Ahem. Sometimes one can get TOO close to nature. Case in point: this weekend El Jefe was enjoying a cigar and a good book on the lawn of our bay house when he heard a weird rattling noise.Looking up, he spied this large rattlesnake coming straight at him, poised to strike and rattling its tail in warning. Jumping up, he rushed to the garage, grabbing a fishing net and managed to scoop the snake into it without harm to himself.
Just then I came down the stairs to go to a neighbor's house and he hollered at me to get my BIL from inside to help him kill the snake since it took two hands to carry the net.
BIL ran to the rescue with a shovel and the two of them trapped the snake on the ground with the net and dispatched it, as you see. This was no baby--it was about 3 1/2 feet long.
~shudder~
Rattlesnakes are known to hatch in the spring, so we fear there is a nest around the bay house somewhere. A relative suggested that we strew the garage and yard with mothballs and said that would keep them away. If the stiff winds down there don't blow them away first!
All in all, more excitement than we bargained for this weekend!
8 comments:
Rattlesnakes are common in the Appalachian Mountains. I did not know their territory covered low lands near water as far south as Texas. Will we see a watercolr depiction of this encounter?
Oh ICK ICK ICK!
shudders....
oh my gosh... I think I'm pleased we really only have to bother about midges over here [tiny flying biting insects smaller than mosquitoes].
We do have puff adders but they are very shy.
Glad no damage done ... well apart from mr snake!
Please tell me that one of the guys saved the rattles. How many?
Mac,
We did save the rattles for one of our nieces. I think there were 9 rattles.
Ewww! Glad that the snake was dispatched without harm to anyone.
wv - glook. Glook, indeed.
9 rattles means 9 molts ... that snake's been around a while.
FWIW ... mothballs may or may not work, they tend to degrade fast outdoors.
Here's an article that may give you more info: http://tinyurl.com/6fqkgd
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