Country Critters

Well, it's been almost 6 months since we moved into our "country" house and we've had an eventful late spring. There have been 3 lizard sightings & 2 snake sightings. YIKES!!! People tell me it's because of our unusually wet weather lately and I hope they are right.

One of the lizards, luckily the smallest one, was in our kitchen! It was naptime and both children were sleeping. I am in the kitchen and suddenly get this "I am not alone" feeling. Once glance and I see it, stifle a scream, climb on the kitchen counter and start calling Cory & Dave for help. Thank goodness Dave was able to come catch lizard and at my request flush it down the toilet. I still am trying to process what I would have done if no one could have come to help. I wonder how long I could have kept both children on the counter with me???

As if that wasn't enough to give this city girl the heebies jeebies for an entire year, I walk outside a few days later to see a pretty big lizard on the sidewalk. Coco is outside with me this time and she doesn't seem to be scared. I try not to show my fear but tell her to go inside with my while I get the camera. I'm not sure why but I had a compulsion to photograph the ugly thing. Somehow, it looks small in the picture but in person, I promise it looked more like a kimono dragon!!!

Last but certainly not least is the daddy of them all. I walk outside and glance at the same place on the sidewalk where I saw the lizard. I do this almost out of habit; like if one is going to be there it will show up in the same place. Well, there is no lizard but there is something MUCH worse...a SNAKE!!!! A huge, fat, black, gross, slimy and moving snake. I flip out, go inside and call Jaime. I'm in tears telling her I don't know what I was thinking moving to the country; I don't think I can handle this. She laughs a bit but tells me she and her kids are coming over; they want to see the crazy thing. She comes over and shocks me to death. She literally takes a long stick and starts to fish the thing out of the bushes!!!! (insert screaming and squealing here) I stand back, way back, holding Sebastian and watch. All of my instincts tell me to turn and run and there she is playing "Crocodile Hunter." I must admit, I'm grateful. After a few minutes of chasing it, squealing and laughing from the kids, she gets it and asks me what to do with it. Seriously? What to do with it? KILL IT! This part she has trouble with but Jilli Claire is all about whacking that snake on the head with a shovel. Finally, it's dead. But, I may not know much about the animal kingdom but I do know that where there's one snake, there's more.

I'm just prayerful all of these country critters will join me in making a pact to live separate but equal. I will not seek them out and try to kill them so long as they never let me know they are around. I promised Donald that if seeing any of the following animals became routine, a FOR SALE sign would promptly be placed in the yard. The list of critters I will not live with: ticks, snakes or mice. Only time will tell how long I'll make it.