My SO and I have an uninvited guest residing somewhere outdoors. I discovered 'it' last night when I was stepping in the bushes, pulling weeds, as I have been doing on a regular basis. Keeping this task in the present tense will be a challenge for a while.
You see, after I'd been wading about, here and there, happily reaching down into the soil, pulling weeds out by their roots, I heard a sudden rustling by my feet. Surprised, I immediately looked down to see the last foot and a half of a fairly wide-diameter snake slither by. His (I've decided it must be a he.) movement ceased when I stepped back or when he heard my sharp intake of air. I stood still and watched the snake for a few seconds. It moved a little more, then curled up in the density of the bushes. During the time I ran inside to tell my SO of our visitor, the snake had disappeared. We looked and looked but to no avail. Now we have a real snake in the grass.
I will attempt continued and cordial hospitality for this uninvited guest because I know the snake is not poisonous. Well, I'm fairly certain the snake is not poisonous???? and I know that snakes are helpful in terms of rodent control and heaven knows we have an over-abundance of ground squirrels and chipmunks. But - it does make me a bit more leery of simply walking about in my shrubs and idly pulling weeds. It also doesn't help that my SO first informed me that the type of snake we think it is will 'charge' after a person if it feels threatened. He later told me he was kidding but it is a thought I will keep parked in my cerebrum.
On the other hand, maybe I'll just let the weeds grow.
I think I'll slither out of my chair now and go hiss at someone or something.
Ancora imparo
