7.09.2007

Stinging Bugs and Serpents

There are many things I will miss when we leave Texas. But one thing I WONT miss is scorpions. We killed 2 today. Eli found one in the cupboard (a BIG one), and then there was one on the floor of the girls room tonight. I loathe scorpions. I've not been stung, and I have been told that actually getting stung takes a lot of the fear out of it. Maybe....But let's just say that it hasn't worked for the members of the household that have been stung :)

I don't like snakes either. AT ALL. We have heard lot's of snake stories this year. It seems with all the rain that they are out in force. We hadn't seen any though. Until last night. The girls went out to lock the chickens up for the night and Hailey looked in the box for eggs before she started putting them in. She noticed what she thought was a hose or toy of some sort and started to pick it up when it moved! She looked closer and says she saw at least 2 big black snakes. Well, one was big, the other was less so. They hot tailed it into the house screaming SNAKE! So I grabbed my shoes and a shovel and ran out to make quick work of them. NOT!

I'll tell you what really happened, but your going to really question the wisdom of my husband leaving us to fend for ourselves out here :) Chance decides to shoot them with the .22. Of course, it takes 20 minutes to locate the .22, and then we have to find the keys to open the gun case. And then we have to find the ammunition. All of this is accomplished and Chance takes the gun to the garage to load it. Just then we receive a providential phone call from the aforementioned husband. Who says, of course, "He can't shoot snakes with that gun! He's going to go through 30 rounds and destroy the box and the snakes will probably still get away. He needs a shotgun and we don't have one. He needs to take a shovel out there and kill them."

I won't even mention the loading "issues." :)

Of course by the time the shovel was actually got and they all traipsed out to get the snakes, they were long gone.

The girls left a couple of eggs in the box today to try to lure them back, but they didn't come.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

HAHAHAHA!! Kill snakes with a .22!! That's a good one :)
Seriously, didn't you grow up in the desert?!

Anonymous said...

We do have a shotgun. It just wasn't the right way to take care of the snakes in the chicken coop. Remember you mentioned repair or holes in the coop.

Dad