Sssurprise

I was busy making dinner yesterday when Little Guy stepped outside on the back porch. While in the middle of peeling a potato, I heard him come inside and exclaim, "Look Mom - I found a treasure!"

'How cute,' I thought, as I cut the potato. Little Guy had just finished watching a Blues Clues episode, and here he acting out what he had seen.....or so I thought. But as I glanced over at the "treasure", something definitely seemed off. At first I thought Little Guy was holding a thick shoestring or a small rope, but it didn't take me long to realize I was looking at the underbelly of a snake dangling in his hands.

It appeared dead, but I wasn't taking any chances. I had Little Guy put it on the floor, then rounded up my snake expert and extraction specialist - Big Guy. He grabbed a paper towel and carefully turned the snake over. My heart started beating faster as I saw the markings; it definitely looked like a baby rattlesnake.

Meanwhile, Little Guy was starting to ask when he could get his "treasure" back.

So, what was a rattlesnake doing on our back doorstep? I'm guessing that one of the cats killed it and deposited it there; in the past, we have found birds, mice, and even lizards they have "brought" us. I'm hoping they found the snake on the hill just beyond our backyard; I don't even want to think about the possibility that it was lurking somewhere in our yard.

Most of all, I am extremely grateful that Little Guy wasn't hurt. Next time, I hope he'll go hunting for a more traditional "treasure"!