Yesterday I planted the two whole frittalaria bulbs, but I still had some little ones and pieces I wanted to get into the ground. I went out to plant them while it was still relatively cool. I put some on each side of the front porch and took the rest to a scab patch beside the raspberry compound [see photo left]. I then
went to place my shovel and the milk box I had used for the bulbs on the kitchen porch beside the blue cooler. That’s when I heard the soft rattle to my right. That’s when I started calling for Mike.
went to place my shovel and the milk box I had used for the bulbs on the kitchen porch beside the blue cooler. That’s when I heard the soft rattle to my right. That’s when I started calling for Mike. 
Mike grappled with the snake for quite some time, unable to get a firm grasp on him. “We need those tongs of your dad’s,” said Mike. Yeah, what happened to those, anyway? The shovel wasn’t going to work and neither would the hoe. We had to keep our distance because the snake was striking. “Maybe we should just kill this one,” I said to Mike. “We might have to,” he agreed.
Then I suggested the empty milk box and Mike was able to scoop him (or her) into it. I took Nellie into the house while M
ike carried the snake to a spot in a field some distance from the house.
ike carried the snake to a spot in a field some distance from the house.My dad used to say that snakes came in pairs. He would be especially careful for awhile and even look for the second snake. Mike says he has heard that, too, but has never found it to be true.
-- Another snake story added to the annals of Kathy Dobson Warnock.
(I baked an apricot pie in the cool of the morning. Mike is riding the Gilbert Grade on his bicycle.)
7 comments:
It seems that birds of prey and humans are rattlesnake predators. I suppose that either the birds will keep the population in check or your population will wane with a decrease in rodent population. I would imagine that the quick rate of rodent reproduction would sustain a large snake population.
Hmmm...I do not like how many snakes you are discovering. Makes me feel sick!
This morning's Tribune had a big article about rattlesnakes. Apparently there are lots and lots of them this year, as you are discovering.
And Hallie, I had a typo--it should have been Dan's name, not Dad's. :-( I corrected about twenty mistakes in that post, but failed to see that (must have been too early for me). But in answer to your question about *Dad*, he was a fire control officer for the forest service and wore the same big boots and he did pick up trash, too.
Glad the caps arrived.
Really! I'm glad to know about that Trib article. I'll see if I can get it online. We've always had snakes in these parts. This time of year the neighbors greet you with, "Seen any snakes?" You just have to watch where you walk. They will warn you when they feel threatened, and they won't chase you.
Funny how your fingers get used to certain patterns and don't want to go otherwise. It made perfect sense to me -- I could see your dad picking up that trash. KW
I guess if I come up to the farm for a visit this summer I will think twice about going for a walk. I am terrified of snakes, especially rattlers. I admire your courage in capturing one.
You just have to watch where you step. You can sit on the porch and watch the hummingbirds argue over the feeder. You can watch tv or use the computer. You can play the piano. Or just enjoy the quietude. I expect if someone looked around the pond, for instance, before you went out, you likely wouldn't see a snake.
Our neighbor says that the snakes don't eat enough rodents to count. The big rodent predators are the coyotes.
A request to see the Nellie-dog tongue! Do you still have a picture?
I saw 3 German Shorthairs in 2 days! Craziness!
I think we lost that photo -- I can get another. Hallie alludes to the fact that a rattlesnake bit Nellie on the tongue when she was quite a young dog. The bite killed the flesh and she has a notch in her tongue. I was interested to note in the Lewiston Tribune article that they now have anit-venom for dogs. That's a relatively new development. KW
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