"Holy S**t!"

Let's call this post..."HOLY SHIT!" Because that is what I said when I went outside and saw the snake that Kaci and Bailey had found!! "HOLY SHIT!"

Well, let's start from the beginning on this one. Here we go..... A few days ago, Clint moved Bailey's Little Tyke basketball goal from the garage to one of our back patios. He taught them how to play HORSE- and they have loved it everyday since. So tonight - about 6:00- they headed out back to play. They were only outside for a little bit when Kaci came back in and said that Chelsea was having a fit by the BBQ pit. Said there must be a lot of pillbugs there and that she was getting excited about them. I told Kaci she should run to the front porch and get her bug catcher to catch some.

She headed back out, but returned within minutes to tell me that there was a snake in the backyard. I asked her how big it was....Her response- "Well -it's big, but not too big, but big!" Earlier this week I found two snakes in the front yard. about 6 inches long, gray and a little thicker than a pencil. Ran over one with the lawnmower and whacked the other one with the blower until I killed it. So- I assumed this was the same size snake Kaci had found. I grabbed the hedge clippers and thought I will just snip this sucker in half. Boy, was I EVER WRONG!!

When I got outside and saw the snake in the grass all curled up on top of himself....well, I almost s**t my pants!!! HOLY S**T!

I quickly covered him with the sandbox lid and me and the kids headed back inside to find a neighbor to help us out. When I discovered that there was no one home to help me....I headed back to the yard- lifted the sandbox lid and began to whack the H**Y S**T snake with a shovel. He wiggled his way to the fence line but stopped moving when his stomach bulged out his side! UGH!

I called Mom and Dad to let them know that I had killed him all by myself. So proud! While I was talking to them- I tried to lift him in a garbage bag to throw him away- only to have him strike at me. That is when I decided to call in the "BIG GUNS" --- Pa Pa!

He arrived with a sharp hoe and took care of his head. Here he is being measured. He was 2 Kaci flip flops and 1 PaPa sandal long! YIKES!

He was really ugly. He was fat and he was stinky!!

Here is a close up of him right before PaPa shipped him off to the dumpster! Here is what we believe him to be.....

Water snakes, (Diamond Back Water Snake) as their name implies are largely aquatic. They spend the vast majority of their time in, or very near permanent sources of water. Often they can be found basking on tree branches which overhang slow moving streams or ponds. Their primary diet is fish and amphibians, and they are quite adept at catching both in their aquatic environment. They will also consume rodents.
While their initial instinct is to flee when disturbed, they do typically have a nasty disposition. They do not often hesitate to strike or bite if handled, and will often expel a foul-smelling musk from their cloaca. Nerodia species are ovoviviparous, breeding in the spring and giving birth in the late summer or early fall. They are capable of having 90 or more young, but broods generally are much smaller. Neonates are around 20-26 cm (8-10 in.) in length.