Well this morning I went out to check all the trees in the back yard since Steve had just made a repair to the system that waters them all. Then I glanced in the pool. Ick, a baby rabbit had gotten in there and drowned. So I fished him out and threw him away. Poor baby. As I neared the pool skimmer, I decided to pop that open really quick and make sure the basket inside was not full of leaves and stuff.
And this surprised me:
Coiled up under the skimmer lid was a light brown snake. You could say I was just a little horrified. I was actually a LOT horrified. Yep, Shawna's very very afraid of snakes. Doesn't matter if they're someone's wonderful pet, or a dangerous rattler, I react to all of them in the same way: pure horror.
I dropped the skimmer lid and ran to the house. I tried calming myself but it wasn't working. I called Steve and screamed and cried into the phone. I really did feel bad because I knew all he was hearing was the word "snake" and me screaming. I couldn't form the words, "I did not get bit, I'm just flipping out."
Once he got me to breathe and calm down, I explained what happened. He called his brother and asked if he could come help me out.
Thankfully, Jack does not feel the same way about snakes as I do.
He pinned the snake by his head and picked him up. All the while I watched with my phone and camera, ready to document as if Jack were suddenly Steve Irwin.
Jack did admit, he was expecting a 6 inch long baby snake. This one was about 4 feet long, with white stripes on its head and neck. Don't know what kind it was, but obviously it wasn't some venomous serpent. It wrapped itself pretty good around his arm for a little bit there. Then it loosened up as he carried it away:
Jack admitted that he may have hurt the thing when he was pinning it down. The jaw was crooked. Of course now I feel bad because I do realize the snake was just accidentally in the pool skimmer. He didn't go in there to cause all kinds of problems. And he wasn't hiding out to snap at me and pump all kinds of venom into my vodka-filled veins. (Oh by the way I'm going to start drinking vodka now, after all this trauma)
BUT, now we have a maimed snake in the neighborhood who's probably going to have to wear a chalkboard around his neck like Anthony Hopkins in "Legends of the Fall" in order to just say "SSSSSSSSSSSSS" and tomorrow while I am out doing yard work this snake will be coming up to me and pointing at the "SSSSSSSSSSS" on his chalkboard.
Ugh.
So, guess who is probably responsible for the baby rabbit in the pool? Kitty Meow Meow. He likely chased it in there last night. And who knew about the snake out there? Kitty Meow Meow. He didn't even say a word to warn me. He just sat near the doorway of the house, staring outside.
"Nope. Not going outside today. I saw a snake earlier."
Thanks, Kitty.
