Summer woes

There seems to be a much higher incidence of residents finding snakes in their yards this year. According to some, they have killed more Copperhead snakes in the last week than in the entire twenty years they have lived here combined! Speculations as to the reason point to two possible explanations. Either the late freeze we had in April caused the snakes' food supply to dwindle, driving them farther out to search for food - or, the abundance of rain we had in the spring caused the small rodents to climb to higher ground, and the snakes have followed their food supply.

So far, I haven't heard of any people sustaining snake bites this year, but plenty of dogs have gotten bit. A quick dose of Benadryl is reported to help the pet until you can get to the veterinarian, but small dogs are at a much higher risk for permanent damage or death from a copperhead snake bite. Since our dog is a jack russell terrier mix, we have been keeping her on a short leash in the front yard only when she must go outside. Otherwise, we keep her in at all times.

I tell you, between the hot weather, the bugs, the tourists, and now the snakes... Kind of makes me want to get a summer house and spend the summer months somewhere else. Not that we can afford that right now, but it is a future goal.