Surprise Among The Blanket Flowers

   It is a little before sunrise here with a slight drizzly rain pitter-pattering on the rooftop.  Normally, I would be preparing to slip down to the pier to greet the day but a certain achiness in the old bones says otherwise.  I shall stay indoors and try to calm the feeling of being cooped up with this unrelenting thing called age.  Folks, do what you want to do before that entity creeps in and tells you that it has different ideas.  

  Yesterday, I did manage to putter around in the Small Gardens a bit regardless of shoulder pains.  The blanket flowers had shared company with the cogon grass for long enough.  As I was weeding, my hand suddenly closed on something "slithery".  Hmmm...since this flower garden abuts "Pebble Creek" and is not far from "Puddle Pond", the heart started thumping a wee bit faster.  I peered down amongst the grasses and then sighed a bit of relief.  My friendly Ribbon Snake was just as surprised by our encounter as I was.

  Ribbon Snakes are tiny, very slender snakes that often inhabit gardens especially gardens that are near water sources.  Here, they dine upon the usual garden pests but, sad to say, they also eat the tiny frogs and toads that also call the place home.  (It seems my frogs just cannot catch a break!)  The snakes are harmless to humans, thankfully, since I had thrown caution to the wind while weeding.  

  I smiled at my little friend and wished him well but left him with a stern warning.  "Be careful!  Any number of larger critters would love to dine upon you! Stay hidden under the blanket flowers as they will disguise you well."  The Small Gardens are always a delightful source of happy surprises...with the Ribbon Snake being just one.