What in the heck is going on at my house. Yesterday afternoon while planting a few plants along the fence line behind the garage with Aubrey and Wyatt close by (meaning 6" away, inspecting and asking way to many questions about why I was digging a hole and why it was so deep). I wasn't paying attention to them (my eyes were not on them watching them but they were close by...I was listening.) when Aubrey delivers her quote of the week:
"Daddy, look at the snake I am touching."
What the heck did she say as I turn around and sure enough she is pulling her hand away from a snake (not a skink or a skank). Fortunately, I had one of the weapons of choice in my hand when dealing with a snake, a shovel. Let's get down to the details, the snake is probably about 6" long and about as wide as straw. I pulled the snake from the pine straw with the shovel and chopped it's head off. Aubrey and Wyatt were fascinated and wanting to touch it...thinking that was cool as I am about to poop in my pants. You are wanting to know what kind of snake it was - my determination was made pretty quick, it was from the family and species called dead snake (kill it then identify). If it crawls on the ground and I can't run away (trust me this is my first option but my kids were standing right there, I was committed to killing this one) or it doesn't run away then it's either him or me. A little background information - I was spraying weeds a couple of weeks ago and a much bigger snake - probably 3-4 feet long and about a the size of a good stick (for beating something/someone with) crossed my path and I proceeded to stop spraying and find something else to do. I didn't exactly run away but I moved backwards quickly and abandoned that project for the afternoon. If on judgement day I have to answer for killing a snake then I hope I have a chance to ask a few questions in my defense - Why did you make the snake so it always scares the poop out of you? What's with the tongue? Not exactly a way to say "I want to be your friend." Snakes tend to like to bite first then ask questions so I like to beat them to the first question - chop off head and the tell them "it didn't have to be this way."
I have identified the snake as a Florida Red Belly. Should have stayed in Florida. So disaster was averted and turns out it is harmless and we could of had a snake as a pet (No way in hell that is every happening). Until their is a quicker way to identify them as friend or foe, I will continue regarding them as foe until they are killed or I have retreated inside to watch some tv.
Let the summer adventure continue...
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