the Snake

Yesterday Noelle and I were working out in the living room (P90X) and Brennah ran in clearly upset.

"There is a snake outside!!!!" she screamed.

We ran out side to where the kids were ALL playing....peacefully. No one was poking at a snake...no one was scared (except Bren) and no one was effected in any way.

"WHERE? Where is the snake?" Noelle asked.

"Kell, is there a snake?" I implore to my Kellen.

"No mom. No snake." was his response.

"YES! It is right there!!!" Brennah assures us. She points to a spot just about a foot from where the kids are playing...we throw them aside and look closer...

"I see it!" yells Noelle!

Sure enough, there was a snake that was a bit over a foot long...staring us down...and obviously lying in wait to pounce on our sweet, innocent brood and have them for dinner.

I grabbed a stick from Kellen (a consistent provider of sticks) and proceeded to agitate the snake. Yes, an odd move, but a needed one:

I had to see if it was a rattle snake. (if so, there would be a U-Haul moving truck in my driveway exactly 20 minutes later and I would have moved us OUT)

Mr. Snake was not quite sure what to make of this wild woman with a stick. He stared at me until he realized I was not a true threat and he slithered away.

No rattle. No strike. Not even a little coiling.

"Okay, it is NOT a poisonous snake" I announced, with an air of superiority (like I knew the kind of snake that it was).

We promptly marched inside and began googling the heck out of my Apple, trying to find images of the snake we saw (and that had threatened the lives of our dear children).

We found it!

And I am happy to report that the dangerous, possibly deadly snake that clearly planned to attack our offspring was.......

......a garter snake.