Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Country Critters


First ladybugs...now a squirrel!

I came downstairs with Jack the other night at around 3:30 am. While I was in the kitchen preparing a bottle for him, I kept hearing scratching. Yeah...a little creepy in the half-dark in the middle of the night! We get mice from time to time (that's par for the course when you live in the woods!), so I just assumed that's what it was.

I went about my business, but couldn't help but think that this sounded much bigger than a mouse! All of a sudden, I looked up and there were two beady little eyes staring back at me from above my cabinets! It was huge...I thought it was a rat and it took everything I had to not scream and wake up the whole house! I froze and just watched as it started running around on top of the cabinets and wood beams.

The tail gave it away...it was a young squirrel!

I haven't seen him since that night, but my hubby heard some scratching in the walls upstairs this morning. I'm sure he's making himself a nice, cozy nest in our home...the perfect place to get out of the cold!

Snake!

I wish I could say that it stopped at the squirrel that day, but it just got better! Or worse, I guess...

My hubby has been working second shift, so I often have to go out in the evening and bring in several armloads of wood for the fire. When I went out later that evening, I saw this right next to the woodpile:

And a close-up:


The only snakes we have ever seen out here are black snakes and copperheads. I happen to be scared to death of copperheads. We live very far from a hospital and it would take an ambulance at least 20 minutes to get here, so I worry about the kids playing in the yard. We killed 6 or 7 babies during the spring, but we knew there must be a Mama around somewhere.

Well, I think I found her...or at least evidence of her!

Now I'm worried she might be living in the woodpile. That skin is a good 3-4 feet long! That's one big copperhead (if it is, indeed, a copperhead...I'm certainly no snake expert!).

Lesson learned: Collect wood BEFORE it gets dark!

Blessings!
Brandi

7 comments:

TAMI said...

Maybe being a city girl isn't so bad after all?!!

Melody Plainview said...

(Gasp!) That IS one big snake. Gracious. And finding the skin is much creepier than finding it alive. Sounds like something right out of a horror novel!

But the squirrel! Oh, that's too cute. Well, at least once you got over the initial shock of seeing wildlife perched on your cabinets. (smile)

P.S. I would love to have home church. In the past, I've looked around my city to see if there were any already established so I could visit. I'd love to have home church with our family some day, and God may yet lead us there. Just have to have Mr. Plainview in order first. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on that! I'm delighted!

Anonymous said...

Ughhhhh...be careful!

Were you still at home for the squirrel in the toilet incident in PA?

<3 Haley

Anonymous said...

That must have been SO frightening! I could handle the squirrel, although I'm sure I would have woke up the entire house with my screams, but the snake is another matter.

I wonder if there is a treatment you could keep on hand in case of a bite? If you have a dog, I just read that they can be vaccinated against poisonous snake bites, so they can develop antibodies. The article said that dogs are 300 times more likely to be bitten by a snake that to get rabies!

I'm sorry, I don't mean to add to your fear, but maybe you can look into some preparation, just in case...Here's a link I just found, telling how to treat the bite wound:
http://www.medicinenet.com/snake_bites/page2.htm
The most important thing is to pray that it never happens!

Amy said...

O my goodness, Brandi!!! EEkkk!!!

Just skin = snake somewhere.... gulp!

Serial Mommy said...

we've had bats in the house 3 times already, we can't figure out where they keep getting in at...all the windows that are open when it's nice enough have screens! i've tagged you brandi, i got the tag from sophie, so if you have the time and desire, please go visit me and pick up your tag and follow suit! thanks!

Momzoo said...

yikes! We have rattle snakes around here, every spring several are killed. The one good thing about a rattler, they will warn you if you get close, but I still worry about the kids.