10 September 2014

The Heat Brings Out All The Animals




The kids were playing in the backyard. The air was thick and humid -- a good sign that storms were pending. I was in my chair, under the tree, starting a new book. The kids rode around and around in their jeep, circling the swing set and playing well together. All of a sudden, S turns to me and announces, "Look Mommy, a snake!" She wasn't scared or worried. Just curious. A four foot black snake, just sitting there, staring around the yard. Not bothered by the kids, and the kids not bothered by the snake. Of course, I made the kids walk calmly to the back porch and hang out at the picnic table, while I cleaned up the toys and put their jeep in the barn, to prepare for the storm. And you can bet I made sure to keep my distance from that slimy slithery thing.

Oh the joys of summer in the south -- the critters all come out to play. And surprisingly, this was the only one of its kind to grace our presence this year. Past years have seen snapping turtles, snakes, tons of tree frogs and plenty of rabbits. But this year, we've lucked out!

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