A Lesson in "Rattles"

When I got home today with the boys, Bud yelled at me from the backyard to grab a shovel. When I came around the corner, he had another shovel in his hand and had a rattlesnake trapped. While he was mowing the yard, he saw the disgusting creature slithering along our foundation so he jumped off and trapped it.

When I got back with the shovel, he used it to cut the snake's head off before pulling the rest of the snake out for the boys to see. It was a small rattlesnake, but a rattlesnake nonetheless. The boys were intrigued. They wanted to touch it and pick it up. JD even asked if he could take the headless snake to school for show and tell. When we told him "no," he walked the snake to the back of our property line and threw it over the fence. I was proud of him for being so brave.

We had a long serious talk with the boys about snakes though, explaining that even though we let them touch the snake, if they ever see one again, they need to turn around and run as fast as they can and find an adult. I love living out here, but if there's anything I don't like, that's it. Snakes make me so nervous. I think about it every single time the boys go outside to play. I just pray to God that He'll keep the boys safe and keep the snakes away.