It was dusk - twilight - evening.
Our horses had been in their stalls for 2 days, without being turned loose in the arena, due to thunder and lightning. They were restless, and needed to get out and do a little running. My husband went outside to let them out. He called me, a few minutes later, to come see. I dashed out the kitchen door to go see what was going on.
The horses were in such good spirits, running and snorting and bucking. Dozer, the big quarter horse, reared up on his hind legs. Such fun to watch! I filled their water bucket, and gave them a pat. My husband went to clean stalls (such a good husband). I headed back inside, now it was just about dark.
Just about to set foot on the kitchen door mat. Where I had just run a few minutes before.
UH OH.
What is that?
What do I see?
A Curved Stick?
It's not very big, at all...
It wasn't there a few minutes ago....
I knew right away.
A snake.
I reached inside the nearby garage door, and flipped on a light. I called to my husband. I leaned down to get a better look......
Rattlesnake.
Diamondback.
Poisonous.
And a baby - the worst kind, I've heard. Baby rattlesnakes don't know that it isn't necessary to release ALL their venom to stun the victim. So they release it all. They can also strike from, easily, 3 feet away. I was a few inches away from him.
But he was not poised to strike, he didn't seem to mind my presence.
I would have loved to simply relocate him (as we did another non-poisonous snake recently, pics below), but this is a huge danger to my family, and my animals. And...where did he come from? Was he there just a few minutes before?
We had to kill him. I'm sorry, Mr Snake.
(These are not pics of him, these are borrowed pictures, just so you can see what I saw).
:0(
