10.25.2011

black snake

There was a gigantic surprise sunbathing in my studio...


Yep. This 4.5' snake was hangin' out in my 7.5' studio.
When I came in the door it slithered under the desk and up into my stash of large paper in the corner. After my heart rate went back down to a normal level I set up a five-gallon-bucket-trap. After prodding it with a dowel and getting spooked a couple of times, I finally managed to steer it into the bucket.
I called Lil over and we tipped it out a little ways from the studio. It finally slithered away toward our stream. And that should have been the end of my snake story.

Should have been. But... The snake came back. About an hour later it was stretched out in front of the studio. I was hanging laundry and almost stepped on it; this time I screamed. The snake and I both jumped back from each other. I crouched down and we looked in each other's eyes for a while. Then it started making it's way right for me. Flicking it's black tongue out as it went. When it was about a foot away I stood up and it moved right by me~ only an inch from my foot~ and into the bushes behind the studio.

Even though I never got a malicious feeling from the snake.... and they are not poisonous... I haven't felt as comfortable in my studio since. 

3 comments:

Mandy said...

Yikes!!

Linda said...

Whoaaaaaaa!
"Even though they are not poisonous" . . . Hmmm, don't think that would stop me from freaking out! I'm reminded of the black snake in Barbara Kingsolver's Prodical Summer: A Novel. Seemed like there was a lot of symbolism tied to it. Will the snake turn up in your work? Love the pattern of the scales.

wildviolets said...

Oh dear, I would have freaked!!! You are very brave girl!! Snakes and spiders, ooooo, cannot deal with them:)