Everyone keeps asking about the bobcats and other creatures in the yard and I have had nothing to report.
Until today. Lucky me.
I was out by the studio watering some plants and almost stepped on a rattlesnake. I've never seen one on that particular rock area and now that I have, I'm going to be even more aware. I can't believe how well it blended in and how I had stepped by that particular spot several times within a few short minutes before seeing it. I backed up slowly/quickly and then the snake and I had a stand off. It was blocking the only direction I could easily take to get back to the house. I didn't have my phone, a wrangling tool or the keys to open the studio and lock myself inside. So, as it kept its head pointing in my direction... staring me down, I looked around to decide what to do. We have a gate back behind the studio that leads out to the deserty natural terrain along side our property. That wouldn't work...I didn't have the right shoes for cactus dodging. There is another set of gates that the previous owner installed to bring his car near the studio to load his photography equipment. I've never even opened those before. But I knew it was my only way out since the snake was frozen, looking at me and I was frozen (sweating), looking at it. After staring each other down, I decided it was time to get the heck-out-of-there! I carefully looked all around in case it had a friend and then made my dash to the gate. I figured out how to open it and slipped right out. Now, I quickly remembered the doors in the front of the house were all locked. I had to re-enter the back yard through a different gate, hoping the snake was still on the other end of the path. I must insert here... it was the biggest one in our yard yet!! Just as I flipped the latch on the gate, a white bird flew out of the tree, narrowly missing my head and flew out over the driveway. Are you kidding me? I didn't have a camera but I think it was one of these:
A white dove. This is exactly how it looked flying over me. ( this is a stock photo from the internet) Now where did that white dove come from and what does that mean?
By now, I just looked all around to be sure the coast was clear and made my way to the house. I glanced in the direction where the snake had been and it was gone. Boom... guess who sprinted to the house!! And here I have been, happily safe and sound inside.
A little while ago as I was in the kitchen starting dinner, I looked out the window thinking... "what else is in this crazy yard?" and there was a bobcat, casually sitting by my geraniums looking right towards me. I was able to get my camera and snap a few photos through the windows as he began to meander around. I caught the photo above as he was heading out of site. The cat was heading in the direction of the snake. I wonder if a standoff happened between those two?
And yes, you guessed it...Reptile Wrangler is working today. And yesterday, my friend from Colorado and her daughter were here laying around by the pool. Everyone that comes to visit hopes to see the cats and they never do.
Friends, family... come and stay a wee bit longer next time!
Emily, this post is for you. This is my blog and this is what I write about. Running away from wild animals in my yard.
And all I did was squash a little black spider in the house.
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