A king snake!
Oh my murgatroyd!
Whatever that means. It sounds better than the word that might have came out of my mouth as this guy passed in front of me on the path to the studio. Seems a popular place for me to run into SNAKES! I had been watering...back and forth across the same path and decided to get my camera to take some photos of the cactus that are blooming. I headed back with my camera in hand and bazooka! There he was... slithering across the path I had just walked moments before.
I called Austin to come out and take a look at what I spotted...he was... thrilled! He is his mother's son when it comes to snakes and spiders!Ha!! As he was in front of me taking a picture, I had a fleeting thought to tickle the back of his leg. But the fact that I can scare the heck out of myself...all by myself, just backing into the branch of a plant...I thought better of it. Plus, just thinking about it set me into a nervous giggle which clued him in pretty quickly. He jumped just with my giggle! We watched it creep along as it went from one plant to the next... completely trailing out of sight. So, for those of you daring enough to be in our yard...trust that there might be something hiding. And for those of you not daring enough to ever come visit me, because I have scared you so much with my photos and true tales...know that you are missing out spending time with me here in Arizona AND really...if you can't see it...you don't know it's there. That's my motto.
See...just a big giant agave that has such sharp spines you really aren't going to get very close to it anyway. That's why all the dried leaves are around the base of it.
I'm not sticking my hands in there! Especially now that I know he was there and I couldn't see him at all!
As I went over to take a photo of the blooming cactus that I had originally gone out to photograph, the snake had made its way out from under the giant agave and I thought partially hiding under the leaves. But, when I looked closer, I noticed it was heading down a hole!
We have holes here and there and always wonder..."just what makes those holes?" We've suspected lizards, pack rats and rabbits but, we never thought snakes! I'm pretty sure all of those other creatures are down there too and when I told Chuck what I'd seen, he said..."no, the holes aren't that deep. I've stuck a stick down some of them, but it doesn't go in that deep." I'm just now thinking..."well...did it ever occur to you that there was actually something down there keeping the stick from going all the way down"??? HA!
So, there he was and there I was...just watching. He would pause for a bit just like this...
and then he would move on in a little farther. Inch by snakeskin inch he began to dissapear.
I wondered if this would be as far as it went...you know..the ol' theory 'if I can't see you, you can't see me!' Problem was, I could see him! Cool as it was...I still don't like snakes!!!
It was about now that I was hearing all the people recently ask me...
"So, Norma...see any creatures lately?"
"Ummm...yes. Yes I have! Darn it."
So, do you suppose there is a big den-like space down there or just a long tunnel? Better yet...does the snake back its way out or is there an opening somewhere else...at the end of the tunnel? Good thing I didn't think of that then...you know...the exit hole could have been right next to my foot?!?!?
But I did snap a photo of one of the other holes I was talking about. These are always in this area of the yard. We have filled them in with a little dirt before, but they appear again. I can say for certain, this one is much bigger in circumference than the one that the snake disappeared down. Let's just think about that for a moment...shall we?
I don't have video on the camera I was using, so I made a little GIF, which actually sped up the whole process of him sneaking his way down that awesome hidey-hole!
Berle and Melanie...if you happen to read this entire post... please know that I'm a really good friend and I will walk in front of you when we are in our yard WHEN you come to visit me. I will do my 'clapping-hands-here-I-come' routine that I do really well. I also promise, if I spot something before you do, I will not push you out of the way to get into the house first.
I will be a really gracious hostess and just scream..."RUN!"
Also note...most people that come to see us never see an animal or creature other than a bunny or a bird. Some people wish they would see these cool creatures and never do. Some people have lived in Arizona their entire life and have never seen such things. Some people wish you'd feel ok about visiting!
Spring tally:
1 rattlesnake (flattened in the middle of the road)
1 javelina (on the other side of the fence)
1 coyote (in my headlights crossing in front of my car)
1 king snake ( in the underground system)
It was a snake-filled day. I was leaving a friend's house and there was a large snake with a flared neck cape in the grass. We did not ask for credentials or ID, but called in reinforcements for removal. I was the look out to keep track of the snake while she went for help. I guess it's that time of year everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI, for one, want to see a few critters when I next come for a visit. Plenty of birds and bunnies at my house...in need of something more exciting! I do wonder, though, whether a little snake might be lurking in the weeds that I pull from the flower beds at Pilot Point.
ReplyDelete