AAAAACCCCCKKKKKKK!

I have 2 words and the rest of the story will follow:

F-ing SNAKE!


So, I'm out in the sweltering heat today sweating my butt off trying to rig some sort of a sprinkler system just to get my plants to survive the summer without my having to go water with the hose (in the heat) every day. Let's not even talk about what a weekend away can do to my yard!!!

Anyway, I was down on my hands and knees working in the marigolds and saw a lizard tail. Then I remembered it looked a LOT like the snake we saw a couple weeks ago.

I followed that lizard tail all the way down to the base to make sure it wasn't a rattler -- it wasn't. Then I followed it all the way up to the top and the little F-er was staring right at me from behind a yellow marigold!!!!!

W.T.F!?!?!?!

So, in my brazen confidence, knowing it's going to scoot away any second, I touch the tail - just because I can. Because he scared me and I wanted to reassert myself over that little bugger!

Keep in mind that I'm 99% sure he's not venomous now and I've had a snake from my classroom once before, so I am cool with that as long as they don't freakin' STARTLE me!!!! (I've been bitten twice, and I know that smarts, but it's not something to be afraid of.)

S/he is about 2 feet long and at most, as big around as my thumb.

As soon as I touched it, it raced right at where my knees were, under the gardening pad I was kneeling on (and bumped around a little while s/he was at it!), then between my feet and into the oleander bush.

I'm ok. I'm ok. I'm ok. smilies-roflma.gif smilies-roflma.gif smilies-roflma.gif smilies-roflma.gif

I figure it was the end of that for the day and went about my business.

Wrong!

I had to go adjust something in the marigolds and guess who was hanging out in there again????? Little F-er!!!!!! S/he gave me a little start, then s/he raced along the wall, then along the perpendicular wall, and out a water vent in the wall. I blocked it up with rocks, but I know it will be back.

Is it wrong of me to kind of like it? I've seen my dog around it and she won't go near it. I don't think anyone would, actually! (Except silly me, but that wasn't by choice. I just made the most of it while I was there.)

I just wish it would leave my lizards alone. I saw it trying to eat one last time I saw it in my yard. icon_sad.gif

We live RIGHT off the desert, and I saw a kangaroo rat (mouse, actually) hopping along in my neighbor's yard not too long ago. This snake can probably make sure that the mice don't get into my yard, right? Talk about the most natural form of pest control!