I was out in the corral this afternoon when I heard my dog, Smooch, let out her snake bark. It’s distinctly different than her other barks, and I knew instantly that I needed to investigate. (I operate under the premise that every snake she barks at is a rattlesnake until proven otherwise.) I ran to the horse porch and there was Smooch, and there was the snake. I scooped up Smooch, tossed her in the garage, then did what I always do when there’s a snake in the vicinity – I grabbed my camera.
It was just a harmless bull snake under the barbecue grill. No big deal. But I didn’t think he expected me to cook him lunch, so I started wondering why he chose this particular spot to hang out. I had a suspicion, so I opened the grill.
Indeed. My suspicion was correct. Varmints.
Deets, the outdoor cat, has more work than he can handle. With maintaining law and order in the barn and feed room, he does not have time in his busy schedule to patrol the horse porch. Hence, varmints roam this area and cruise the night away on the wicker furniture. Smooch catches a whiff of the varmints during the day, then proceeds to dig into the cushions to find them, releasing the stuffing, which blows around the area, making a mess for me to pick up. Obviously I missed a few wads of the stuff and an industrious varmint, deciding it was the perfect nesting material, gathered it up and set up house in the bottom of the grill. Clever Mr. Bull Snake was patiently waiting for Ms. Varmint to leave home in search of more stuffing, thinking he could grab a quick snack.
When last seen, Ms Varmint was trying to decide her fate: leave the grill and face certain death in the jaws of the bull snake or stay in the grill and hope to heck rancher-woman wasn’t in the mood to cook a burger.
And the moral of the story is: always preheat the grill.
Your adventures never cease to amaze me. I guess your bull snake is harmless like the black snakes in my area? That guy looks pretty big to me though ... I would have been seriously back-steppin' at first sight. Varmints sure seem to find the strangest places to call home!
ReplyDeleteI thought for sure that was a rattlesnake but I didn't see a rattle! Cute mouse though!
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness how did i miss this one when i went back and read your whole blog lol.... love it... so who got the varmit you or the bull snake??
ReplyDeletehehehehe the mouse is so cute!
ReplyDeleteI like the snake better though.
Between the two choices, I'd have chosen the varmint! Good job Smooch. That's one smart dog...
ReplyDeleteAll that drama going on right there on your porch!
ReplyDeleteParallel universe here. When we moved to our farmstead with furniture stored in garage, a 'mom' set up housekeeping in one of the desk drawers. Ate bunches of important banking files...pulled stuffing out of the couch...had her babies on the bank statements. Once spied - she moved on. Bull snakes are a good thing...I just don't like to see them. I just enjoy your critter tales immensely!
ReplyDeleteI think you need to use the grill more.
ReplyDeleteThis was a real LOL blog! I'm still snickering - grilled mouse, anyone?
ReplyDeleteNancy in Iowa
Well, Carson you've got me thinking about summer. I've gone into hibernation mode as well. There are no snakes around here for awhile anyway. We are hiding under a few feet of snow. The only animals that seem to survive the cold are tiny birds and squirrels. I hope Stuart Little got away. He looked so comfortable in his nest. After all, it did take some effort to build.
ReplyDeleteAm I for the underdog or have I been watching too many mouse movies.
Best always, Sandra
Oh goodness, I'm not sure which one is worse. *shiver* Never a dull moment is there.
ReplyDeleteGood grief! Your adventures never stop. Snakes are creepy but the packrats can cause a lot of trouble and damage. The thought of grilled packrat...eewwwww... Did the packrat leave on it's own or was Deets called in for emergency duty? Regardless...enjoyed the saga thoroughly.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute story! You seem to always be in the right place at the right time! AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteThat snake is gorgeous! Great little story, and it just reminds me of the warm weather. I'm thinking you might need to schedule a little chat with Deets and Smooch. A little backup might be in order.
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