Yikes! I had a run-in with a gopher snake a couple years ago, and he didn't like me one bit - if hissing and spitting at me is any indication. LOL Aggressive sucker, and BIG (six-footer). I hope yours gets some gophers for you!

Yesterday was my drudgery day (laundry, cleaning, etc.), and I only got one plant in the ground, so I'll leave it to the others to post more excitement. :D

Brenda

Did you come upon it suddenly? Our Gophers are very mild mannered and usually either sit and stare at me or slither away quietly. The Racers are the ones that make me jump because they zip past your feet and you don't know what's happening.

Same Silly Racer Snake got caught again. This time I took it to a new place in the yard before releasing it. It seemed to be headed into one of the veggie tanks... perhaps after mice. I hope I can encourage it to hunt elsewhere.

Oh, yeah, I think it was a racer last summer that sped by me in the yard. Very startling when I'm just wandering in the yard. LOL

I guess I came upon the gopher snake suddenly. I was letting the inside cat outside for her usual exploration of the yard. Before she was even half-way out the door, she turned and started sniffing in the area up against the house. I peeked and saw the snake. I told kitty to get away (and she ran out instead of in! LOL), then I fetched a broom and was trying to scoot the big fella away from the door and on his way.

Nope, he was wasn't budging. He scared me so much, I slammed the door and took a breather. LOL I could still hear him hissing over the sound of the A/C and through our thick door! I opened the door to try again, and the hissing got louder.

I eventually had to call the old neighbor guy down the street to transport it. But...he didn't tell me he was deathly afraid of snakes, so he ended up killing it. I think the gopher gods have paid me back since, with many plant deaths and multiplying gophers. :(

Brenda

I think I'd hiss at you too if you took a broom to me. lol

I've discovered that most snakes don't like to get sprayed with water. Next time just spray it (not hard) with the hose..... but you might want to go out another door to get to the hose. ;^)

Amen about using another door, Westelle! LOL I would have had to walk right by it to get the hose, though, no matter which way I went. I'll definitely remember that for future reference. I really do feel bad about how that situation was treated. I like balance in my garden, and we seriously disrupted it that day.

Brenda

Report: no new snake entrapments; and I saw the Racer in it's new quarters yesterday... it's minor netting cuts seem to have healed.

Brenda, I know what you mean disrupting the balance. One time, before I discovered the water trick, we couldn't get a HUGE Rattler to leave the inner yard. The dog wouldn't leave it alone and we have Grandchihldren who are allowed to run freely in that area, so this just wouldn't do. DH shot it through the head... but it about broke our hearts. I still think of it to this day.

Yikes! That would be scary having one of those around, especially with little kids in the vicinity. That's serious business.

But take comfort in knowing that you didn't think there was any other way. And it's not like you go around randomly killing wild animals. It sounds like DH was able to do it quickly, too, so it didn't suffer.

The poor neighbor man who dispatched our gopher snake didn't do it in one fell swoop, so to speak. It was pretty brutal, with the shovel bouncing off it a few times before it was all over. The neighbor was shaking like a dog pooping razor blades, he was so scared. He told me that he keeps all of his shovels sharpened now! Thankfully, he hasn't felt the need to use one in that manner since then.

Brenda

DId I ever tell you about the time I got in an argument with a rattler over exactly who owned my truck? I ended up beating it to death with the broom. I felt just like the Fat Broad in the cartoon.... wham! wham! wham!

LOL!!!!!!! I know at the time, it wasn't even close to funny, but....dang, a broom is a difficult weapon! Very humorous image of the cartoon!!

Brenda

Oh, Brenda, I'm goood with a broom! There was the time I had a similar argument with a most persistent CA Ground Squirrel Momma who decided to move herself and her kids into my house, and we had a confrontation at the kitchen door. One nice golf-shot with the broom sent her flying about 20 feet with the kids running after their flying-squirrel mother. She didn't return.

ROFLMBO...Oh Westelle, I have this picture in my mind of "you" toting those war weapons, brooms no less & getting down and dirty with univited critters. Keep the stories coming girl!

LOL!!! Yes, I LOVE those stories! "I'm playing through, Momma!" *tears of laughter*

Brenda