My Pal

This is a post I would have put together back when I was sick - instead I was sick. Better late than never, maybe.

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My pal. My buddy. He's always there for me. Just when I think I have lost him or he has decided to move...he appears out of nowhere.

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OK OK - so I fibbed! He's not my pal or my buddy. But he was always there, freaking me out. Meet the snake who lived in our yard this summer. I am not certain if this snake is a boy or a girl snake, but I decided that it is mostly the men in my life that enjoy freaking me out and teasing me - he too shall be referred to as a HE.

Now I am not a big fan of snakes. They don't bother me unless they are close to me. I know, I know its just a wee, little garter snake. He's probably more scared of me than I am of it...but the fact still remains - he was EVERYWHERE I was this late summer. I'd walk down to the garden and jump at every stick thinking "There he is" or "AHH", but when I'd let my guard down BOOM, BANG the stick would move! :) Or the time that I walked by the van and out of the tire crawls "my friend" and I scream. If I was in the back yard, so was he. If I was by the tennis court, so was he. If I was in the front yard, so was he. Mom suggested that I could have three snakes - she wasn't my friend for that moment either!

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After awhile I decided to threaten him. Ok - this is sad, but I spent a lot of time talking to this creature. I told him to get out of my yard and visit the neighbors. When that didn't work I threatened to bring my St. Patrick statue out and chase him. Lucky for him that was about the time I started getting sick and didn't feel like chasing anyone or anything!

This is a lovely picture of my "pal". One afternoon I was thinking about him, wondering where he was, if he was dead or what. So I looked out the window and sure enough there he is. Now it wasn't unusual to see him by the deck, but this time...he was eating something, right there in front of me. SOOO, we all hurry out on to the deck, camera in hand. We watched, some in horror (me) and some in awe (everyone else) at this snake slowly moving his lunch down his body. Yah - after that I gave up. He was truly a friend to all them boys. They hadn't seen anything near that great in "hundreds of years!" I know when I'm beat, I know when to give up. He was welcomed to stay as long as he wanted...just STAY AWAY from ME!!!

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One last point - where is the safest place to be when there is a snake in the yard???

Why on top of the hummingbird feeder of course! Too bad there wasn't room for me up there.