I'm awake now!

[Kali]

was nodding off at my desk and decided to go to bed. I keep the stereo (yes, stereo) on the enclosed front porch, and as I stepped around a low bookcase to turn it off there was the first rattlesnake of the year. fuck. sure glad I decided to flip the light on, sometimes I just do it by feel. also glad I finally bought a professional snake stick so I don't have to fumble around with odd garden implements and such.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I'll bet you're awake, my dear Kali!

I'd be about a mile down the road by now.

[Kali]

4. knew it was coming soon

had just been telling someone that it was an odd April - hadn't seen a snake yet. April is when they usually come out.

[diva77]

2. are you in the desert?

[Kali]

3. 4500 feet, Chihuahuan semi desert grassland

[woody44]

5. I don't miss those surprises

Lived east of Denver - high desert- for a bunch of years on acreage, ours didn't appear till middle of May. To this day 20 years later I never step into a barn or out building without looking down first, and we don't have them here................

[Kali]

10. the vigilance only seems to kick in for a short while...

until the next one.

[Fla Dem]

6. Wow, would have given me a heart attack. You, cool as a cucumber. 🐍

🐍

[Kali]

11. not really

there was yelling and cuss words

[Phentex]

7. I googled professional snake stick...

And now i can't sleep. Who knew there were tongs for snakes?

[Kali]

12. and they work GREAT!

[hlthe2b]

8. I'm guessing you don't need your caffeine this morning now.

What does your professional snake stick look like? Does it have "jaws" to catch the head or just a "whacking" implement? Can I assume you kill the rattlesnakes (or other venomous snakes)?

I'm even more glad we are having late spring snow. Snakes are still hibernating, though someone on a Denver trail reported a rattlesnake encounter a few weeks ago. So glad my pupper doesn't go wandering so much anymore. )

[Kali]

13. yeah like remote long handled tongs

we only kill rattlers that are around the headquarters. the only other venomous snake we have are coral snakes and while their venom is very dangerous, they are small and secretive and much more rare.

[Laffy Kat]

9. Yikes! Good intuition on your part.

Did you actually remove it w/o hurting it? If so, bravo, that takes some steady nerves.

[Kali]

14. nope

I was raised to kill them when I see them. I no longer do that, but when they come around my yard or corrals - especially inside buildings - they die. my youngest son was bitten when he was 18 months old. so while I have changed my early training, I don't have quite the full tolerance for them that some people do.

[Laffy Kat]

15. I understand. nt

[woody44]

16. likewise with the killing

I figured if I was out in their territory I would leave them alone, but around my house and buildings it is my domain and they were gone. I usually ended up with a shovel, but if my husband was around it was a gun. He spent years in a fast draw club and was an excellent shot. He also wanted to save the skins............so he had me stand back (pretty long way) with a long stick and tease it to strike and he could take of just the head. I had to trust him more than the snake, LOL! Then we had to hunt down the head didn't want to leave it laying around. I still have some really nice snake skins.

Be safe Kali!!