Snake On The Doorstep

Yesterday afternoon around 5:00, I went out to the garage, jumped in the golf cart, and drove over to the post office to check the mail. Returned in about 5 minutes, backed the cart back into its slot, stepped out and nearly had a heart attack.

There was a baby snake firmly caught in a glue trap by the back door. I probably jumped backward, about 4 feet in the air. Scared the you-know-what out of me.

Hubby, Where Art Thou?

My darling hubby, who is in Tulsa, normally contends with unwelcome varmints. He keeps a glue trap in the garage by the back door to catch the field mice who sneak into the garage. We haven't really seen one of those tiny rodents in months, but the traps stay there just in case.

I stared at the angry snake and could tell by the shape of the head and the eye that it was some variety of poisonous snake. (In case you're thinking this is a rat snake, it's not. The picture above isn't very good, and the snake's skin is stretched so you don't get a clear picture of the pattern that way.) Even though it was stuck, it still was making every effort to strike at me.

I felt bad for the snake, but I wasn't going to get too close. What I should do with it? I definitely did not want to pick the trap up just in case it could free its head. So I decided to let nature take its course -- whatever that might be.

I grabbed the garage broom and, keeping well away in case it managed to free itself, pushed the trap away from the back door and to the outside of the garage.

Snake Reality

Now, in case you think I was being silly over a baby snake, let me tell you that a baby poisonous snake can bite you and inflict just as much damage as a full-grown snake -- and I'm 40 miles from a hospital that might stock anti-venom.

If you think I was being cruel, well, you obviously have never had to contend with snakes in the wild. I know enough to recognize the benign reptiles and leave them alone. They serve a purpose in the ecosystem and don't pose a threat to people. The poisonous ones have their place in the ecosystem too, but only experienced experts should handle them.

I pushed the trap out to the end of the driveway. I figured if the snake freed itself, it could crawl away. If a hawk, buzzard, or other bird came by and saw the snake, well, it's like Josey Wales said in the movie, "Buzzards got to eat too."

This Week's Special

I'll take my mind off the snake and tell you about this week's special deal. Subscribe to the Kindle Edition of SlingWords by Joan Reeves -- only $.99 a month. Keep your subscription beyond the free 14 day trial period, and I'll give you a free copy of my new book Copyright Smarts For Writers. If you're a non-writer reader, I'll send you a coupon for a free copy of my nonfiction inspirational book Written Wisdom.

Simply subscribe, then email me at Joan at JoanReeves dot com (Subject Box: REAL LIVE PERSON -- SW Subscription. In the email, give me your receipt # and the Date you started the subscription. I'll email you a PDF of the new book or the Coupon Code for Written Wisdom 30 days later.

Takeaway Truth

Truth 1: Enjoy reading the blog on your Kindle device or Kindle app on your phone.

Truth 2: I won't be going into the garage at night.