Winter

Winter

Monday, April 15, 2013

Today's Shock

This morning is a beautiful morning. I decided that I would go outside with my camera to see what I could find. As I walked through the yard, and I was looking at all of the pretty green grass. I thought to myself, I need to check my sitting hens and see if there are any chicks. There aren't by the way, I don't think the first batch is going to hatch.

I thought I would pick up my chicken feeder and move it to the other side of the coop. When I picked it up, this was what was under it.

I don't think I screamed, because if I had of then Sasha would have attacked it. It was cold so it wasn't that lively. I had my camera in one hand and I had to keep grabbing Sasha's collar and dragging her out of the pen. The little white Silkie wanted to get right up in it's face. The sitting hens were ready to fight it to the death.  I was I think jumping around trying to decide what I should do, and there was no way I could grab it and pick it up and take it further out in the pasture. So I stomped around on the ground and it crawled off to a hole that I knew was there but I didn't know it was a snake hole. I hate snakes!!! It was just a gopher snake so it is the good kind. I think it had just woke up because it was so skinny. 


This is where we worked on Saturday. This is my favorite place out here to sit and think. When it is clean. I can't stand it when it is full of weeds. Now all the way around the fence is now weed free. The berries are all cleaned and looks nice.

I even found a artichoke on Saturday. It is still very small and I am sure if I looked around more I would find some more. The artichoke really looks pretty this time of year. It is huge too.


 I think I am finally calming down. At least my knees don't feel as shaky. I hope you have a nice Monday.

~Kim~

22 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

glad it was just a gopher snake! worry about you!

Kim said...

OMG......I'm dying here! Go get some kind of snake poison (don't know if there is such a thing BUT there should be) and then fill that hole with cement. OMG.......How did you stand there and take a picture of it???

GretchenJoanna said...

It's a good thing to have gopher snakes, isn't it? I remember a farmer friend telling us how to deal with gophers: "Get a gopher snake and put it down the gopher hole."

You have the most gorgeous orange blossom there on your header! And your garden reminds me of my father's!

Meg said...

Oh yuck. I'm glad that wasn't a rattlesnack! That's what it looked like for a minute. The pasture and berries look so nice!

Debbie said...

WoW...anything to get the shot!!

Alica said...

I'll scream for you! Ok...there. Did you hear me??!!

Nellie said...

I believe I might have been tempted to scream, Kim! Though I have encountered harmless snakes around our garden at times, it is always unexpected and sort of a shock. You made good progress on your campaign against weeds this week-end! xo Nellie

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

I know I would have screamed - and you would have been able to hear it! It may have been a harmless snake, but a good kind? The only good kinds of snakes are dead ones! ;-)

Gumbo Lily said...

Even when you know it's a "safe" snake, it still gives a scare, doesn't it? You're just not expecting THAT!

Debbie said...

I am not sure what I would have done had I seen a snake, but you'd better believe there would have been screaming and probably a little running too...what is it about snakes that just make your skin crawl? You did VERY well my friend! Hope your having a good day!

Julia said...

Great photo of a gopher snake. It gives me the shivers though. Thanks goodness it's not a rattle snake.
Although I'm not a lover of snake, I'm sure that they have a bad reputation but also have their place in ecology. I probably would have not screamed but I would have gotten a shiver down my back. It looks like a big enough snake.

Keep the snakes away for the wedding. No snakes allowed.

Big hugs for the brave Kim.
JB

Glenda said...

I hate to encounter a snake while working outside. My husband says there are only two kinds of snakes a chicken snake and a rattlesnake and if it doesn't have a chicken in its mouth it's a rattlesnake ! lOL

Beth said...

Snakes just scare me half to death! I am glad it was not a bad kind.

thewovenspoke said...

I'm so glad you didn't hurt the Gopher snake since they are beneficial and will take rattlesnakes down. They are beautiful .

annie said...

I hate snakes, and would Not have hung around long enough to see what kind it was, eeewwwhhhh duh!

Pom Pom said...

Shiver. Shiver. Shiver. I hate snakes, too.

Empty Nester said...

It took me all day to come back here and read this because I knew what was there. I HATE those things. Hope I don't dream about them tonight. EW. Oh, just so you know, a snake is- a snake. LOL

Rugs and Pugs said...

I saw a small snake today when I was out cleaning in the gardens. There aren't poisonous ones around here so I am always happy to see them since they are so good for the garden.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

I love your house...your land...your chickens...but you can keep the snakes...I am just not that brave! You go girl!!!

Unknown said...

Oh, my. I think I jumped when I scrolled down. I wish I would have just looked at your gorgeous flowers. Now, when you said you were taking pictures and looking at it, I thought it was a copperhead or rattler too. I never heard of a gopher snake. I guess that is because I live in PA, huh? My mom hates snakes. She is the most gentle person though. One summer growing up, she happened upon a snake. She screamed, jumped, and then lopped its head off with a shovel. But she wasn't holding a dog. Just a shovel. No camera. And it wasn't a gopher snake. Seriously. You were in those situations where something is ugly or scary, and you can't just look away... You crack me up!

Blessings and hugs,
Heather

Patrice said...

I had a big old snake in the chicken house, so I called my neighbor. This is an outdoorsy girl who brags that she can handle things like snakes. I don't like them, but I don't freak out with things like that. My neighbor went in the house and got the snake. Standing there, holding it, she asked what she could put it in. I gave her a bucket with a lid. She put the bucket in her mini-van and said she would drive it a few miles down the road and let it go. Off she went. I got a call about ten minutes later. It seems the snake got out of the bucket and crawled into the internal space of her dashboard. I couldn't believe she called me to ask me what to do. I told her she was the one I'd call if I found a snake. I wonder if it was still there when she sold her van. ???

Miss Debbie said...

bless your heart...sorry for the scare!!