Hunting for a snake in the grass

The first snake sighting of the year occurred on May 21. Eyewitness accounts put a rat snake somewhere along the driveway in a thick clump of grass. It was last seen headed towards the woods.

I didn’t lay eyes on this slithering critter myself, but its existence was reported multiple times by both of my children, only one of which actually saw the snake is my understanding. Depending on who was telling the story, the situation became more dire.

Funny how perspective works.

The first version of the tale is this: While performing his job of keeping the sticks and pinecones picked up around the yard, my son came across the snake. They saw each other at the same time, and like most serpent encounters, they went in opposite directions.

And it’s a good thing I talked to him first, because it was vastly different from the yarn spun by my daughter. Words can hardly describe the fear and trepidation my precious girl child expressed when the existence of a, dare I mutter the term, snake, was discovered.

Remember, she didn’t actually see it. I’m not even sure she was outside, but this animal really got under her skin. There is a passage pretty early in the Scriptures about the relationship between people and snakes. You should check it out, something about enmity for the rest of time.  

In her eyes her peace was destroyed, the outside world off limits to any living creature (ones we wanted to keep alive at least). If the dog wanted to go out, you might as well go ahead and dig its grave. And don’t you even dare to think she was ever going to touch grass again.

So, after hearing these two tales I did what any half-way decent father would do and implored upon me by my snake-terrified child – I patrolled the property. I could have sat her down and explained that snake sightings are common in our area, that I see them every year and as long they are going the opposite direction, which they usually are because snakes are just as scared of us as we are of them, I let them alone.

But it was not a time for rational thought. It was a time for action.

There’s more than one way to kill a nuisance snake. Most folks prefer a firearm of some kind but prefer more archaic methods. I keep a garden hoe at the ready, its blade sharpened to a fine edge. I don’t do much gardening anymore, so this tool is strictly a weapon. Something about plowshares into swords can also be found in the Bible.

As you can imagine the snake was long gone before I could make my way to the alleged sighting. I gave the all clear and before nightfall the yard was alive again with activity of the human variety.

Even the dog was allowed to go back outside.