Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Not quite what I expected

Yesterday Ek, H, L and I were out in the yard for an end of the year leaf project (that's another post completely). We walked the whole yard looking for our 5 types of leaves to collect, taking pictures, studying, exploring, trying to be good little scientist. We needed pine needles. Um, has anyone seen how tall pine trees are? Couldn't exactly grab a few. And I can't wait for a good wind to blow some down. Don't have a ladder tall enough. So I look into our lot next our driveway and see a small-ish pine tree. I give the kids a big spill-- "Ok kids, remember snakes are out, there are probably lots of snakes in there. I do not have boots on and neither do you, so you must, I repeat must, stay out of the woods, I will be very careful but I just want you to stay in the yard, Agreed?" They all nod with great reverence. "Good" I think and off I go, one step at a time being so careful to not step on a sleeping snake. Ek says, "Lets see what's growing in the garden!!" H and L follow with joyful, "yeah!!'s" Thirty seconds later, I'm not kidding, Ek says, "Mommy! There is a snake in the garden!"
Yep. There was, alright. Add it to the wildlife list (along with our various cats and turtles that I left off the last list.) I come out of the wilderness and back into our civilization to find a 3 foot long king snake slithering around the garden and my 3 children standing 10-15 yard away staring at it. Had it bed a 3 pound dog they would have run into the house screaming, but a snake, they stand and stare. hmmmm. Not sure about that one. So since he is a "good snake," we watched him slither back into the wilderness and we went inside, that's enough leaf collecting for one day.

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