Stumbling upon Friends!

  Critters sure have a way of blending in with their surroundings. Whether this is a neat mechanism to keep them from being eaten or whether it is to aid them in their hunting, the idea is fantastic. Sometimes I wish I could "blend in with the woodwork", so to speak. Still with critters, this can occasionally be detrimental to humans.  Take today, for instance.  I might have been suffering from a severe bite had the snake been an ill-tempered moccasin instead of a curious chicken snake.

  Son and I were out back behind the shed pulling up weeds.  This area has about six feet of beach sand (compliments of Hurricane Katrina) which makes it a nigh on impossible chore to cut with the lawn mower. Usually, I put the old weed-whacker to work here but after just a couple of weeks of being lazy, the weeds were entirely to big even for that machine.  The task called for some good old elbow grease and lots of sweating.  While I was down on my hands and knees, I came face to face with the chicken snake.  It had obviously been there all along but I failed to notice it.  All I could think of was how I sure was thankful for chicken snakes!  Had this been a moccasin, I most likely would not be typing tonight!  Those things give wicked bites!  

  This little fellow was about three feet in length and was more curious than feisty.  I had been weeding within a few feet of it for over an hour and it made no move to attack.  Once I spied the critter and overcame the jitters of being stared at by two beady eyes, I sat back and enjoyed its company.  I figure that it was more interested in the possible supper that I might flush out of the weeds than anything else.  Still, the snake needed to relocate so I could finish the chore I had set out to accomplish.  

  Moving the snake proved to be quite easy so it was relocated to the compost pile.  There it can feast on the mice that visit regularly.  My weeding was a different story...it was hard!  Son and I finished just as the sun started making the area rather toasty.  Whew!  Glad that is done and glad that Friend Snake was just that...a friend!