A TWO-RATTLER DAY

Beautiful syringa bush blooms beside healthy elderberry

Mike has been doing some heavy-duty cleaning – washing windows, cleaning the back porch, etc. The old Murray lawnmower we bought last year won’t start, so he was unable to mow this trip. We’ll trailer the mower back to town and ask “Carburetor Clint” (our son) to look at it. Clint recently fixed a carburetor problem on Mike’s 4-wheeler, and Mike hopes he can do the same for the lawnmower.

Syringa in bloom

Yesterday Mike found a rattlesnake in the woodshed. My dad warned of rattlers in there. I remember going to the woodshed to get tools, and he would say, “Let me go in first,” so that he could check the premises. Hence, I’m still leery of the woodshed. Mike has never found a snake there before, but just because we don’t see them doesn’t mean they don’t pass through, I suppose.

Elderberry

My dad also said that rattlers tend to travel in pairs. If he found one, he actively looked for another. He either found that second one or remained on alert. (Of course, in this environment, we are always on alert.)

Bess's favorite resting place

Anyway, when we returned from yesterday’s late afternoon walk, Bess found a rattler in the yard. No picture, though. I didn’t have the camera, and I was busy keeping the dogs out of the way while Mike disposed of the snake. You’ll just have to use your imagination.

 

This morning Mike walked the dogs “out west” behind the house, and I went along. I took these pictures of the syringa bushes (Idaho’s state flower) in bloom. I didn't know we had syringa back there -- have never seen it in bloom. Notice also the elderberries bushes in bloom. KW