Sharing a Slice of Life, Sneaky Snake Goes Dancin'

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence



Over at Sharing a Slice of Life, the prompt this week is about snakes, where we are urged to tell "stories about finding our slithering friends out in the garden, behind the washing machine, or one takes a strike at you hiking."

Ya, ole Carol has a snake story, ewwwwwwwwwwwww.

Our current home has 4.9 acres of land, about 3 of which is now groomed and cut, the rest is pond, swamp and woods.  The previous owner was not cutting 3 acres, but, probably more like 2.  The first summer we came to realize very quickly that we had some serious landscaping to do, the lawn area was so rough and furrowed.  How rough, well, that is another story, some day.

So, bout this time of the year (late summer), we hired a local landscaper, and we started a project that would cost a bucket of $$ and take about 2 months to complete.  It included killing off about 90% of the existing lawn, errr, weeds.  Then we had dirt moved around, lots of raking, seeding, more raking, hours and hours of work. (And, of course, because we live on what could easily be called a gravel pit, thanks to the glacial age dumping of gravel and sand, we also paid for a lot of picking up of rocks and more rocks and more - - - )

BUT, first we cut down the weeds and briars and such so we could see the lay of the land, and that is where the snake story comes in.

The uncut areas were cut with a brush hog.  Only when you cut with a brush hog, you cannot get real close to trees or shrubs.  So, there is still a lot of tall grass and weeds out there.  Did you know that snakes love that tall grass stuff?

The day after the brush hog was there we met with the landscaper, and one of her helpers.  Man, landscaper, helper and I were out walking the property discussing the project.  (You need to know that I had never met the landscaper helper, who happened to be a man, ya just need to know that for the story.)

So, we are walking around the property, chatting away at what needs to be done, how, when, what, where, why and $$.  We approach one of those bushes that still had a lot of foliage around it, when, all of a sudden, (this would not be a story without the ALL OF A SUDDEN, now, would it??), there starts a racket and a swishing.  This "noise" got my attention RIGHT NOW, cause along with the noise, what should arise out of the bush, but a HUGE snake.  OK, he did not really arise out of the bush, but he did raise up and sorta stood on his hiney (do snakes have hineys??) and he started down the hill headed for the pond.  He did that snake wiggle walk, squiggle, wiggle.  Dancin' he was!  And, goodness sakes alive, he moved fast, REAL fast!

While he was standing up on his hiney, I was getting one of those scares of life that, thank you very much, I can do without.  I nearly jumped into the arms of that nice landscaper helper that I had just met.  I let out a yelp, ok, a scream, and I think I jumped over 2 feet straight up!  My heart was racing, I guarantee!

So, why all the reaction, I mean, other than this thing moved like lightening?? MMMMMM, twas the size.  He was HUGE, I kid you not, HUGE!  At least 6 foot long, I swear he was 5 inches in diameter.  HUGE!

Nice landscaper helper told me it was a blue racer, and that, blue racers would flog a person if they felt it was necessary to do so to procure their own escape.

This graphic was identified as a blue race, no kiddin!  (Look at that ugly mean looking face, ewwwwwwwwww!)  Ya, no wonder I was scared, and nearly jumped into the arms of a perfect stranger!

Sneaky snake, blue racer snake, big, fast, snake, goes dancin' indeed!  He dances, Carol jumps!  And, years later, just thinking about that big snake still gives me the creeps, ewwwww!!

*Graphic of the blue racer courtesy of Arthur's Snake Clipart. (Link non functional April 2019.

**Graphic of my little green friend here, courtesy of Webweaver.nu

***And, no, I did NOT do any research on blue racers and the truth of that flogging stuff, don't want to ruin my story with the truth, do I??  LOL

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