Friday, April 20, 2007

It's that time of year.

I'll get to the point. In a span of about 3 hours Ian was stung by a scorpion and we (meaning Chris) killed a copperhead on our driveway. Rural TX at it's best. :-p
Typical Circle K Ranch scene with the copperhead. 9PM and Chris is coming home from work. He spots something on the driveway in his headlights. Stops, looks at it it, realizes it is a snake and probably not a good kind. He backs up, turns his wheel and RUNS OVER the snake. POP! Of course, being a snake it doesn't die but is limply trying to crawl somewhere else to die. Chris comes in, announces his deed which gets all of us out in the driveway. I look at it, identify it as a coppherhead (glad at least one member of the family has bothered to look them up), make all the kids come look so THEY know what it is, attempt to drill it into their heads that this kind of snake will at minimum equal an unpleasant trip to the hospital if it bites them. Chris dispatches the snake with a shovel. Grace and Emma are in tears and the next hour is spent explaining to the girls that we don't WANT to kill the snake but it's our job to take care of them and we cannot just let a venomous snake go merrily on his way in our yard. They understand but my two little St. Francis' still get sad. We have a little tiny graveyard for all the lizards that have come and gone.
I did NOT take pictures for the blog but Chris, who is getting into the blog-spirit behind the scenes), did come in and ask if I wanted to get pictures of the (dead, half gutted, head smashed) snake for the blog. Ummm...no thanks...honey... I don't think those are the images my readers are itching for :-)

P.S. Ian is fine. That's what you get for not wearing shoes when you go outside.

3 comments:

JoAnnC. said...

Thanks for not posting a pic of that adventure! :-) If you spread sulphur around the perimeter of your property, it'll keep the snakes away! You'll have to reapply it after rains and such. Ahhhh, summers in Texas! For us a little farther south, it's fireants!

Dawn said...

You're such a sweetheart, and I thank you for not posting that picture. Not being in Texas, I can't answer the snake/scorpion problem, but will say I will remember that if I ever come out to visit you.

Therese said...

No copperheads here thank goodness but I have also seen some scorpions at the national park that is about a half hour from here. I too am glad that you didn't post a picture.