I don’t want to scare any of the people who are scared of snakes. So below is a nice benign image to begin.
Though – The Fellowship is a pretty tough bunch after all these years.
Quacker came shrieking over for some dinner yesterday evening. Still no sign of chicks.
And it was while she was eating that I went in to collect the last of the eggs and get the chook house ready for night.
And found this:
Just inside the door – and I only noticed the snake on the way OUT the door. Shudders.
Naturally I left smartly because I do not do snakes. I quickly emailed my friend Kim P and she identified it as ‘not a problem’ maybe a Chicago Garter Snake.
However it is a snake and I could not find it again to sweep it out ( more shudders) so I am going to be super careful going forward and John can deal with it when he gets back.
He grew up with snakes. I grew up with seagulls!
There is a theory that we are either afraid of mice or afraid of snakes. Are you a mouse person or a snake person.
For the record I am not afraid of mice.
Let’s go to the pond for a calm down.
With Boo.
The wheat is going golden fast. And too early. Not enough rain.
While John is away I am not using any indoor lights (as my carbon copay for all my driving lately) I see why the old people eat early. So they could make dinner in the daylight!
And I am only eating what I grow. Which cuts plastic use right down. (Another co-pay).
I love dialing my life down to the bones like this. And with no internet at the farm it really is quiet. Plus my phone only gets coverage in a few select spots out here. So no phone either.
(Driving back and forth to The Matriarchs to use her internet is quite the chore- not to mention the gas. Boo is happy though. He loves riding in the car.)
The blog migration is coming along a pace but still giving us trouble. Because that is how these things are.
My dinner was: Greens, weeds. Zuchinni. Young onions. Meatballs and boiled eggs.
Breakfast will be greens in an omelette as usual.
The thing we forget about eating seasonally is that it becomes a little repetitive.
There is a broccoli head getting close and I am watching it carefully. The rabbits have eaten all my beans and a row of peas. We have not had a rabbit problem in years.
And of course Boo was trained not to chase rabbits when Nelson arrived. So now I have to retrain him to chase rabbits out of my gardens.
I hope they don’t decide to have a go at the raised beds where my other peas are. And all the beets! And lots of stuff! The tomatoes are barely moving – too cold. I woke up to 48f this morning. The temp dropped thirty degrees overnight.
Great for greens though. Lucky I love them! I hope you have a good day.
And I hope you were not scared by the snake.
I was.
Good morning!
Celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
55 responses to “Playing Snakes and Ladders: the real kind.”
Definitely a mouse not a snake person. Boo is amazing, the thought of retraining him to chase rabbits, incredible. It certainly is a challenge eating seasonally, l try hard but sometimes when l’m in the supermarket my head gets turned and it’s not until l get home l realise l have bought asparagus from Peru! In plastic! So cross with myself when that happens!
Oh I totally understand!! I brought strawberries a while back / and I never do that! But they were in my fridge before I knew it. Not even that tasty!
No, not scared of snakes….living for over a decade in southeastern Texas cured me of that ! But if you can’t id them, it’s safer to back up. And come to think of it, mice just annoy me….and I get out the peppermint oil.
Have a great weekend…fingers crossed for swift internet solutions !
Yes! I feel like such a baby next to you all who have actual poisonous snakes!
No solution in the horizon for the internet. We will have to wait for John to come and put up a new old tower.
Snakes. I know they are important to the ecosystem, but I don’t want them near me. Not afraid of mice, just hate seeing their evidence they are around.
Mice smell bad too. No bladder. Not a fan. They can do their clean up duties on the outside/ I am with you on that one Dorothy
Me three! Had a (sweet little mouse) as a pet when I was a kid – but now they’re just Disgusting Creatures:/)
Snakes and mice are just fine with me but they must behave and not come into my house. I once had a lovely wee rescue cat who had but one flaw. Fannie Mae would capture garter snakes, unharmed, and bring them to me in the house as a gift. This of course would then create a snake ‘rodeo’ as I chased it around the house to try to grab and release it outside. That was not fun. However, Fannie throughly enjoyed it. Such lovely photos today on your blog.
Those cats!!
When we had guineas we had no snakes. They killed then when they were small. No ticks either mind you!
I am rolling with laughter at the snake video and the caption!! I remember seeing small garter snakes all the time as a child but not in so many years- urban sprawl I imagine- they have all likely been made to migrate for miles just to find their own old barn to visit.
The all green dinner looks delicious, although a lovely red tomato tossed in would be nice! I long time to wait for those…
The tomato will be so welcome but we are still so cold! Not sure whether it is going to be a good tomato season. It is short enough as it is.
Not afraid of snakes or mice, just more wary of snakes after encountering several over the years in the chicken house. Even almost reaching in a cubby to collect eggs while yakking with my sisters who were visiting. It was they who hollered out, ‘A snake!” Live and learn, as they say!!!
Not afraid of either mice or snakes. I don’t like spiders, even the word causes me to have a shiver. I try to avoid, they do play an important role in the ecosystem.
Yes they all have their place.happy with that. Co-existing is not often easy! It will keep the mice down in the chook house though?
Yes hopefully it is there to find mice and stays tucked away minding its own business. On a completely different topic I found a bird last night while walking the dog! It is a beautiful, fairly friendly little peach faced lovebird. I was able to get it on my hand (we’ll head and shoulders too) but eventually got it. Gave it a drink of the dogs water and it was a thirsty little thing. Was able to put it in a box and got an old cage from a friends garage and it is safe and sound. My parakeet is in love with it. Now I am trying to find the owner through animal rescue groups and the local humane society. The wilds of Canada is definitely not a safe place for a domesticated bird from Africa! If you want to see a picture hope over to my instagram🥰
I will!! How lovely that you were able to rescue it. It would not have lasted long.
Do they fly far? Like pigeons?
I have no idea. It’s wings weren’t clipped so it could go pretty high. At one point it was on the garage roof on my friend’s house. I think it could have flown pretty far just wandering around. Lucky it was hungry and I could coax it to me with birdseed.
Plus you know about domestic birds. That will help.
I don’t mind either mice or snakes, as a concept. Actually finding either in my house wouldn’t be a treat, though.
I ws clearing bricks in my Atlanta back yard (years ago) and at the very bottom, found a small diamondback rattlesnake! I jumped about 6 feet backwards, involuntarily! My cat seemed very keen on playing with it so I locked her in and picked it up on a shovel (at arm’s length) and threw it over the back fence.
It’s been around 30ºC here for a second week. Fortunately, it’s still cool in the shade.
People like us from countries that don’t have snakes do get frights when we encounter one!!
You are warming up. We are still so cold.
There are poisonous snakes in the UK, but they are less prevalent than those in America.
I’m not afraid of anything as long as it’s not too close to me. I don’t like to be surprised! I can pick up garter snakes and daddy long legs spiders. I’m not fond of hairy big spiders crawling on me. Same with mice etc if we all keep a respectful distance, peace reigns.
The nutrition coming out of your garden must make you feel super healthy. Do you have to supply deer, and all the other critters from your garden as well?
I do feel healthy. Freshly picked veg give an extra feeling of well being.
I have never had a bad experience with a snake and am a complete animal lover/supporter, but for some reason I am horribly afraid of snakes and I can hardly pick up a live earthworm either. Cannot pick up a snake with my hands. My grandmother was terrified of snakes, but my mother was not. I always wonder about the traits skipping generations thing with things like this.
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I am not particularly afraid of snakes or mice, rats and spiders are another matter altogether though. I hope that snake wasn’t in search of baby chicks or eggs. No wonder Quaker was sounding the alert.
The sneaky way snakes move appalls me. Last winter, we had a single –must have been a bachelor–mouse in the house. One night, I reached up for the Cheerios box on top of the fridge. The mouse zipped up my long sleeved top, down and out and flew across the room to under the dish washer. I bought a kindness cage, caught him and freed him in the woods. Still can’t believe he could actually fit under the dishwasher which is flush to the floor. Sort of, I guess.
That was a naughty mouse!!
I have a water snake that lives in the hen house with my hens. He/She eats one mouse a week, two if they are babies, more if they have just been born. I’m not fond of snakes, but this one can stay for it does a good job.
How do you know how many it eats? Can you see the lumps?
Yes. And I can see when there are no lumps.