Monday, April 21, 2014

Ranch Monday

 Stop !
And pay close attention ! 
If you don't like snakes turn back now !
The picture of Ranch Nuisance is to keep you from having to look at a snake if you don't want to.

This is my poisonous snake story.
I was working in my flower beds last week after a rain and noticed some of my mulch had floated out the end of it. I have a pallet of rock down at the tractor shed, so I got in the pickup and went to get some. I was picking through the rock and stepped back to go around the other side of the pallet when I looked down... and by my feet...
 I saw the last half of a copper head slithering under that pallet of rock.
 It had to have been in the grass right behind me ! 

  
 First I froze, then I screamed, then I thanked God for protecting me, then I got back in the pickup to go up to the house to call Ranchman. (He and Shane our son, were 60 miles away working calves) He didn't answer, so I called Shane and told him how big it was and that he should thank God that he still has a Mother who didn't die of a snake bite or heart attack. 
He said "Oh Mom, it probably just looked big, I'll see if I can find it when we get back". 


When they got back, Ranchman got in the tractor so he could slide the forks in under the pallet to lift it up and Shane was on the ground with a shovel. Up came the pallet....no snake under it...then all of a sudden it fell out of the pallet which was 5 foot up in the air. 

My Heroes saved the day ! 
We didn't measure it, but here it is laying over the front tire of a 44/40 John Deer. 
Shane said "That was a big snake Mom".
 Ranchman said "I'm sure glad it didn't get my cook" !  

It's a beautiful color, but oh so poisonous !
Since it's getting warm.... humans aren't the only ones coming out of hibernation !
I'll leave you with a better image of something else that I found on the ranch last week. 
Indian paintbrush, my favorite flower.
Have a blessed day !