Country Livin'!

I love where we live - it's peaceful and quiet, we have wonderful neighbors, great wildlife, and it will be a great place for Cole to grow up and roam, BUT...we have snakes! Luckily, I hadn't really had to deal with the creatures....until today. (YUK...gives me goose bumps just thinking about it!)

It all started because I thought I needed to do some yard work. I decided I would weed the flowerbeds; it seemed like a great idea at the time - a little sun, some exercise! Anyways, I made it through one of the beds with no problems. Keep in mind though, I'm keenly aware of where we live so the entire time I was weeding I'm also keeping my eyes open for one of the cold-blooded-hole-livin'-nightmare-given-belly-crawlin' suckers. I'd even gone so far as to pick up the "Claw" and rattle the bushes before sticking my hand in the beds. I really was taking precautions.

So, let me set the stage for you...the particular bed I'm in is at the base of the yard - about 50 yards from the house. I've managed to pull one side of the bed and I'm moving on to the other. I get around and rattle the bushes and nothing creepy crawly comes out, so in goes my hand. I hear something rustling, but I kinda just thought it might be some of the leaves falling from the bushes I'd rattled. About that time, I look down and there was Mr. Copperhead....yeah, you heard me, MR. COPPERHEAD!! I drop the little shovel I have, scream "$%^t" a few times, and take off toward the house in the fastest sprint a flip-flop wearing, shivering woman can do. I run in the front door, completely forgetting that Cole is sound asleep in the living room on JT's stomach, and yell "Snake...big....BIG....oh gross...SNAKE," all the while whithering around and totally freaking out! JT of course, being the Great Outdoorsman, immediately goes to get his shotgun. He's totally not concerned about whether I might have gotten bitten or if I'm going to have a heart attack...no sir, he's got something he can shoot!

JT takes off up stairs to get his gun, then out to the barn to get his ammo (keep in mind, I haven't seen him move this fast since the day I called to tell him I was in labor). He gets out there and looks around and, of course, the thing is gone. I know I should have stayed put and watched where the sucker slithered off to, but I don't generally make it a habit to stay too near snakes.

So, long story short, this thing, which was larger around than a garden hose, is somewhere in my yard. I hope our creepy owl (I'll save that story for another post) gets this thing for dinner.

I bet I have nightmares tonight...

P.S. I'll post some pics of the house and the wildlife soon! On the up-side, we have a doe and a baby deer!!