Animal Antics

A few things lately in the animal realm.

1. Cheerio finally bid us all adieu yesterday. She's been a bit wobbly on her feet the last few days, but still was happy to climb into our hands for treats right up to the end. I was almost a little bit surprised to see her lifeless form in her cage yesterday morning. But she had a good life, and Kelly wasn't nearly as upset as she has been in the past over hamster deaths. She's turning into a pragmatic kid.

2. Last week, Kelly was a bit more distraught in the morning, when she woke up to discover that Tofu had escaped from his cage. Of course, her room looks like a tornado hit it, so there was no way to check out the zillion and seventy-two hiding places before I had to take her to school. I was thinking that I would have to cancel my day of appointments, but fortunately, after about an hour of cleaning (the house needed it anyways), I found Tofu, hiding out in a nice little hidey-hole nest he'd made among Kelly's Webkins collection.

(bad phone-camera photo)

And how nice of him to show up in time for me to get to my piano gig at the local Middle School (and peek in on Kelly's class to give her a thumbs-up that the prodigal hamster had been found)

3. Last weekend it finally became summer. And on Sunday afternoon Kelly had her BFF over, and they frolicked around in the backyard testing out her two new bathing suits (how nice that her 2-years-older and 1-foot-taller BFF is also a bean-pole that wears the same size as her). Alas, there are no photos of the hilarity, but it was quite a lot of fun packed into a sunny afternoon.

About 10 minutes after BFF went home, we noticed the neighbour's very skittish cat sitting in the back yard. Usually she bolts at the first sign of activity, but this time when she saw us at the windows, she just looked at us, and then back down at whatever had taken her attentions in the grass. "It's a mouse!" I said, to which Skip replied "Nope. From this angle it looks like a snake."

Well, of course, I had to go out and find out if it was really a snake. I opened the back door, and only then did the cat scamper off. Kind of odd. I ran out into the yard in my socks, only to come face to face with...

IN MY SOCKS! What was I thinking????

I went bolting back into the house, and had a choice... get my shoes, or GET A CAMERA!

Of course, you know which one I chose.

(there's his rattle... rattling! He's about a year old. Only 1 or 2 moults, because the rattle grows a new chamber every time the snake sheds his skin)

Hmm. I think I need to use the telephoto lens...

At this point, Skip came out (IN BARE FEET! What is up with my family and Lack Of Common Sense?) and said "I'll hold this hose here, and you can get photos of the snake striking at it. Maybe you can get some good fang shots!"

Oh ack. I realized how bad my reflexes are compared to a snake's. That snake must have struck 5 times at the hose, and i didn't get a single shot.

Oh well. At least he got rid of some of our yard pests before we removed him. See the big bulge?

Now stop coming into my yard and scaring me about how nasty the results would be if one of my kids stepped on you.