Unwelcome Visitor
Last week, we had a most disturbing visitor in our garage. I opened the garage, and the kids were running around as I gathered our belongings and ushered them to the open car door. Suddenly, Josiah yells, “I see a snake!” I follow his pointed finger to see a HUGE snake just outside our open garage door, slithering (I’m gagging just remembering it) INTO our garage! I am shrieking and grabbing children and hurling them into the open car door. Thankfully, I already closed the door into the house. I cannot stop shaking and shrieking.
The snake curls up into the corner of the garage behind some old chicken wire and fishing poles. I still cannot stop shaking, and Josiah says, “Momma, call Daddy! He will know what to do!” So I call him. I don’t really remember what he said except that he was coming home and that we should stay in the car and watch to see where the snake goes. I back the car up into the driveway and the kids and I sit there watching to see if the snake moves, and in our rear-view mirror, I see our neighbor across the street, watering his grass, having witnessed everything, but not offering to help. Anyway, I end up calling Thomas and he calms me down and I talk with him until he gets there.
He ends up poking around (apparently the snake moved to the other side of the garage on my watch, I’m not sure how I missed that, unless there were two snakes and I cannot believe that or I will go insane). Thomas pokes at it with some garden tools, but the snake keeps striking at him, so I call animal control (which I have programmed in my cell phone for both CS and Bryan, you never know when you will need it–I have actually called three times in the past year, but I digress.) Thomas gets impatient waiting, so he ends up taking care of the snake himself with the hoe and some other hoe-like garden tool. The animal control man arrives shortly after to identify the slain–a rat snake, the third one the CS Animal Control man has been called about that morning.
Watch where you step, folks. Watch where you step. I kindly (and hurriedly with no editing experience) edited this photo to spare you the blood and dismemberment of our intruder. You can click it to view it larger. I’m second-guessing this whole live-in-the-country-and-grow-our-own-food idea.
For reference, that raised area of the garage where the snake is lying is about 2 feet deep.
EEEEWWWWW!!
That is gross!! Glad you guys are safe and sound.
AHH. Rachel you are so brave! Thanks for the warning.
It must be that time of the year… we had an encounter with one of these just a few days ago. Sherman had walked into the backyard down a small walkway on the side of our house. June and I were already back there hanging out. On his way back to the front yard he jumped back and said “Whoa!” Just inches from where he had just passed was the rat snake! I immediately said, “Let me go get the camera!”
Sherman estimated it at about 5-6 feet. Instead of killing it (neither of us are really afraid of snakes, especially ones that aren’t poisonous), Sherman caught it and we kept it in a box until we could go dump it at Hensel Park. It did strike a few times. We covered the box with wood to keep the snake in there, and showed him to our neighbors. When our neighbor wanted to show his son (about 30 minutes later) he came back out to tell us that the snake was gone! I guess he decided our back yard was not the place to be. We’re guessing he found his way to the dividing ditch in front of our house.
We haven’t seen any snakes since!
Oh Rachel! I admit snakes are my nemesis as well (I propose it is the same for all Christians!), but the way you wrote the post did make me laugh! Or maybe it was just the last line.
There are lots of snake stories in my family…And I hate to tell you this, but feel it is my duty, snakes travel in pairs. Now the times I’ve seen them in my yard (one copperhead and one rattlesnake) bless the Lord there has only been one. But here’s some funnies for you, I and a roommate found a snake on our front porch one morning (in CS) after a walk and I called my 80 year old grandma and asked her what to do. About a year later, my 20 something year old brother called her to come kill one for him on my parents back porch!
My Dad always says, the only good snake is a dead snake! Be careful and tell Josiah to keep watching out!
Can I just say that’s a huge pet peeve of mine? When people see something and don’t lift a finger to help, especially a mother of young children! Course, I’ve probably scared people away by my antics with wasps in the garage. I shriek and cry like a baby when those yellow jackets buzz into the garage in the summer. Reason #40 why I hate the summer. Anyway this is your story and not mine and I am SO GLAD Josiah saw it and Thomas came home in time! We had one of those on our back porch and Bronius, against his very nature, slaughtered that thing to pieces with a giant shovel. It was like a scene out of that movie the “Burbs.” I’m going to go program animal control’s number into my phone now.
that is gross and so stinking HUGE! I would have done the same thing, except, I might have just driven away. ha! I love the editing, very professional. :)
okay, just googled rat snake and one website said that you can put a couple of rat snakes in your attic for natural rodent control. just a suggestion. um, YEAH RIGHT!
Wow – that is a HUGE snake!!!
Can I be the one kill-joy to remind everyone that rat snakes are our friends? Our big, aggressive, slimy friends.
: )
I’m only teasing! I mean, I do think they are handy to have around, for the mice and such, but you for sure did the right thing. I tell the kids “if you see a snake- RUN!!!”. We’ll save the identifying for later.
And shame on your neighbor for not helping you.
1st, GROSS!
2nd, thanks for editing the picture for us b/c I did have to enlarge it to really appreciate the horror of it, and I’m glad I didn’t have to enlarge blood and guts.
3rd, GROSS!
4th, nice neighbor guy
5th, Go, Thomas!
6th, are rat snakes poisonous?
7th, Move to Colorado to grow your own food! The weather is lovely, the people are great, and it’s generally too cold for snakes. I have heard that they live here, but in 3 years of being outside have not spied a single one.
BRAVE RACHEL!!! I am all numb from toe to hair on seeing this article and photo….
First time that I realized that we could have a snake in this neighbourhood. I’d thought there won’t have any and had been feeling safe for quite a while.
GOOD JOB THOMAS!!! I would like to learn how to kill a snake from u.
I will also let Jayce know this.
Thanks for posting this message.
Poor ol rat snake probably would have died from a heart attack if Thomas had not chopped it up.
I know what you mean. I have been fearing all week to go outside. Tis the season, and I think our snake my husband killed the same way came out only because we had almost 2 inches of rain last weekend. We discovered him on Tuesday evening and hoed him up, too. I think ours was a chicken snake, but I think that may be the same kind of snake you had to.
Our garden is plentiful and is like the size of 20X40 long, not sure exactly. Perhaps, he was visiting it and then, headed back to under our home(no foundation, wooden-frame based) to eat the rodents like mice and roaches.
My worst fear is to find one makes it way through our plumbing into our toilet, tub, or sinks! So I always turn the light on at night when I go into the bathroom and kitchen, because he may well be in there up to know good!