Interesting choice of topics lately, no? I had an experience this morning that I just thought was good solid blog material. Directly out my door, there is a cement sidewalk that wanders eventually to the parking area. The width of the sidewalk is about 2 feet, give or take. Next to the sidewalk is a garden that is full of foundation plantings. The foundationof the house is dry laid rocks, it is an old victorian. So it makes sense that the foundation houses snakes. Snakes in genral don't bother me, unless they startle me, then I scream. But the odd snake hanging out in the sun doesn't bother me at all.

This morning, I was sitting at my little cafe table enjoying the warm sunshine and drinking my coffee(yum, Summer Sunrise) and smoking my cigarette. I happen to notice behind a bush sunning himself was a black colored snake, with jaunty bright yellow pinstripes running down its side. I have no idea what kind of snake it was, but I chose to ignore it. Suddenly the snake starts striking in my direction. Now, mind you I hadn't moved or bothered the smake. It was acting all bothered and aggressive all on its own.

In the last decade or so, there have been some local idiots that took harmless snakes and bred them to poisenouis ones and released them back into the wild. So I figure I had a hybrid on my hands this morning.

What to do? I have no shovel to chop its head off and end its miserable existence. Meanwhile, it is still striking in my direction. It is doing a poor imatation of a cobra before it strikes. Or a puff adder. Anyway, I am amused by its wimpy efforts, I spy a rock. Not a big rock, one about the size of my hand. Now stomping my feet didn't scare it off. The vibrations are supposed to make them go the other way( well it works with rattle snakes) Now, I'm no snake expert. I know very little about snakes. But I took the rock, closed one eye, stuck my tongue out and bit on it for luck and aim and threw the rock. Bingo, it was just striking as I threw the rock, it flipped around and slithered off into the Hosta. But I swear, I could feel it's cold beady *beep* off eyes looking at me. So I came inside and went over my options of what to do. I couldn't call the X up, he's scared of snakes, I always caught and removed snakes in the past. So I called my brother who lives 20 minutes away. He tells me he'll swing by at noon time. Well I haven't seen my snake buddy since I hit him with the rock. I wonder how long before he shows himself again? If he hadn't had an attitude and striking at me, I never would have known he was there. Snake charmer I'm not, hell I'm not even a normal charmer!

Pam