Another Six at $10.80 Plus Tax

Jiminy Crickets. You cannot go outside here at night without running into a rattlesnake. Tonight Rick shot another six, three adults and three babies. All of them were by the fueling shaft which is next to the missile silo. There is a concrete pad around the fueling shaft that has lifted and cracked. The snakes can go under one side of the pad and come out the other end, so the ground has been tunneled underneath the concrete. We discovered this by pouring a little gasoline down one crack, wait a bit and a snake would come out of a different crack. Anyhoodles, we are up to 19 for the year and 15 were shot in the last four days.

Hobo showed up this morning and was Static Cling Boy. He couldn't sit close enough to me and I couldn't pet him enough. Tonight when Rick was firing his .45, Hobo just dived into his Igloo dog house, or snow globe as Katie likes to call it.

Rick had to pick up some bird shot for his .45 today. The old plastic case had a price sticker of $3.99. When Rick purchased a new 10-pk today, it was $17.95. Will this run on ammo ever stop? Probably not until President Obama is out of the White House and this country is a little more stable. There are a lot of people out there that believe that the government is buying up ammunition to keep it out of the citizens' hands.  They claim that since the government cannot take our guns away via strict gun laws, they'll take our ammo away instead, so everyone is stockpiling and the prices have skyrocketed. It is to the point that even if you have the money, good luck find the product. When I was checking online for the bird shot, the online stores were sold out of it and didn't expect any in until January 2014. We are living in scary times. If you really want to scare the heck out of yourself, watch the movie 2016. It is a documentary about President Obama and his global view. It's scary because it explains why this President has done what he has.

On that cheery note, I bid you adieu. I'll keep you updated on the rattlesnake count. Rick just went to walk Cody, so I could be updating you in 10 minutes!

Add Two More

Rick took Cody for his last walk of the day and he ran into two more baby rattlesnakes. That makes the total for the day six and nine in three days. Rick actually said to me that he was tired of shooting rattlesnakes. Now those are words I thought I'd never hear come out of his mouth!

Up Seven in Three Days

If you pay attention to the rattlesnake count on the right rail of this blog, you will note that it has made a significant jump.

Saturday, Rick found an adult rattlesnake in the Quonset Hut which he dutifully shot. Sunday, Rick found two more in the Quonset Hut. Both snakes were in the same spot but not at the same time. Tonight Hobo, our Pyrenees, was outside and barking like a madman. Rick flicked on the porch light and looked out the window on the front door. Hobo was barking at a baby rattlesnake that was at the bottom of our front steps. Because it is a warm night; because it's that time of the year when the rattlesnakes move around and because when there is one baby there are usually more, Rick took a walk around the missile base with his .45. He found another baby underneath the Hummer and a third baby by the burn pit. I had to move the Hummer out of the way before Rick could shoot it and I opted to climb in via the passenger door since the snake was closer to the driver's door. Of course Rick shot them all, but having been lightweight snakes, they got some air when the bullets hit them. Rick had to search around the front yard for the body of the one that was at the foot of the front steps. The snake flew a good 15'.

Tonight is garbage night and Rick needed to get the garbage can up to the road. We usually use the golf cart to haul it, but he had already stored the golf cart in the Quonset Hut because of impending rain. He couldn't hold a flashlight, look for rattlesnakes and pull the garbage can all at the same time, so he asked that I accompany him. We didn't see any rattlers in our very long driveway; however, when we got back to the parking area, there was an adult rattler heading in the direction of the Hummer. He's dead now too. Now if my ciphering is right, that is seven snakes in three days.

Once I know that the rattlesnakes are moving--they are searching for a winter den--I get pretty anxious when I am outside. I get so obsessed with constantly watching the ground that I have caught myself checking were I walk in the house. Now the chance that a rattler would get in the house is almost nonexistent, but it is a hard habit for me to turn off when I get inside or out of rattlesnake country. Case in point is that when I visit my mom and dad, where there are no venomous snakes, I still find myself looking for those diamond backs in the grass, crevices or under rocks. Anyway Rick feels pretty good and has counted the night as productive. On the not-so-triumphant side, Hobo is terrified of loud noises, so whenever he hears gunshots, he heads for the hills even if the shots are coming from dove hunters a mile away. Tonight I bet he just about pooped his pants when Rick shot the snake and he was only about 20' away. Most likely Hobo is hiding in the cotton field right now and when he doesn't hear a gunshot for a while he will come home. I am worried about him roaming around out there with the moving rattlesnakes. All I can do is every so often go out on the front steps and call for him. But because I'm in my anxious-about-rattlesnakes mind set, every so often is approximately every five minutes.

That's the rattlesnake update on the countdown. Excuse me while I go step out on the front steps. Ciao.

The Boys Are Back In Town

(My language is not the best or most proper in this post. If you are easily offended, toughen up!)

The boys are back in town and by "boys" I mean male or female rattlesnakes and by "back in town" I mean out of their winter hidey-holes.

Rick shot the first rattler of the year two days ago on Good Friday. Rick was heading down to the shop, which is the Quonset Hut, when he came upon a rattler stretched out across the road. For clarification sake we will call this snake Good Friday Bastard. Rick tried to run over Good Friday Bastard with the golf cart, but he coiled and then slithered into a culvert. The snake, not Rick. Rick rushed up to the house to grab his .45 and back to the shop to get a can of gasoline. He used the gas to flush the Good Friday Bastard out of the culvert and shortly after Rick dumped gas into the culvert Good Friday Bastard came sliding out only to have his head blown off.

Today, which is Easter, Rick was in the shop gathering the wood to make shelves for the kitchen in the missile base. He picked up a cardboard box and underneath it was a fingerling, a baby rattlesnake, whom for clarification sake we will call Little Bastard. Rick goes to the golf cart to get a shovel. He didn't want to shoot Little Bastard because Little Bastard was next to a can of gasoline. Of course when he returned to the shop equipped with a snake-killing shovel, Little Bastard was gone. After looking for him for twenty minutes, Rick hears the unmistakable vibration sound of an adult rattler. . .behind him. He turns and there is a big snake. When I say big, I mean it looked like he had just eaten or she was pregnant. For clarification we'll call this snake Fat Bastard. Fat Bastard also possessed a huge head, the kind that would have gotten him called names on the playground. Anyway, back to the golf cart Rick goes to get the .45. Since snakes can be little tricksters and escape out of the shop via the back or side, Rick decided to catch him exiting the shop. Rick went down the outside of the shop on the right side. Aha! Just as Rick thought, there was Fat Bastard trying to make a break for it! Rick expertly shot him so that his head only hung on by threads. Rick was pleased with himself. He out-maneuvered the sly snake. Then it was back into the shop to find the Little Bastard. Once there, holy crap!! There was Fat Bastard still in the same place. Well, who the hell was outside the shop?! Well, that must had been Medium Bastard! Not wanting to waste time figuring out who was who, Rick shot the real Fat Bastard in the head. Shortly thereafter, Rick found Little Bastard underneath the boards that he was gathering for shelving and about 6" from the before mentioned gas can. Because Rick is so spot on when he shoots, he shot Little Bastard and didn't blow up the shop. This weekend will forever be known as the Easter Weekend of  four bastards. To commemorate the start of staying-out-of-the-tall-grass, always-looking-where-you-step, and carrying-a-gun-every-single-time-you-go-outside season, or in short rattler season I have include pictures of the today's dead bastards for your viewing pleasure or to give you the heebie-jeebies.

From left to right: Medium Bastard, Little Bastard and Fat Bastard. Good Friday Bastard didn't get his picture taken.

Fat Bastard measured about 46" long if you account for the bends in his body. Rick couldn't get him in a straight line because by the time I came along with my camera, rigamortis was already setting in.

Fat Bastard and his big head. His head is at an angle here so you cannot see the full width. I bet he was a bully with all of the teasing he had to put up because of his mammoth head.

Bag o' snakes

Oh, where o' where has my head gone?

We've been keeping ourselves occupied over here at Corinth West, so there is a lot to blog about. However, I will try to break it all into smaller posts.

Last Friday evening I was watering my flowers, which are still surviving despite the grasshoppers' mission to seek and destroy. Right off of the south patio, I have a planter of petunias hanging on a shepherd's hook. I took one step off of the patio with my right foot. I then began to take the step down with my left foot and I just so happened to look down. There was a rattlesnake and I was about to straddle it. Now the rest happened quickly. The snake rattled about a split second after I looked down. I jumped backward, I think, and recall my ankle hurting. Cody was outside and about 10' behind me. I yelled for Cody to come, got him into the house and grabbed my gun. This all went so quickly and I think I was back at the end of the patio and aiming the gun about a minute after I first spied the rattler. I shot and separated his head from the rest of his body. Not content with with one snake now in two and because both parts were still moving and because I was scared and mad, I shot the head again. Take that sucker!

A couple of interesting facts. (1.) The rattlesnake had 13 buttons, so he had been around for a while. (2.) Katie and Rick were in the house and neither heard the two shots despite me firing the .410 about 15' from the house.

So there you have it, the closest I have ever come to being bit by a rattlesnake and below you have the post-mortem pictures.

 Lose something there, buddy?

The diamond pattern is very distinctive; however, the white and black rings on the tail are usually what make me say, "Shit, it's a rattler."

My First Rattler of the Year

For those observant ones you will note that I have updated the Rattlesnake Count for 2012 on the right rail. This a.m. Katie and I were going up the driveway in the golf cart. Half way up the driveway a snake was stretched across the driveway. Upon closer inspection and with Rick's second opinion, it was not a rattlesnake but a bull/rat/black snake. Late this afternoon Katie and I needed to close the gate. Because of the snake that we ran into earlier, Katie asked me to please take my gun, the.410. I obliged and good thing. Close to the gate an eight button rattlesnake was stretched across the driveway. I loaded my gun, took aim at his head and missed him. I popped the spent shell and reloaded. I decided to aim for his body rather than his small head. BAM! I shot him right in the middle. However, his front half slithered into a cactus. (That was a creepy thing to see.) I popped, reloaded and aimed. BAM! I blew its head off. We closed the gate and on the way back, another snake! But it was a bull snake so I didn't need to pop, reload and aim. We drove down to the Quonset Hut and over to the missile base and did not run into any more slitherers. My work was done.

Bag O' Snakes

Last night Rick went down to the Quonset Hut and from the front he heard a rattle waaaay in the back. (The shop is 100' long.) Rick investigated and found the rattler in his Grandmother's secretary desk; however, the snake managed to slither to safety, but not for long. Rick got his 45 and loaded it with snake shot bullets and headed back down to the shop. Of course Rick got him, but while hunting the 2' desk snake, he came upon two babies one of which he almost stepped on. POW! POW! Babies were headless. He came up to the house for a garbage bag for the dead snakes and when he went back down, he ran into a 5 footer and his gun was up at the house. Rick grabbed the next best thing, which is a shovel for which he had to trek to the front of the shop to get. 5 Footer made his escape. But as luck would have it, when Rick returned with the shovel he found a 4 footer curled up in the corner, so the sleeping snake got the shovel. Then Rick turns around and there is 5 Footer. Still armed only with the shovel, he used it to wedge the snake's head in the crack between the concrete floor and metal side wall. His flashlight was waning, so he came back to the house for new illumination. I accompanied him down the shop to be the official flashlight holder. Rick shot Mr. Wedged Head and managed to to get the shot into the crack without any ricochet and we had one more headless snake. Wedged Head had A LOT of buttons, so Rick cut the rattle off.

It was getting late and five headless rattlers is a productive night's work, so Rick tied off his white trash bag o' snakes and we headed back up to the house. So what did you do last night?

My Deadly Car

Friday night when Katie and I were coming home from Abilene, we came upon a rattler in the driveway.  Obviously I didn't have the .410 with me, so I decided to use my car as a weapon and I ran over him.  He made a popping sound.  When I backed up, he had coiled and had his head up.  I proceeded to go back and forth over him until he was a mangled lump in the road.  When I checked him out later, it looked like I skinned 2/3 of his body.

Mr. In-The-Driveway was the first snake that I have seen in a long time--rap, rap, rap (knock on wood)--so it brings this year's count to 5.  That is a whole lot better than last year's 18 or the previous year's 25 +.

One More For The Count

While I was out hob-knobbing and living the good life--my MOPS group had a fondue party tonight--Rick and his father were hunting a rattlesnake that got into the shop.  Apparently this snake was Mr. Sensitive because it started rattling when Rick walked into the shop even though it was about 75' away.  Mr. Sensitive also tried to take cover underneath a stored sofa, but Rick blasted him just in time and got him about 6" from his tail.  It was also at that time that Rick's flashlight went dead, so Rick had to walk in the dark through the shop and back to the house for another flashlight and back-up personnel, which was his dad.  (Good thing I was out dipping strawberries in chocolate or I would have been #1 assistant.)  Newly illuminated, they headed back down to the shop.  When he and his dad moved the sofa Mr. Sensitive was still alive and snaking around.  They decapitated him with a shovel.  Mr. Sensitive was about 3 1/2' long and healthy looking.  When Rick was cleaning up he said Mr. Sensitive was the worse smelling snake he ever encountered.  I don't think the snake was any different.  I think it was Rick who was different.  Eagle Eye Rick typically shoots their heads right off; however, this time he got part of their digestive track.   Anyway, we have one more for the count which brings this year's total to 4, which ("knock-knock-knock" on wood) is a low number.

A Star Gazing Rattlesnake

Rick and I were outside star gazing this evening when a young rattlesnake decided to join us.  What gives me the shivers is that the rattlesnake was on the sidewalk that runs along the front of our house.  I was in the front yard this evening pulling and spraying weeds.  I wonder where he was when I was doing that?  I was next to some tall grass.  Anyway, of course eagle eye Rick shot its head off.  That makes number three for the year.  Because of the colder weather, the count is down this year, which is okey dokey with me.

Coming Out To Play On A Warm Day

The downside of warmer weather is the emergence of rattlesnakes from their dens.  Below are two that Rick found today in the Quonset Hut.  The one still has his head, which is unlike Clean Shot Rick; however, that snake was close to the boat and Rick didn't want to blow a hole in the boat.  Good split second decision, Hon.  Each snake has at least 10 buttons and both are rather skinny.  I guess they haven't eaten since they went into their winter den.

Last year's rattlesnake count ended at 18 and we already have 2 for 2010.  Not the way I like to kick off the new year.  However, like Rick said, at least he got them before mating season..

Dewar's Worthy Close Call

Today Rick worked down at the shop (Quonset Hut) on his compressor.  Shortly before dinner he came up to the house and asked me to grab a spotlight because he needed help with something.  Something about his demeanor seemed off, but I just got a light and headed outside.  Once outside he told me that he was cleaning up his tools and was by his work bench when something lunged at him out of the corner of his eye.  He jumped aside and the rattlesnake missed him.  Rick grabbed a shovel and whacked its head off.

(Stating the obvious here.)  Rick's heart was racing like an Indy car on the last lap.  He had been back and forth to his work bench all day.  Who knows how long the snake was in the shop, but it must have just slithered over to the work bench.  Earlier in the day, Katie was down at the shop "helping" Rick when I went into Abilene.  She typically is not allowed into the shop and never at night, but still.....it gives me chills.

After we deposited the snake and its detached head into a garbage bag, I thanked God for protecting Rick once again from a rattlesnake.  The first thing Rick did when he got into the house was pour himself a DeWar's.  The occasion definitely called for it.

Quick Update

I have really neglected this blog. Perhaps my enthusiasm for writing about the little, everyday events has been tempered by how busy life has been.

I attended the MOPS International Convention in Nashville with seven other Highland MOPS. The convention renewed my soul and I attended several workshops that truly will make me a better mom. One workshop, which was presented by Dr. Koch, was about the different types of smarts people have. There are eight categories and most people excel in two. The workshop was about developing all eight categories in your child. I bought the DVD and the book written by Dr. Koch and hope to expand on my knowledge. Another workshop that moved me was about making your child feel emotionally safe. Again, I learned so much and was able to identify what I say that might cause emotional insecurity in Katie. The woman that presented that topic does not have a book or DVD out; however, all of the workshops were taped and I was able to purchase that CD.

Two nights ago Rick, Katie and I walked down to the shop. I told Rick before we left the house that I had that feeling that we would run into a snake and I was right. We came across a baby rattler and Rick shot him with the .410. Once again his aim was dead on so the little feller's head was skillfully shot. That brings the rattlesnake total for 2009 to sixteen.

My mother-in-law had both of her knees replaced. The surgeries were one week apart, so now she is in physical therapy. She is in our nightly prayers and the power of prayer is evident as she is making a remarkable progress.

So much else has gone on here at Corinth West, but like I stated in the beginning, my enthusiasm to put it down into words is not there. Have a great evening.

Experienced Eagle Eye vs Newbie

I was just looking at the picture of the rattlesnakes that we killed yesterday. You can tell the one that I shot. It's on the left and it's all mangled. I didn't shoot it in the head, but right in the middle of his body. All of the ones--seven--that Rick shot are missing their heads. He is such a good shot and can blow the tiny head off of a baby rattler.

A Mommy and Her Babies

This is a touching story about a momma and her babies, but let me warn you the only touching was done by the shell of the .410.

I was walking around the property after dinner when I checked out a hole along side the entrance to the missile base. In the hole I could clearly see the diamond pattern of a rattlesnake. I went into the house and Rick came out. He agreed that it was a rattlesnake. Rick got his insect fogger from the shop and poured smoke into the den and one by one a mommy rattlesnake and seven of her babies exited the den. There is at least one baby left in the den who apparently is the smartest of the bunch because he never vacated but did poke his head out. Rick also thinks there may be another large one in the den, but it was starting to get dark so we packed it up. Unfortunately, I broke the fogger so Rick has to fix it, but if I hadn't done that I am sure we would have cleared the whole den. Oh well tomorrow is another day and today was a super-duper day in regards to the rattlesnake count. Below is the requisite picture of the day's kill. Oh yeah, I even shot one of the babies when Rick had gone down to the shop! That's my second kill.

A Spunky Snake and A Clean Dog

I went outside to put some garbage in the garbage toter and ran into a rattlesnake. He was crossing the driveway by the parking area. I ran inside to get the .410 and Rick. Luckily the snake wasn't moving too fast and he was still visible, so Rick shot him. He was a spunky snake because even with his head gone he attempted to coil and raised a good 9" of his forward section straight off of the ground. He was only about 2 1/2' long and was probably heading for the culvert underneath the driveway.

This morning we gave Eric a bubble bath. Rick wanted to do it outside with the garden hose, but I didn't want Eric to get too cold. Also I thought a nice warm bubble bath would feel good on his hips. Even though our master bathroom's tub is a garden tub and slightly sunken in, Rick had to lift Eric into the tub. I used Eric's special shampoo which is a blue-purple color and takes the yellow out of his white coat. Eric is an easy dog to wash. He won't shake unless you get water on his head and he will quietly sit in the tub while you scrub him. I used special gloves that have rubber nubs on the palms. The nubs massage his skin, as well as catch hair. I brushed him and used the blow dryer to help speed the drying process and spritzed him with his doggie cologne. He was all done and ready to go, but we could not get him to step out of the tub. We tried bribing him with pretzels and Milk Bones, but he just couldn't and won't do it. (I had visions of Eric spending the rest of his days in the tub.) When Rick tried to lift him, Eric started snapping at Rick so we had to muzzle Eric. Once muzzled, Rick lifted him out of the tub. Next time I will take Rick's advice and use the garden hose.

For a after bubble bath treat, I gave Eric two little scoops of ice cream in an attempt to apologize for the whole drama of exiting the tub. Literally on the bright side, Eric is so white that he is almost blinding. He looks neon white, if that is possible.

Two Hours, Four Rattlesnakes

I was asked today if we had killed any rattlesnakes lately. My answer was no and that the last was a few weeks ago. Tonight my answer has changed. Between 5 pm and 7 pm Rick found and shot four--three adults and one youngster. The first was on the road to the Quonset Hut. Number two was outside the Quonset Hut. The third, the youngster, and fourth were on the road to the Quonset Hut. We don't called the road from the house to the Quonset Hut rattlesnake alley for nothing. The total for the year is now six.

Here's Hoping

Yesterday, Katie was an absolute handful. I found myself raising my voice far too often and felt like a incredibly bad mommy. Not to mention that having to constantly be loud and negative starts to bring me down faster than water over a cliff. To add salt to the wound, my raised voice had little affect on Katie and she would actually laugh when I did so. I am convinced that yesterday's attitude was the result of too much sugar. Katie and I worked outside on the driveway and she grabbed my Coke and drank almost all of it. I have noticed in the past if she has too much sugar she gets mischievous and out of control. Here's hoping that today's absence of sugar from her diet will make her more likable.

Today is the first day that she has had milk in about two weeks. She had a stomach virus that seemed to result in diarrhea when I gave her milk. For a girl that drinks a gallon of milk every two days, it has been a challenging to find a replacement for the milk that wasn't loaded with sugar. Here's hoping that the milk doesn't trigger another run of the runs.

One trait that the Backstrom girls (my two sister and I) exhibit is an abhorrence to breakfast. If we do eat breakfast it tends to be a non-traditional breakfast item, such as pizza. Katie inherited this trait. Lately she has been going into the pantry to fetch the Wheat Thins and then into the frig to get the cream cheese and that has been breakfast. This morning she asked me for a "sandwich on a plate." When I asked her what she wanted on her sandwich, she replied, "On a plate." Since it was up to me to decide the contents of the request sandwich, I make her a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich with the crusts cut off. She took a few bites and then requested that I give it to Eric because it was "icky." Here's hoping that someday I will find some food that she will consistently eat for breakfast.

The windows in our master bedroom pose a bit of a decorating dilemma. Currently they have mini blinds and burgundy laces curtains. I am changing the color of our bedroom to navy blue and cream so the curtains have to go. As for the mini blinds, the hot Texas sun destroys the mini blinds after a few years. A couple of weeks ago I swatted at a wasp that was on the mini blinds and ended up breaking a few of the slats because they are so brittle from the sun. So now we look like white trash with broken mini blinds hanging on the windows. Back to the decorating corundum. There are two windows that are set 4 inches apart so they look like one big window and above each window is a fixed triangular window. Furthermore, the ceiling is vaulted with a big beam running down the center and the slope of the triangular windows is different than the slope of the ceiling. In a nutshell, I cannot put a curtain rod above the triangular windows because of the beam. I have been trying to figure out how to adorn all four windows and finally decided on sheers for the lower windows and cut glass window film for the triangular windows. The sheers are extra wide, so they should diffuse most of the light and I am hoping the window film will do the same. I ordered the sheers from JcPenny's and ordered samples of various cut glass films from another company. Here is the link to the window film. I might even use window film on the hexagon window that is in our living room. Here's hoping I like how the window dressings turn out.

As you can see, I have posted a link to my fundraising page on the right rail of this blog. I am raising funds for my MOPS group. All of the money stays with my local group and I am attempting to raise $500, which will fund four scholarships for moms that cannot afford to attend MOPS without financial assistance. I have raised $35 so far. Here's hoping I reach my goal.

I will close with one big "here's hoping." Here's hoping that there are no more rattlesnakes in the Quonset Hut. I am so worried that Rick will get bit while in shop because they are so many places in which the rattlesnakes can hide. The last rattlesnake Rick caught was actually sitting on the swivel chair he has by his work bench.

Educating Katie

Last night after work Rick went down to the Quonset Hut with the .410 to hunt rattlesnakes. The hunt was successful. He found the guy pictured below in the shop and we are hoping it is the one that got away yesterday.


For awhile now, we have been telling Katie about snakes and how they bite. Before we go outside to play I tell her that I have to check for snakes. When outside if she starts running away, I tell her, "Snakes" and she immediately stops. She also knows that she has to stay on the driveway or on the road down to the Quonset Hut and that she never, ever is allowed to wander off into the tall grass. To further her snake education, Rick and I showed her the dead snake that is pictured above. We had a long conversation with her and told her if she ever sees one she is to back away and come get Rick or I. Educating Katie about snakes is literally a life or death lesson and I believe that she is getting it.

Below is a picture of Katie that I took yesterday. When she saw that I had my camera, she requested that I take a picture of her. I don't know what is up with the football player stance, but that is the pose she chose.

Where's The Anti Venom?

As those of you who know my husband, you know that Rick likes to be prepared. Therefore, today my husband sent me on a telephone mission. The mission was to call all of the area hospitals to see who keeps rattlesnake anti venom on hand. So for those of you in my area of West Texas I have found that Anson, Stamford, Hendrick and Abilene Regional all stock the anti venom.