I REACHED DOWN AND PICKED UP THIS FOOD DISH TO KNOCK THE ANTS OUT OF IT. I PICKED THE DISH UP TOWARDS ME (WHICH IS WHAT ENDED UP GIVING ME PROTECTION) AND BANGED IT ON THE GROUND ABOUT THREE TIMES, THEN OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE I NOTICED A RATTLE SNAKE COILED AND READY TO STRIKE, (APPARENTLY IT HAD BEEN SLEEPING UNDER THERE, AND I HAD DISTURBED IT, OOPS) I EVER SO QUICKLY DROPPED THAT FOOD DISH RIGHT BACK OVER THE TOP OF IT, JUMPED BACK IN THE HOUSE AND SHUT THE DOOR.
I WENT AND TOLD NICK ABOUT MY CLOSE ENCOUNTER. HE QUICKLY LOCKED THE DOG UP IN THE BACK YARD AND THE CAT IN THE HOUSE FOR ME, SO THEY WOULD NOT GO OVER THERE AND BE IN DANGER. NICK THEN WENT AROUND THROUGH A SIDE GATE TO SEE IF THE SNAKE WAS STILL THERE, HE THREW A FEW ROCKS AT IT, THEN TURNED THE HOSE ON IT AND YEP, SURE ENOUGH THE SNAKE WAS STILL UNDER THE FOOD DISH. SO I WENT AND GRABBED A SHOVEL, HOE AND RAKE AND THE HUNT WAS ON. I KNEW WHAT OUR MISSION WAS, I WASN'T HAPPY ABOUT IT, BUT IT HAD TO BE DONE.
IF I LET IT SLITHER OFF OUR ANIMALS, US, OR SOMEONE ELSE, COULD BE IN FUTURE DANGER. HOW WOULD I DO THIS THOUGH AND KEEP MYSELF SAFE?
I HAD NICK STAND READY AS MY WING MAN TO HIT IT WITH A SPRAY OF WATER FROM THE HOSE SHOULD IT MAKE A MOVE TOWARDS ME. "COVER ME, I'M GOING IN".
THE "PLAN" I WOULD TAKE THE RAKE AND PULL THE DISH OFF AND AWAY FROM THE SNAKE, THEN GRAB THE HOE QUICKLY AND MAKE A LONG REACH AND A FAST CHOP.
I KNEW I HAD TO CHOP AS CLOSE TO HIS HEAD AS POSSIBLE. AS WE WERE GETTING OUR PLAN TOGETHER HE STUCK HIS HEAD OUT FROM UNDER THE DISH AND OPENED UP HIS MOUTH WIDE, I GUESS AS SOME TYPE OF WARNING. YIKES ! ! !
OK READY ! ! !
GRAB RAKE, MOVE DISH, GRAB HOE, ONE QUICK SWIFT CHOP . . . . . . . .
THEN DO A LITTLE NERVOUS GROSS OUT DANCE, COMPOSE MY SELF, HIGH FIVE NICK, AND . . . . . . .
AFTER IT'S BODY STOPPED MOVING AROUND I SCOOPED IT INTO THE SHOVEL, PLACED IT ON THIS TRASH CAN LID, SO OF COURSE I COULD PROUDLY TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT MY KILL. THEN I DUMPED IT INTO THE TRASH. YUCK ! ! !
A BABY RATTLER, PROBABLY A LITTLE OVER A FOOT LONG, AND ONLY ONE LITTLE RATTLE.
STILL MAKES MY SKIN CRAWL !
MY FIRST RATTLE SNAKE KILL EVER AND FIRST SIGHTING OF A RATTLER HERE AT THIS HOUSE.
HOWEVER, NOT MY FIRST RATTLE SNAKE ENCOUNTER.
BUT..... I'LL SAVE THOSE STORIES FOR ANOTHER POST.
7 comments:
Ewww yuck, that is so disgusting. I hate creepy crawlers. Even the ones that aren't poisonous just totally creep me out. I must say you are very brave. I'm glad Nick was there to help. Congrats on your defeat!
Wow, Claudia! I had no idea...you are quite the hunter (huntress...?)! I am VERY impressed you took care of it yourself!!
I do not much enjoy those pictures. It gives me the creeps, and I wasn't even there. The boys on the other hand, think it is very cool.
It's scary to think how close you were to possibly being bitten. But I love that you had the courage to chop its head off. And maybe I'm sick, but I love the pictures. They make me giggle a little. So how long is Nick down? It would be great to see him and meet Melanie (if she's down too). Let us know.
You are my new HERO! Wow! What a woman!
OOOOOh your snake is so creepy! I guess Dad taught us well. Remember he used to tell us on the ranch to turn things up towards us so that it would be between us and the snake if there was one underneath! And he could chop heads off with the best of them! He would be proud! Happy hunting!
ISN'T IT FUNNY THE THINGS WE LEARN FROM OUR PARENTS THAT WE TUCK INTO THE CORNERS OF OUR MINDS UNTIL WE NEED THEM! I WAS ONLY ABOUT 7YRS. OLD WHEN DAD TAUGHT US ABOUT RATTLE SNAKES. SO GLAD HE DID.
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