The Joys of Owning a Home
Yesterday I had to mow the lawn. Over seven inches of rain fell on Friday and Saturday causing my drought-stricken lawn to turn lush. I'm not really wild about mowing the lawn but it's not my most-hated Harry Homeowner chore either.
Step one for me is walking around the yard and moving all those things that might be in my way while mowing: hose reels, downspout splash trays, small children, dog poop, and the like. As I walked around the yard yesterday, I discovered something that sent chills down my spine. I probably got the biggest shock I've ever received as a homeowner. It almost took my breath away.
A snake skin.
I found it lying on a two-foot patch of grass in between the deck stairs and the foundation of my house. You can see the head of the skin in the picture. If you look carefully, you can see where the snake's eyes were. So why would an old, dry snake skin give me such a fright?
The answer is after the jump.
K-
That straight silver thing next to the skin is a yard stick. Got that? A 3-foot yard stick. The skin extends at least a foot beyond the end of it. And the skin curves; I haven't bothered to straighten it. So why am I so frightened?
Where the hell is that snake?
I would think an avid birder and dedicated scoutmaster would be used to the sight of snakes and snakeskins. 4 footers are babies around here. I had a 6 footer and a 5 footer mating in my attic (Yes, attic). The only snakes around here shorter than 4 feet are the copperheads. In Maryland, chances are pretty good that the snake is harmless. Of course, you don't want them slithering around in the house while you're sleeping.
I have no fear of snakes and have seen them on numerous occasions (including finding one all coiled up inside a bluebird box I opened to clean). But that bad boy shed his skin so close to my house gives me pause. I'd just as soon not find it lurking in the floor joists of my basement. (BTW, MD has two poisonous snakes: copperheads, which are small and I've encountered hiking the C&O canal and eastern diamondback timber rattlers, which are big but you only find in western MD high in the mountains.) I've no doubt that Maryland's got nothing on Louisiana bayous when it comes to snakes.
K-
I still get nervous around poisonous snakes when they're close and I never like snake surprises. I encountered a copperhead just two feet from the steps into my house. He had the gall to show me his fangs. The two rat snakes in my attic almost gave me a heart attack. One in a bird house that I was cleaning would scare me pretty good, too. My dad had a deathly fear of snakes and mentioned to me at least a thousand times that Louisiana is the only state in the union that has all four varieties of North American poisonous snakes. Truth be told, I used to see more snakes in the drainage canal in the suburb where I grew up than I see in the wild where I live now. That's OK by me. I'm not wild about them.