Happy as a Pig in a Puddle!

We've been so lucky to have had lots of mud lately.  I am not really a big fan of the mud, but a huge fan of why we've had it!  Last week we wen to sleep in a blanket of white on Sunday - three inches, they say!  And then while Tom was out of town, I called him Wednesday evening to tell him it was raining.  The next morning I woke up to snow again.  Easter morning it rained and rained...what a sign of new life for us in the desert!  And then Monday and Tuesday, too!  It's been awesome!!  Thanks, God, for the moisture!

Yesterday I went for my walk after work.  I was able to walk our road, as it was dried out enough.  I am not sure if all the rain and snow have anything to do with it, but about fifteen yards from our drive, on my walk back home, I saw it - my first ever on a walk - a three foot long snake across the road!!

I always keep an eye out for snakes when I walk, as I know they like to lay out on the roads to warm up.  I've never seen a live one, though walking the highway I've seen the ones squished into the asphalt.  Yesterday I was especially aware of some branches on the side of the road that were the right size and shape, but all were harmless branches.  Even though I was on the lookout, I was still surprised when I saw the real thing!

My first instinct was to moan, "No, no, no!"  I was seven or eight yards away, and though I could tell this was no curved up branch, I couldn't tell which way it was pointing, where the head was.  I decided this was a decent sign, as it meant there weren't any rattles on one end of it.  I'm guessing it was a bull snake, which I am told are not aggressive, but since when has rational thinking ever helped?  It's not like I could defend myself with my earbuds.

I walked to the edge of our property thinking I could hop the barbed wire fence, but it wouldn't hold me and was strung too tight to squeeze through.  I picked up a few rocks and lobbed them in the direction of the snake (without hitting it, but within a foot of it).  Nothing!  So I started walking back up the road thinking.  I turned around and lobbed another couple rocks.  I noticed it started to slither its way to the other side of the road (not onto our property).  I waited until it cleared the road before walking purposefully on home.  No need to run, though my heart may have been racing a little!