Sunday evening, Fred and I were talking about one thing or another, and I was in mid-sentence when I glanced out the window, and I interrupted myself to say “HOLY SHIT!” and then could say no more.
I’ve lived in Alabama for 14 1/2 years now, and I’m sure this happens ALL the time, but it’s certainly the first time I’ve looked out the window…
… to see a snake climbing up a tree.
It freaked me OUT, man.
We thought perhaps it was headed for the bird seed, but it went past the bird feeders without a second glance.
Newt couldn’t take his eyes off the snake, either – he started to climb up after it, but then thought better of it.
When it got about this height, we got bored and wandered off.
According to Fred, it’s not a poisonous snake, it’s an Eastern Rat Snake and while it will bite a person if it feels threatened (in fact, he was bitten by one a few years ago), it’s not poisonous.
I’d just as soon not see it again, though.
“How YOU doin’?”
Givin’ the attitude.
Stretchin’.
When I walk into the guest bedroom, Rufus is almost always either on his cat bed (which is usually located at the bottom of the cat tree, which is near the window. This is the cat tree that was upstairs in the foster room, but I was afraid that Maggie would opt to give birth in the condo on the second “floor” of the cat tree, and I further thought that Rufus might like to have something familiar around when we brought him home from the vet last Friday) or hanging out under the bed. When I sit down, he stands up from wherever he is, and he streeeeetches and rubs against whatever’s closest (usually the bottom of the bed) and streeeeetches some more, and then slowly makes his way over to me. Then, depending on his mood, he either sits against me and lets me pet him, or he climbs into my lap and rolls around while I pet him.
Occasionally I let one of the other cats – usually Jake or Elwood – into the room with me. Rufus is always happy to see another cat – his tail goes straight up in the air – but for the most part none of our cats want anything to do with Rufus yet. They’re mostly interested in eating his food, since it’s different than what they get. Elwood even GROWLS at Rufus if Rufus should happen to think he’s going to have a bite of his own food while Elwood’s in there. Oh, that makes me so mad! So I’ve started putting the food bowl up where they can’t get to it, and then when they want back out, I give Rufus his food bowl back.
Corbie did go in and touch noses with Rufus, so I suppose that’s a start. Poor Rufus. He just wants friends!
::slurrrrrrp:: “It’s like this, lady.”
“You keep the canned food coming, I’ll see about getting you some babies.”
“You get me?”
(No babies yet, obviously.)
Poor Alice. She was laying in that box, then Joe Bob got on top of it, and started smacking at the side of the box, and it scared her. See the baleful look she’s giving him? (Pardon the 63 pairs of shoes in the background. We have GOT to do something about getting that area cleaned up, I swear. Some day.)
Previously
2010: Awwww! Meet the baby Bookworms!
2009: Just imagine a great big bald head with Fred’s face on it, and you’ll get the picture.
2008: Guess who flew to Pennsylvania so she could eat cupcakes with Nance and Rick, snuggle the cutest dog on Earth, and reunite with Maddy?
2007: No entry.
2006: everyone’s Irish today, right?
2005: Guess it must run in the family.
2004: The cats are on my fucking NERVES.
2003: You KNOW you’re fascinated!
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry.
2000: The Big Butt Fairy visits us every year though. Just like clockwork.
Holy SHIT!!! Thanks for making me shiver with the snake pictures. You redeemed yourself with the cute cat pictures, though. I could’ve never gotten that close to take the snake pictures. EEEWWWWEEEWWW!!!!!!
OK, snakes don’t bother me, in fact I actually kind of like them and almost had one for a pet ‘cept I couldn’t feed anything live food, but those pics give me the heebie jeebies!!!
C’mon Maggie, today’s the day!
My words exactly
SHITSHITSHIT!!!! I didn’t realize the fuckers CLIMB TREES!!! Oh, God…that is HORRIFYING. If I came across that while going about my business, it wouldn’t matter if it was poisonous or not (and really…who stops to actually check??) because I’d shit, then die.
I’m going to have the heebie-jeebies for the rest of the day now. *shudder*
I didn’t know snakes climbed trees-is nowhere safe!!??!!
Hmmm…that snake doesn’t bother me a bit. Now if it had been a spider…whole ‘nother thing.
Rufus is so handsome.
Kittens, kittens – time to come out and play.
Ugh! thank you for making me cringe so bad that my spine touched my stomach,it’s the skinniest I’ve felt in years.
I’m with them, who GAF if it’s poisonous or not.I would have died ,scremaing my head off if I’d seen that thing!
14.5 years and no snake…lucky you!! My parents moved to Huntsville in 1987 and when I graduated college I followed (1988); within a month of being here I walked out to the garage to throw away the garbage…our little 7 pound Yorkie (Winston) in tow. I heard something move around the can and kinda “rattle”… I looked down and saw a snake slithering behind the cans…I screamed bloody murder, grabbed the dog, and ran to the house…my knees were shaking and I was panic stricken. My folks were like, “what up with that!!”, until they went outside to see what the hell I was screaming about.
We lived on Green Mountain at the time and the street we were on was being developed, so there weren’t too many neighbors yet. The guy who lived down the street must have heard me and all the commotion. He came up to the house and verified for us that it was a Copperhead snake. He took care of it for us…not sure it was humane, but enough said.
After that and the first real thunderstorm of the summer…I wondered why in the hell we moved from NY to AL. Beach for mountains and snakes…
Oh no, I’ve seen plenty of snakes – I’ve just never seen one climbing a tree before! We found a huge discarded snake skin in Fred’s workshop over the winter.
We’re lucky in that most of the snakes we’ve seen since we moved here are of the non-venomous kind. When we lived in Madison, Fred killed what he thought was a copperhead, but upon further investigation he realized it was a non-venomous something-or-other and felt bad for killing it. 🙂
No kittens yet!
I don’t mind snakes so much as spiders. Had you had a picture of a huge, black spider on your tree, I would have freaked out. Brrrrr……. Even seeing a picture of a spider makes me itch. 🙂
When I was scrolling down I was picturing some pretty wrought iron decoration hanging behind the bird feeder to match the wrought iron bird feeder holder. Imagine my shock and horror at the snake. HATE THEM-my skin is crawling and will be for some time. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind I once knew they climbed from pictures or wildlife documentaries but it’s the kind of knowldege DENIAL was invented for! I had a friend who lived with a wierd guy for a while and he brought his snake and nasty lizards with him too. I didn’t visit her for a year until they were all gone. Once I called her and the snake escaped and was hiding in her couch. OH hell no! When they broke up he left all of them behind and she had one hell of a time getting him to come get them. She had to resort to putting them in pillow cases and dropping them off on his lawn so he would go get thier habitats out of her house. She asked me to do that with her and I asked her if she was insane. She found someone else to help her. She’s on the periphery of my life now for a reason… I was pretty envious of our friends’ beautiful huge inground pool but when she told me they find snakes in it sometimes…shudder. My parents had an above ground for several years and found a drowned bat once but no snakes.
Rufus is very cute. I like Maggie too, she looks like my bff’s late cat Trixie. Myabe she just needs a little more Crooked Acres R&R before the big event. Very glad Newt changed his mind at that tree!
That is one long ass snake.
1) the snake is creepy, even if he is non-venomous. 2) have you seen this? 17 things about cats? Pretty interesting post from our local humane society – http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cat_know 3) you have some namesakes. My foster cats, who I refused to name lest they become permanent residents, well I started calling the girl kitty Bessie for some reason and then once I realized what I was doing, I had to name her brother Fred. They are both very cute, but Bessie definitely prefers to stay in her bedroom/my office and away from any strange people or dogs. Fred is more adventuresome, and luckily for him – very quick. And I guess they are now permanents.
I don’t mind snakes at all. When I was in college, I took a summer biology class and our lab TA had a corn snake in the lab that she’d raised from a baby. She would take him out sometimes and let people hold him. I finally got up my nerve and after the initial 5 seconds of squeamishness, I realized that it was really cool! He was warm and really soft, and it was super neat (that’s the technical term, I believe) to feel his muscles as he circled my arm. Ever since then, I’ve kind of had a soft spot for them. Well, as long as the nasty ones keep their teeth out of me! 😉
Rufus is such a pretty boy! And Tiny Alice is so tiny and cute!
Well, I guess I won’t ever be visiting Alabama if there’s fucking SNAKES IN THE TREES! 😉