Diary 7/1/13

Went out to open the chicken's door and turn on some waters at 6:30 this morning as I pretty much do every morning. I had not had a cup of coffee or even a drink of water, but I heard the rooster crowing and I knew he wanted out. I opened the door and I turned to get a bucket of scratch to feed them; the normal routine that I follow each day. I opened the top of the bag as I had a mouse in it last week that crawled up my hand when I was scooping corn and wheat out, so I was closing the bag tightly each day. I flipped open a flap of the bag without thinking and something slid off the top with a plop. When I looked down, this guy was coiled up there, cool and sleepy, but oh so close...My husband eliminated him from our eco system as he can't live in the chicken pen. Not that he wants chicken. No, he is there to get that mouse, but it just doesn't work for me and the grand kids(whose mothers are cringing as they read this...) who feed the chickens. The head was buried as the venom is stored up inside the hollow fangs and can still infect anyone who comes in contact. Even tire guys have had venom effects from tires that either ran over snakes or were bitten by a rattler somehow.  He is beautiful and has his place in the big picture here, but not in our personal space.

Just want to say that my heart and prayers go out to the families of the hotshot crew from Prescott Arizona that lost their lives in a blow up fire yesterday. I know too much about fires, and I can only believe it was an incredible combination of fire and wind that caused the disaster.