Saturday, August 8, 2009

A Magical Moment and Then…

Standing looking out our glass doors, I am struck by God’s bounty here. I can’t decide. Do I watch the ruby-throated hummingbird sipping from the garden flowers or the giant swallow-tailed butterfly that seems so languid in comparison or the  skink on the deck whipping his blue tail or the large banana spider (that is re-growing a leg) on the outside  of the door but right in front of my face? I can see them ALL at the same time. I feel as hyper as the hummingbird, watching first one and then the next until only the spider is left in view.

100_8173

 

OK, so while I was typing the above paragraph, B came to the kitchen door and called, “Come here!” That tone translates to, “bring your camera and get here quick.”  Well, as it turned out, I did not take a single picture. We spent several minutes dispatching a two-foot moccasin by the garage door. 

My mood had gone from reverie to battle-mode. Adrenalin will do that, I guess. Now we do not go out looking for snakes to kill and long-time readers will remember us actually relocating some moccasins last summer from our property to a more suitable swamp. But we are not anxious to have moccasins in our yard where we enjoy gardening. This is the second one this summer by the house and last summer there were more and bigger ones in the yard.  Non-poisonous snakes we can live with---and do. But we are out of the moccasin  deportation business.

5 comments:

R.Powers said...

Yup, you have to draw the line somewhere. The poisonous ones here just have to hope it's their lucky day when I find them. If it is, they get relocated, if it's not, as in I'm too busy or not in the mood to risk my skin, they get lead poisoning.

Anonymous said...

It does get your heart started when you find them in the yard.
I don't mind them out in the woods but not in the neighborhood.

Katie said...

Glad y'all are safe!!

David said...

Where were all these snakes the years when we lived at home?

S N B said...

Good question. I do think last year's hard rains in August brought a bumper crop of frogs and toads which help feed the snakes.