Entry for October 19, 2007/ Rattlesnake in My Yard.

PLEASE DISREGARD THE WRONG PICTURE I POSTED. YAHOO WHY CAN I NOT DELETE THIS PHOTO?

Now this really is a journal entry. I just had a very scary incident happen in my back yard.

A rattle snake, a little one thankfully, tied up in the fence in my back yard.

Twilight, just that time of the evening when you can't see that well. I go out to round up the last two cats that are out, Rose and Fat Cat. I am standing on the deck and I hear this rattling, over and over and I suddenly realize what I am hearing. I look in the direction of the rattle and I see Rose and Fats face to face with the snake, head up and rattling like mad. Ok , I am in a panic but trying to be smart and still rescue my cats. I start throwing stones at them to get them to run but it is not working, they back up and then head for the snake again, since the snake isn't moving I know he is tied up in the fence even though I can't see him that well. I run towards the cats which scares them enough that they run back under the deck. In the middle of this, Old Goldie starts troting across the yard toward the snake. I had completely forgotten that I had let her out with me. Grab her collar and back in the house she goes.

I am working on getting the cats out from under the deck and keep an eye on the snake at the same time. I get Rose, in the house she goes, now Fat Cat and I am finally able to get my hands on the phone and call 911. They are use to these type of phone calls, "yes, we will dispatch someone right now".

Here comes the big red fire truck, thats who rescues snakes around here and one of them was even scared of him ( the snake) it was pretty funny. Everyone was squeeling. Except the guy who handled the snake catcher thingy. Long pole with some type of prong with a handle that opens and closes the prong. Into the bucket the snake goes and the firemen tell me that they will release him way on the other side of the highway. Rattlesnakes can roam up to two miles from their homes. I think this one was ready to hunker down for the night.. He was stuck in the fence so I don't know what would have happened. It is cold here at night now and he was in the open. It was as afraid as I was, you could tell. I have been told that they are very afraid of cats. He didn't care that I was throwing rocks at him, but he was rattling like mad when those two big cats were right on top of him.

Well what a way to spend a nice quiet evening. Never saw a live rattlesnake in the wild before. Can now add that to the things I have done. I really am proud of myself. I handled myself very well I think. No hysterics, saved the cats, didn't kill the snake, didn't get bit. Took my heart five minutes to slow down.

Ok I will now have a cocktail.

Susan