Relative Something

Might as well sell the place right now. How am I supposed to function in these conditions? What is this? Are we living in a jungle now?

Just nope.

It looks like an innocent pathway that we have walked countless times before.

Nothing unsavory in that view. Yesterday morning, Cyndie paused to pull a vine from all those leaves to the left of the path. That’s when she saw it.

Look closer.

Yeah, that snake is about chest level in the foliage, just waiting to give me a heart attack. And yes, it is wrapped back and forth on itself enough times to be at least four feet long.

It doesn’t really matter. Four feet. Ten feet. I don’t really care at this point. It’s that it has found its way up from the ground to a level that I find entirely unacceptable. It was just sitting there, acting like nothing was wrong.

After we finished with horse chores, I found myself drawn to walk back to see if it was still there. Not because I wanted to. I did so against my will.

It had repositioned itself, but it was still high in the brush.

No thank you. Winter can’t get here soon enough.

Nope.

Snakes high up in the leaves of our foliage!

Just nope.

… Addendum: It has come to my attention that garter snakes eat insects. Maybe it was lying in wait for a herd of Japanese beetles to show up. I may need to cut it some slack, if that is the case. Also brought to my attention is the fact that Japanese beetle traps are a thing. I would greatly prefer traps in place of snakes up in our branches. That is all I have to say on this subject. Still nope.

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