a tale of tails, tenacity, and tedium, as told by me, usually barefoot and bellowing

Saturday, May 22, 2010

The Things I Did

after work Saturday should have sweated the rest of the sick outta me.  I made piles.  Oh, the pleasure I had watching those piles grow.  Do you have a place around your house, where you just lay something til later and later never comes?   This is a collection of some of those piles: a broken flower pot, sun worn ice cream buckets used to hold small bits, an old box I was going to use and a chair broken during the ice storm that I was going to fix...

The yard crew (Hubby and Beverly) was mowing yesterday.  East of the house, near the old tractor tire water garden, a copperhead snake was spotted but escaped.  This guy is poison and we do not really like having one this close to the house.  Heck, we don't like having them at all!

Today after work, I tackled the jungle.  My goal to clear the way for easy snake spotting, open it up for easier mowing and pick up some damaged things I had not disposed of yet.  I wish I had taken before pictures but you can measure the piles and imagine the befores because I only have afters.
The elderberries had taken over around the water garden.  Something is eating the limbs so off they came.  A super thinning of plant life took place or a butchering, depends on how you look at it.
This USED to be a great sweeping, beautiful Texas or Blackberry Rose.  I believe I shared some pictures of its blooms.  Well, there ain't no blooms now!  In the heart of this bush is where the copperhead chose to rest when he was spotted yesterday.
Now I have two, no, three big piles full of plantain, violets, blackberry rose and elderberries topped with sticks, dead pecans and limbs and debris from the old tractor tire.  It is over ninty degrees and the humidity is 76%.  I am not sweating like a horse, I am lathered.
You can see around the tire!!!!  The refilling water is clear!  No snakes in site but I did find a marvelously, huge bull frog in my hostas and welcomed him.  Hope I did not scare him off.
Hostas visible, lillies visible, rocks visible...just a  mere few hours later.  This was my resting spot on the log, I would sit and drink a tall cool drink as I pondered my next move.
I have seen the elephant and he is bare!  He was covered with Virginia Creeper.  It is not perfect by any means but much closer.  The plow share is visible and all/most snake hidey holes are gone.

This is on the east side of the lodge and welcomes the morning sun.  Now I can greet the morning sun in relative safety...in this hard won spot.  Man, I am pooped!

 You can read about The Old Tractor Tire by typing the words into my search at the upper left hand side of page.

8 comments:

carolina nana said...

Weren't you afraid you'd find that copperhead the hard way? We have those buggers around here in these mountains and they are dangerous. At least the rattlers around here warn you but those sneaky copperheads will sneak up on you and you're bitten before you see them! One of my neighbors has been bitten 6 different times by copperheads on his farm. The last time they told him at the hospital he was getting to old to fight of the venom and next time he might die. He is still gardening like crazy.
We killed one at our grandmothers old house and the next day there was another one on the exact same rock. You better be careful you'll need some more strong medicine!!!!!! Blessings Marilyn

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

I was getting all oooogie just with the pictures. Copperheads and water mocassins scare the crap out of me. As a youngster, while visiting in TN I was bitten by a wm and that did it for me. Scarey shit. Now bull snakes, you know non venemous ones I have no fear of and have been bitten once by a boa but.....oooh be careful girl. Ick. Blech, Blahhhh.
And hey Ms. Gail send me your address so I can send you necklace to you.
Have a safe and restful Sunday.

allhorsestuff said...

I hop0e you did sweat the sick outa yourself...whoowee Gail..great work! NO SNAKES!!!
KK

Rudee said...

No copperheads in Detroit. We have different kinds of snakes in my neck of the woods. Too bad they walks on two feet.

Christy said...

You were busy! Nice work.

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

I would have been too scared to clean up all those piles in case that copperhead would be hiding. We have a few spots underneath the fruit trees that are getting overgrown and must be cleaned up soon. I worry about rattlers and bullsnakes. Bullsnakes are more welcome because they attack and eat rattlers.....but they can be aggressive and grouchy, so I'd rather not have them hiding under our fruit trees.

Everything looks so pretty there. 90 degrees with high humidity doesn't sound so nice, though. It's been really cold and windy the last two days that I've worn a long sleeve shirt and a jacket. Probably only got up to 45 degrees at night....and maybe 60 degrees in the day.
Our snowy cold winters are something we deal with to enjoy our cool, beautiful summers up here.

~Lisa

Irene said...

I'd hate to see you brought down by a venomous snake, Gail. Please, be careful. You did a great job on that garden, though. What a thing to do in that kind of weather. I admire your tenacity.

Pat said...

Sneaking slithering snakes are not a good thing. Glad you didn't find any. The yard is looking good.

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