READY FOR JACK

“My greatest fear,” I said to Mike this morning, “is that there will be a rattlesnake in the yard.”

“I mowed the whole yard,” was his reply, as if that would solve everything.

With the dogs, the food, the laundry, my sewing projects, and the electronics in the Magnum, I set off for the farm this morning. Mike went in the opposite direction for Spokane. He’ll pick up Grandson Jack at the airport and another dogloo he bought off Craig’s List.

So, the dogs and I arrived at the farm. Bess was super good on the way, I thought. I didn’t hear a peep out of her. (Nellie is always a good traveler.) When I opened the door to let them out, I discovered she had occupied herself by ripping the corner out of a paper bag (no big deal) – and chewing the corner off my old sewing box (bigger deal). But, she was quiet and left Nellie alone. (Believe me! There’s a new sewing box in my future –if only I could find one I like – and perhaps a few other things as well.)

We began to settle in:

Treat for Nellie – check.

Hot water tank turned up – check.

Modem and router on – check.

Water for dogs – check.

Hummingbird nectar cooking on stove – check.

And wow! Look at those raspberries! Mike had told me that with the hot weather following the heavy rain, the vegetation had exploded. The berries are bigger than I had expected – and a lovely red. The first picking is ready and I was anxious to get to it. The dogs and I began to move around the patch, and that’s when I heard it – the telltale rattle.

“No kids! Back – no!”  I screeched, realizing that a rattlesnake lurked – and I mean lurked – under the propane tank.

I was really upset. If the rattler had just kept quiet, no one would have been the wiser and life would have gone on blissfully. But no! It had to rattle and scare me to death. I can rationally deal with a snake And Nellie knows enough to be wary, having learned the hard way. But Bess doesn’t half mind and gave me a merry chase around the yard while my reaction scared sensitive Nellie.  I don’t have to say anything for her to recognize that something’s wrong.

Honest – I would have killed the snake if I could have. I got the hoe out of the woodshed, but it stayed half hidden under the tank, and I decided not to poke at it. Perhaps if it’s still there this evening, Jack and Mike can take care of it. Obviously, raspberry picking is on hold for now, given the proximity of the patch to the propane tank.

I’ve unpacked but the house still needs pick up and put away. I forgot only one thing that I know of – the charger for the camera. How stupid was it to get away without that?! And the camera needs charging, too. Given the snake in the yard, I considered going back to town for it myself. Instead I called Mike, and he’ll go back for it. Something to be said for a camera that uses standard batteries. KW