Close Encounter with Nature

You know, I have always for a weird fascination with women who are able to scream. Not just a little one, but the blood curdling screams like those of a horror movie. I have never been able to do that....thankfully! Well, on April 26th I had the perfect opportunity to learn that skill.

We had attended a local church that morning. After returning home, I went into our bedroom to change into a different dress before preparing lunch. As you walk into the bedroom, beside the doorway on the right side is a large chest of drawers. As I passed the chest, I heard a sound. I looked back to see a rattlesnake on top of the dresser! I had passed within 2 feet of it! I gave my best effort of the horror movie scream. Not planned, but for some reason the situation pulled the scream out of me. Was it the horror movie quality? Not by a long shot, but it was enough to have my Beloved come running!

The snake had dropped off the chest and so we (okay my Beloved) had to search for it. I estimated that it was about 2 ft. long. I then remembered that his sock drawer had been partially opened. He took a look in there and sure enough, the snake was coiled up in tha back corner of his sock drawer.

Much to my fright, my husband carefully pulled the drawer out and carried the drawer - snake and all - through the house to the back porch where he carefully set it down. The snake was a curiosity to the cats, but one quick attempt to strike at the cat was enough to get them to expercise caution. Beloved went through the house and back out through the front door in an attempt to get in a position where he could properly deal with the snake without risk of being bitten. In the time it took for him to do so, the snake got away.

The snake, we believe, had come through the hole in the ceiling above the cheast of drawers. We are making repairs and that area had not be finished up yet. There was a very large firewood pile in front of the house that had been moved and stacked along a fence. We think the snake must have been using that wood pile as a home, but left when the firewood was being moved to it's new location.

So many things could have gone wrong that day. The snake could have struck myself or Beloved very easily as we were each well within strike range. It could also have hidden in the house only to be found by one of the children. The Lord watched over our family that day. He blessed us with protection.

Did I ever acheive that horror film quality of a scream? Nope! But I did get to meet a rattlesnake up close, which is an event I hope never to repeat!