Saturday morning ….. sleeping late, til almost 5:15 am, knowing I don’t have to pack our lunches and rush through quiet time to rush out and milk so I can rush through my shower to head out for sub-teaching. Still had to milk, but not rushing is wonderful. Instead I woke John at 6:00 and he greeted the day with, “First day of vacation and waking up at 6:00.” You gotta realize, John doesn’t grumble - honest. I wish he would cause I love to grumble and we could duet grumble but out of almost 36 years of marriage I’ve heard him grumble maybe two times and I’ve given him plenty of opportunity.
I weedwacked the wild sunflowers in the garden and came back green coated. Everything is still wet from the recent rains but more is due in so it was a now or never situation. As I finished up a quick shower John came eagerly into the house, saying those 3 word every homesteading woman longs to hear………………………………. “snake in chickcoop”. OK, I lied about longing to hear those specific words.
We quickly grabbed our weapons - I have a favorite snake killing hoe we keep by the back door as snakes like to visit the overhang in the carport where we sit during rainstorms. John went to the workshop to grab the shovel and a flat hoe; I grabbed two sharp knives from the kitchen. Oh, Mr. Snake, we’re coming after you!
John was born and raised in the city. I was hatched and raised in the country and I played with snakes when I was as young as 5 yo and had no sense. Now I’m 53 and have no sense except anger to know that snake is in OUR hen house eating OUR eggs WE paid chicken feed for. Snakes are normal on the homestead - they’re doing what is normal for them, eating our eggs. They are more than welcome here as long as their diet sticks with mice, rats, bugs and slugs. When they switch to our eggs we kill them. I can attest to the fact God put a fear between snakes and humans and I felt it but anger is a great motivator to kill. To kill fear particularly. John and I have made a choice to not live in fear, act in fear, think in fear or decide anything by fear, except for the fear (respect) of God and this snake was bringing fear to me and our homestead. Well, time to kill that fear was/is NOW and so the snake had to go.
The nest boxes were in a narrow rectangle area in the coop so it was hard to wield the hoes but we held the snake down with one hoe and tried to crush it’s head with the other hoe. Nope, didn’t work as he was still in the nest, curled up cozily, digesting the egg he’d stolen. So out comes the fillet knife and after several stabs through his head he’s almost dead but his body is still reacting with movement. Bad move as he slides out of the nest box and John chops his head off with the shovel.
I felt such victory, we killed the thief that came after our food.
OK, I lied again. Snakes are not just unwelcome in the chicken coop, but also in the swimming pool. See why we keep a hoe by the back door?
Enough excitement for one morning so I’ll bring you up to date on the gardening:
The east garden is looking good! The potato plants in particular are huge - hope they’re growing as well underneath. The green beans are suffering as some bug is eating the leaves. I don’t think it’s the guinea this time. John’s onions look great and are bulbing out nicely. Tomato plants are lush and strong. Oh, but the glory of the garden is the English peas! We should be able to pick the first meal from them this next week. In a bed in the yard the cucumbers and asparagus beans sprouted. I actually have hopes of having some good garden produce this year. Praying to can green beans and tomatoes, enough for 2 years if possible. In the west gardens, there’s one head of broccolli waiting to be picked. I thinking of cheese broccolli soup……..yummmmmm!
The rain put an end to our outside work early and more storms are due in any minute now with good chances of flash flooding again. Once this all passes I have to finish the planting - way, way late this year but I do love zucchini and want to put it in several different areas, hoping one or two plantings will escape the nasty squash bugs.
But since the storms are coming in, no outside work in the rain, we’re settling down with some homemade goats milk ice cream and a couple of good books. May your days be so blessed! May your lives be snakeless!