Today's snake story.
Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2023 10:10 am
My wife has a special dread of snakes; any variety, deadly or harmless, she knows on an intellectual basis that they are part of a healthy environment, but she doesn't give a damn.
My wife also has a soft spot for birds. Just outside of the office that we share, and spend too much time in, are several bird feeders. She spends better 50 bucks a month on sunflower seeds to feed them, and they come in droves. Where birds congregate, snakes come to feed on the birds. For the last week or so, there has been a 3' Oak Snake perched on one of the feeders, same snake, same feeder, same posture. I think that the snake is overly ambitious, because, I can't see him swallowing a bird if he caught it; but I could be wrong.
Several days ago, at my wife's bidding, I caught the snake, carried him 100 yards away and released him. The next morning, the same snake is back on the same feeder. Again, I caught him, and this time walked him about a quarter mile before releasing him in the woods. This morning, he is back.
We were going grocery shopping so I figured that, right before we left, I would catch him, one more time, and drive him several miles to a new home. I snagged him off the Sheppard's hook, put the snake in a plastic grocery bag for the quick trip. I just held the bag closed. My wife would not even consider holding the bag, so she drove. About 5 minutes into the trip, the snake, who had been going nuts in the bag, found an escape route, literally jumped out of the bag and was fully exposed in all his glory far too close for my wife's comfort. Panic doesn't adequately describe the moment.
I am not afraid of Oak Snakes, but I do know that when they bite, they cut you and it leaves a sore wound. Now I am not the most athletic of old men, and I have fumbled more baseballs than I ever caught, but I managed to snatch the snake before he got loose in the car and just tossed him out the window. That has been about an hour, and I don't think that my dear wife's heart rate is back to normal. Tomorrow, when the diligent little bastard comes back, I will try to improve on my confinement technique and give the thing a ride, but I do not suspect that my wife will trust me to come along.
The worst part of the whole incident is that if I even smile for the next few days, I will be in the dog house...
My wife also has a soft spot for birds. Just outside of the office that we share, and spend too much time in, are several bird feeders. She spends better 50 bucks a month on sunflower seeds to feed them, and they come in droves. Where birds congregate, snakes come to feed on the birds. For the last week or so, there has been a 3' Oak Snake perched on one of the feeders, same snake, same feeder, same posture. I think that the snake is overly ambitious, because, I can't see him swallowing a bird if he caught it; but I could be wrong.
Several days ago, at my wife's bidding, I caught the snake, carried him 100 yards away and released him. The next morning, the same snake is back on the same feeder. Again, I caught him, and this time walked him about a quarter mile before releasing him in the woods. This morning, he is back.
We were going grocery shopping so I figured that, right before we left, I would catch him, one more time, and drive him several miles to a new home. I snagged him off the Sheppard's hook, put the snake in a plastic grocery bag for the quick trip. I just held the bag closed. My wife would not even consider holding the bag, so she drove. About 5 minutes into the trip, the snake, who had been going nuts in the bag, found an escape route, literally jumped out of the bag and was fully exposed in all his glory far too close for my wife's comfort. Panic doesn't adequately describe the moment.
I am not afraid of Oak Snakes, but I do know that when they bite, they cut you and it leaves a sore wound. Now I am not the most athletic of old men, and I have fumbled more baseballs than I ever caught, but I managed to snatch the snake before he got loose in the car and just tossed him out the window. That has been about an hour, and I don't think that my dear wife's heart rate is back to normal. Tomorrow, when the diligent little bastard comes back, I will try to improve on my confinement technique and give the thing a ride, but I do not suspect that my wife will trust me to come along.
The worst part of the whole incident is that if I even smile for the next few days, I will be in the dog house...