I think I last wrote here more than a year ago, and MY, how things have changed. I’ll do a bigger update later, when I’ve got a bit more time, but here’s the highlights:

Holy cow, we BOUGHT a FARM! Or anyway, bought into a farm- complete with a more than 100 year old solid oak farmhouse, beautiful perennial gardens, more than ten acres, and a whole community of lovely women around us. It’s a big change, and a big story- but none of that is why I’m here today.

Today, I’m thinking about snakes.

I should start here by explaining that I’m not scared of snakes, really at all. Reasonably cautious and aware that NC HAS some venomous snakes, mostly copperheads. But the snakes here are on the farm all seem to be lovely black snakes– which eat rodents, the aforementioned copperheads, and other things that we DON’T want.

However. They also eat eggs. Chicken eggs, for instance.

About a week ago, I reached into a nest box in a dark chicken coop- and grabbed a snake instead, a snake that was peacefully digesting one of MY chicken eggs! NOT ACCEPTABLE, not in any way. So I rallied the forces- E with a bucket and lid, our delightful housemate L with a lantern, and me with one of those long distance grabber-thingies. I grabbed a couple of coils of lazily digesting snake, dropped it into the bucket, and we released the damn thing down the road.

You would think this would teach me a valuable lesson about LOOKING in the nest box before grabbing- but you’d be wrong, as I did it again the day before yesterday. New snake- bigger this time, same little swallowed scream and dance, followed by “oh, HELL NO, not MY eggs.” This time, I desnaked the nest box on my own, giving the poor reptile (who was really just meeting her own needs) quite a lecture.

All of which is to say, I spent a little chunk of time today researching the best snake tongs- the grabber we’re using has more of a pinch grip, which is good for scooping up snakes but doesn’t really restrain them at all. The new tongs (these, if you’re curious) will grab the little buggers behind the head- safer for both of us- and let me relocate them with a little less adrenaline. I’m happy to coexist with them- but they are NOT eating my damn eggs.

So. THAT’S an adventure- one of many, right now. More soon, I swear.

~Fae

p.s.- Snakes that bite YOU and make you sick are venomous. If you bite THE SNAKE, and it makes you sick- that’s poisonous. Fascinating snake facts 🙂