"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands........" 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Friday, April 15, 2016

Someone Stole My Omelet For Saturday Morning Breakfast!

In the late afternoon, I went out to close up the chickens and lying in the hen house was a rattler,,,,,,,,,,
enjoying the eggs.

By the time I got back with my camera to shoot his photo, with my husband right behind me with a gun to shoot the rattler,  it had crawled underneath the edge of the hen house. With a long pole, my husband pushed into the area where  the snake was, and out it came.

I was already jumpy from earlier today.  When I was outside, I saw a skunk inside of my greenhouse.

It came out and my husband shot at it.........he missed, 
  and  the skunk went back into the greenhouse.

We did not want the skunk to get shot and to spray the greenhouse, so we just let it make it's way out. I'm glad it did not have to die.  It pushed it's way through the wire fence and headed off into the woods. It acted very slow and sluggish,  which makes me worry that it is rabid. 
I keep the greenhouse door open during hot days, so now I will fix a  wire grid door to keep everything out.
I am so glad I saw it before I walked into the greenhouse.......
as you might remember earlier, Sophie got sprayed by a skunk and it was horrible.....
Now we are all edgy as we walk out to see who our next visitor might be. 
So tell me...........what is lurking around your back door??

13 comments:

Nancy J said...

Not a snake anywhere in NZ that I know of, so we should be safe!!! I would totally panic at that, is it anywhere near where Homer sleeps? What is worse, snake or skunk?

Terra said...

I am glad the skunk got away. Sometimes one or two visit our patio to eat what they can find, like bird seed or a bit of cat food. They are very pretty and usually move slowly.

lil red hen said...

Oh my!! A rattlesnake!! Thank goodness we don't have those; but we do have copperhead snakes. We rarely see a snake of any kind around the house. Skunks are a common thing on the farm, but these dogs usually kill them, then bring the smell to the house :(

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Yikes on the rattler and the skunk.

Anonymous said...

Oh my! We had rattlesnakes when I grew up in NW Pennsylvania. My dad worked for a gas company and would see them in the field work he did along the gas lines. He brought home one he killed once to show us. (Delaware has no rattlesnakes.) Western Pennsylvania had lots of snakes...6 foot long very thick blacksnakes too!
But your rattlesnake looks larger than the ones I've seen! Andrea

Wonky Girl said...

It's snake season here on the AZ high desert. They are coming out hungry and mad after a very cool winter. Around our place we see several varieties of rattlers and coral snakes. I don't mind seeing the non-venomous snakes but husband does "dispatch" the rattle snakes with scatter shot ammunition. I know some people don't understand but rattle snakes live within 50 feet of where you see them. Not a good mix with pets and humans.

Debra said...

I read this post to my hubby-and we both oohhed and ahhed at your snake! I've heard we have rattlers here-near here any way-but thankfully we've not seen them in our yard. I think I'd faint!
Just little harmless birdies here, and my two geese! :)

NanaNor's said...

Wow, we had several rattlers in Ca. when we lived there and there were skunks in the neighborhood, but never in our yard. So glad your dog didn't get sprayed or the greenhouse. Hope you have a critter free weekend.
Hugs,
Noreen

Sherri Farley said...

Some critters and just not welcomed visitors!

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

Oh, my! I do not envy you either of those visitors. We did have a very large possum in the chicken yard one night. Bruno was very upset.

Connie said...

Oh dear. I'm so glad you all are OK. Rattlesnakes are nothing to mess with and skunks aren't any fun to have around either.

letslearnembroidery said...

We have plenty of poisonous snakes on our farm.Luckily, nothing bad ever happened.Have to be careful all the time.

Karen said...

Fortunately, we don't have rattlers at our house and usually not skunks either but I did see 3 skunks on the way to work yesterday at 3 a.m. I see a lot of critters when I'm going to work including lots of deers. I'm glad you let your little skunk live!