Close encounter of the worst kind

[philpom]

It can be tough to keep 2 yards nice and well kept especially when one is a 7 hour drive from the other but I try my best.  4 or 5 times a year I put the tractor on the trailer, load the truck and make the drive to our vacation home tucked away in the mountains for a little yard work.

 

It usually looks nice.

 

I had taken care of things in July and was thinking that the summer was hot and nothing grew that much and maybe even burned back by late August.   For the next trip I decided I would save the hassle and not tow the tractor up there.  All I would need is a weed eater for a little cleanup.

 

Whoops, man was I wrong.

 

Needless to say, this was unacceptable.   Ever heard of the proverbial "snake in the grass"?

 

I spent the next many hours weed eating the yard.  It was tough work, hot and bright outside.   I did make significant progress but it's still a mess and will need plenty more work next trip.

 

In the past 15 years I have only pulled 1 little snake from the grass, 1 black snake from the back porch and mrs philpom picked up a paper sack from the yard with an albino snake in it.  (The look on her face).  But on this day it was different!  I had just finished trimming up under the car port when my wife got my attention.  I walked over and thought, oh crap, how big is that sucker?  Turns out it was huge, 5 feet long but not as big as I thought.  You see, there was 2 rattle snakes a foot from where I had just been and 6 feet from my front door.

 

I sent the wife and kids inside and made quick work with some 000BK.  Mrs philpom told me she would never complain about how many guns I take to the mountains again! 

 

She also advised me to put the place on the market "on monday"!  I didn't do any more yard work on that trip.

[Dub]

They are even better camouflaged in the dead grass, pine straw and wooded areas I sometimes hunt.

 

As bad as I dislike rattlesnakes......I HATE water moccasins. They are aggressive and meaner all get out. Territorial brutes.

 

 

You made a good snake outa that one.

[WilliamTell]

On 12/28/2019 at 5:30 AM, Dub said:

They are even better camouflaged in the dead grass, pine straw and wooded areas I sometimes hunt.

 

As bad as I dislike rattlesnakes......I HATE water moccasins. They are aggressive and meaner all get out. Territorial brutes.

 

 

You made a good snake outa that one.

 

I would rather deal with a rattlesnake over a water moccasin any day. At least rattle snakes with give you an audible warning and wont peruse you for the hell of it if you surprise them.