bite. Hypocritical I know especially since I have a picture of me holding this one, but I don’t think they would know the difference between a bad snake and a good snake.