September 15, 2011

Snake Wranglin'

OK, OK, so I know I've been lax with blogging lately (thanks for reminding me, Nellie!)  We are really enjoying living at The Ranch full-time.  So much so that I've had little desire to sit down and blog.  That's not to say there hasn't been a lot going on out here, however.  For example, we've had the stranded bird in the chimney that required a complete tear-down from the inside and a successful extraction of a grateful bird; mice hockey in the house in the middle of the night courtesy of the cat door (twice) before we wised up and closed the door at night; the neighbor losing ten of his chickens to a hungry bear; and, the wildfire started by lightening that was just over the mountain from us in our neighbors' backyard.  Yes, indeed, there has been a lot going on in the country lately.  And we have loved every minute of it!

Call us crazy, but even seeing this guy/gal didn't spoil our country high...

Neither of us are afraid of snakes, and we appreciate them for their place in the ecosystem, but when they get too close to the house or the chickens, we (translated "Neal") must intervene.

Unfortunately, we do not have a proper snake catch-pole like Linda at 7MSN, so Neal had to improvise with a paint roller pole that was lacking in the "catch" part.

Several attempts to wrangle the rattler ended up with one pissed off snake curled around the many branches of a currant bush and one frustrated Neal.  I, of course, was standing on the sidelines, taking pictures and giggling at the comical side of it all.  So many people we know would have either done nothing or immediately disposed of the snake in a not-very-nice fashion.  Here we were trying to save the dang snake's life by relocating him to a spot far enough away that he didn't cause harm to us or our critters.


Trying to get an angry, writhing rattlesnake to cooperate by attaching his body just-so to the catch pole is no easy task, I tell ya.  Neal had done this a time or two before on our property, but he swore the preceding rattlers were more cooperative.  This one, apparently, had a bone to pick and refused to be moved for what seemed like an eternity.  Then, finally, the dance between man and beast ended...

Neal and the rattler took a little walk far, far away from our house, the rattler claimed a new piece of real estate, and all was right with the world again.  Now, you understand why I've had little time to dedicate to blogging lately.  Too much activity going on at The Ranch.  Livin' the dream.

The End.

5 comments:

Kuhns Acres said...

Glad things are working out for you. The in-laws have left for the season, our oldest is bring a few friends up at the end of the month and then we will be there to close things down for the winter. Stay warm!!

the7msn said...

Your snake karma account is building fast. But Neal definitely needs to build a snake pole. This post shows the best picture of mine - 10' ft of 2" pvc, capped at one end.
http://www.the7msnranch.com/2010/06/smooch-and-her-imaginary-friend.html

Drill two holes in the cap to loop the clothesline through. I think pvc only comes in 20' lengths - so build yourself two and place them strategically. You never when you're going to need one!

Lilla said...

Thanks, Shelly! We've already lit a few fires in the wood stoves to take the fall chill off. Looking forward to our first winter out here!

Linda, thanks for the link and detailed pole-building instructions. I will be sure to pass on to Neal right away!

basicliving@backtobasicliving.com said...

Whew, you've been busy bees! And you are both so sweet - not many people would tear down a chimney to save a bird. I am certain that will ensure your good karma continues. I'm sure glad Neal was able to get the snake in a bucket and relocate him. I'm not necessarily afraid of snakes, but I have a healthy respect for venomous ones!

Hey - I *love* your new header picture. It's just perfect!

Lilla said...

Hey Penny, I have a healthy respect for venomous snakes, too! I am glad Neal doesn't mind being the snake wrangler around these parts...

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