Ours is a suburban neighborhood, right off the interstate. The road that leads to our 'hood meanders through what was the countryside and farmland less than a decade ago.
In other words, with Wal-Mart "city" just miles from our front door, there are still vestiges of what "used to be".
This week I was talking on the telephone while looking out our kitchen window. Deep in conversation, I noticed a "creature" wandering into our yard (Aussie was inside). As my ears were processing the words of my friend, my eyes were desperately trying to process their view. "Dog?" No, that's not it. "Dingo?" Seriously, that crossed my mind but was QUICKLY dismissed because we DON'T live in Australia, for goodness sakes! "Fox?Wolf??" BING!BING!BING! We have a winner, ladies and gentlemen.
In one fluid, concurrent motion, I rudely hung up the phone and SCREECHED for my children, exploding a lung in the process--Y'ALL-GET-DOWN-HERE-QUICK-THERE'S-A-WOLF-IN-OUR- BACKYARD!" Well, the creature heard me, too, looked towards the house, and picked up his gai
t. I'm not sure why "wolf" came out of my mouth, but I intended "fox". I immediately grabbed my camera (unfortunately in the next room), ran to the window...just in time to see him scampering into the woods at the corner of the lot.
The scary thing is, now I realize there might be something ELSE Aussie could be barking at when she seems to be barking at axe murderers air.
Revision before I finished writing this: tonight I was at a Harvest party (barbecue, bonfire, and all that that implies....) and I was telling some friends about my fox sighting. THEY told me it was probably a coyote, they're (apparently) a nuisance critter in our area. All I know is 1) that sucker was fast and, 2) he was definitely NOT a dog. Now I find myself second guessing what I saw (evidence eye-witness testimonies are unreliable) (at least mine). Heck, maybe it WAS a dingo!
Then there was yesterday....
We're three houses away from ours when I notice a "snake" in the road. A rather large "snake-ish" shape. I say to the children, "There's a snake in the road," to which they reply in unison, "That's not a snake."
And then they say, "Wait...IT MOVED!!!".
I threw the car into park, grabbed my camera--which WAS nearby thanks to the photo-project I've been working on this week at the kids' school--and we all ran over to inspect the snakey shape...
The 4-5' long snakey shape that WAS a snake!
I'll let the rest speak with pictures:
1) Our first view.
2) He didn't care for company:
3) Snake in my shadow. Hmmm, sounds like a good Halloween song.
4) Kids, while keeping their distance, realize I am always right. Always.
5) He's starting to slither away, daggum it...
6) So I did what any Crocodile Hunter Alligator Huntress would do...I grabbed its tail. Stephen said, "YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO GRAB SNAKES BY THEIR TAIL, THEY'LL COME BACK AT YOU!" Which is exactly what happened...glad to see he's listening in school (or when he's watching Animal Planet).
7) So I froze a moment while he stared me down, then he continued on his journey.
8) Snakes are fast...he KNEW where he was headed....
9) Stephen and I continued to trail him when he stopped to rest.
So...I ran to get in FRONT of him so I could get a better look....
He didn't seem to be intimidated by me...he just kept coming...
When he got this close...
...I yelled chicken! Then we stepped back and just watched; first, he slithered over our neighbor's brick walkway...
Then, that cobra turkey snake slithered over their concrete sidewalk...
Any guesses where he was going?
Right...
under...
...their HOUSE!!!
Do you think I should tell them they have company?
