Adjusting to Country Life

We moved about 3 weeks ago. I'm slowly adjusting to life in the country. I'm loving the sunsets and the way it's so quiet out here. There are a few things that I'm NOT loving. Mostly, the snakes.

Anyone can tell you, I'm terrified of spiders. Up until a few days ago I would have told you that I wasn't scared of snakes. I certainly don't like them, but I wasn't scared of them. Turns out, I wasn't scared of them because I was never really around them. Snakes in aquariums are fine, they are contained. Snakes hiding beside your car, slithering past you in the pasture, and popping up while you are mowing are not okay! So far, we've seen six snakes and killed two. I'm sure I won't be able to keep count after a few months.

This morning our neighbor was grazing his calves on our pasture. He had about 60 cows out there and I needed to move some things down by the pond. I stuck my pistol in my back pocket and headed down for the pond. I just knew I would see a snake. But I made it to the pond and back safely. So I decided to plant some flowers in front of the house. I had my shovel in one hand and my gun in my pocket. As I was walking between my house & my car (under the carport) I nearly stepped in a snake! It was a 5 foot black rat snake. Nothing poisonous, but an ugly, scary snake nonetheless. I scared the snake as much as it scared me. I panicked! I ran away screaming like a sissy girl. The snake, probably extremely scared by my girlie screams, crawled under the house to hide. Fabulous.

So now I have a snake under my house. I know that the snake could have been living under the house this whole time, but now that I know it's there I am terrified! In my mind, I'm certain that the snake is going to sneak into the house, wind up on my bed or Kirsten's bed and kill us in our sleep. I'm sure of it. Irrational, yes, but it doesn't stop me from thinking it! I've been banging around the house all morning, hoping it will go back to the pasture and leave me alone.

As for the rest of my "adjusting", everything else is going fine. It's a little lonely out here. Friends don't pop in to say hello & that's something I miss. But seeing the smile on my little daughters face when she gets to see the cows, run outside, and go fishing is worth giving up the "city life". (not that we even really lived in a big city)

I'll just make sure to keep my boots on, keep my gun read, and have a shovel ready for the next time I see a pesky snake.