It Had To Happen Sometime

My cousin Christine has a knack for close encounters of the animal kind. As I recall, first it was a loose dog, then a blood thirsty Canadian Goose, and finally a clingy spider web (with spider in tow?).

I may have her beat.

This morning I was expecting a delivery for Emily, and walked out the front door to make sure I hadn't missed the guy. I walked down our sidewalk that runs along our house, and out to the driveway, then came back. On my return trip, I glanced down and saw this fellow pictured below, a rattlesnake. The snake was none too happy to see me walking within feet of it, and it hissed and struck at me. I did the only thing a self respecting man could do, I jumped and screamed all the way back to the front door (swearing obscenities along the way, to be sure).

The two pictures below were taken through a crack in our front door. The first was the snake after being unsettled by my presence, and the second is of the snake awaiting my return. The fire department came out and picked him up about thirty minutes later, he appeared to be about four feet long, and the guy that scooped him up was complimenting his size. I refrained from telling him that I about soiled myself when seeing this thing on our doorstep.

Happy Tuesday!