Holy Crap! Freaky Snake Story!

[fudge stripe cookays]

So this afternoon, I was out working in my garden (as usual). Keep in mind while reading, that we are literally UP the street several yards from a large local lake.

Late in the afternoon/evening, I finally started calling it a day and taking all my utensils back into the garage.

On the side of our house, I heard a commotion up in one of the trees (our next door neighbor's tree). Fellow Texans know the freaky noises that grackles (large black, crowlike birds) can make. I'd heard some muffled ones, and then tons of wing flapping, leave rustling, etc.

I looked up, figuring one was building a nest or something. Curious, I saw something hanging down. THEN I freaked out! What I at first thought to be a lizard tail, was actually a LARGE SNAKE!!

This grackle had grabbed the snake and was fighting to hold onto it up in the tree! I made some sort of noise (since I FREAKING HATE SNAKES!) and the bird dropped the snake.

I was a little ways away from it, but let out a little scream and went to grab reprehensor (since he digs creepy crawly stuff). Fascinated, we watched the snake (about 2 feet long and at least 2 to 3 inches in diameter) crawl up our neighbor's wall and onto one of his utility boxes.

The grackle kept trying to grab him, but he hissed back a lot. reprehensor went and grabbed our neighbor, and I kept watching (never been that close to that big of a snake before!). I saw white on the inside of its mouth, which told me it was a water moccasin (with the lake being so close). Right before they got back to the side of the house, the snake managed to get into his meter box (and possibly his house??!!).

We stayed out there with them for a little while, since neighbor wanted the snake OUT, but quite awhile passed with no snake. And I was hungry! I'd been working all day!

We told him to knock on our door if he needed a ride to the emergency room.

I freaking HATE snakes!

FSC