I Don't Mind Spiders And Snakes

If there is one thing that country life gets one accustomed to...
it's all things creepy and crawly!
It's unavoidable.


Some people have an innate response of revulsion at the mere sight of
these creatures.
Luckily, I am not affected in that manner.
I have learned to take these creepy-crawly and slithering beings in my stride.
Hubbs, on the other hand is not a fan... especially when the element of surprise
is added to the equation.

Last summer, one morning, as I was raising the garage door on the tractor shed,
a snake fell from overhead onto my shoulder and then down onto the ground.


Amazingly, I was un-phased.
Many would have passed out, I am sure.
Last week, the same thing happened to Jack.
Door raised... snake fell from above.
Amazingly, he, too, was relatively un-phased... 
although it wasn't the type of surprise he enjoys.

After that incident, Jack did a little investigating inside the garage,
only to find that Sir Snake (a black snake) has made the garage
his home and spends much of his time on the horizontal wood that runs just beneath the roof line.


Sometimes he can be found lounging directly above the garage door,
sometimes, on top of the cabinets.


The up-side of having this fellow (or gal) hanging out in the garage is
the fact that he/she will keep the rodent population in check.
As I see it... this is the major benefit of having snakes around...
and why I am all for it!


Yesterday, Jack was getting the picnic pavilion ready for the summer.


He opened the gas grill and found this


in the warming tray.


"Let me get its picture!" I called.

And then I decided to go one step further....


helping Mrs. Slithers find a new home.


The warming tray was a brilliant escape from the storms of the past 24 hours, I am sure.

We are now quite damp again... which is good for the garden.
Fog settled over the farm yesterday morning...


making all of our grazers look just a little mysterious.


It wasn't long until the sun burnt off all of the fog to reveal a spectacular, sunny day.


The right combination of sun and rain has helped to make everything
that I have planted this spring start to grow.
The fairy gardens have filled in nicely.


And we are once again eating from the vegetable garden on a daily basis.


Not in the mood to make pie crust, I used our garden rhubarb 
and made a strawberry rhubarb crisp instead.
Yummy!


When my travels through the countryside reveal a new greenhouse,
I find that my car just automatically turns in and parks.
It's been so much fun filling up the gardens.


Last week I found this new (to me) plant... called a Popcorn Plant.
When you rub the leaves between your thumb and forefinger, it releases
the scent of fresh, hot buttered popcorn.... I kid you not!
The popcorn cassia (Senna didymobotrya) comes from central and Eastern Africa and is a legume.


And lastly... the show that I saw this weekend in NYC was this...


a story about the days immediately following 9/11...
when the small town of Gander, Newfoundland 
extended their hospitality to the passengers of 38 planes
that were ordered to land in their airfield when the skies over the US were emptied
of all flights.
If it ever comes to a city near you... make sure to see it.
It is a gem that will make you laugh and cry, and remind you of
the greatness of which humanity is capable.


To "The JR"... Ginger and MaryAnn are indeed Kunekune pigs.
They have a stall that is always open to their yard through a door
that is just big enough for them... too small for a bear.
They have a large Dutch door on the front of their stall -
of which the top remains open in the summer for better ventilation,
but closed in the winter to conserve warmth.
The only animals that get closed up at night are the birds -
to protect against fox, coyote, possum, mink, raccoon and any other critters
who think they might like a chicken, or other fowl, dinner.

Comments

jaz@octoberfarm said…
i bought a popcorn plant this year for my daughter! it's uncanny how much it smells like buttered popcorn. i have friends that spend time in gander after 9/11. it changed their lives.
The JR said…
Thanks, I was just wondering since you've had a few bear visits.

Ramona
Anonymous said…
The spider web picture is so cool! And I feel the same way about spiders and snakes we are wishing a black snake would come to our barn soon!!
daisy g said…
Those black snakes do a world of good keeping the neer-do-wells at bay. And spider webs are works of art! Imagine all the effort that goes into that!

Glad you had some time for yourself.
Kathy said…
Happy you ended with food/flower/pig pictures to get the snake image out of my mind! LOL!
Anonymous said…
I know how helpful the snakes are but it's still, "zero at the bone" for me. Thinking of you and family often with regret for your recent loss.
This N That said…
Snakes are OK if they don't move..Good picture of you and Mr snake....Is the Popcorn plant an annual??Glad you enjoyed the show..I've heard good things about it..Love the foggy photos..
Anonymous said…
oooh, a black snake, how exciting. my brother and i saw one two summers ago when we were mowing/cleaning up on our family farm. neither one of us could remember seeing one since we were in high school or junior high, but saw them every summer when we still lived there. we're twins and are now one birthday away from 70. --suz in ohio