Tuesday, July 03, 2018

There's A Snake Where?


Percy:  Hey, Marcus, remember this picture of us from a couple of years ago? 

Marcus:  Yes, I remember.  I still had pointy ears then.  I got such a shock yesterday, though, I almost had pointy ears again.

Percy: What happened?  You get chased by a squirrel?

Marcus:  No, silly!  Jan and I take the same route on our walks.  We walked Monday morning without any problem.  In the evening, we set out as usual at a fast pace.  Not fast for me, fast for Jan.

Percy:  I know you didn't trip her.  She returned in one piece.

Marcus:  We didn't get very far before we heard a male voice yell.

Guy: "Ma'am, there's a snake up there!"

Jan:  "There's a WHAT WHERE!"

Guy:  Just ahead of you.  It's a big ole black snake."

Percy:  He was kidding, right?

Marcus:  The guy was sitting in a pickup truck in a turnaround ahead of us on the other side of the street.  Jan and I hotfooted it across the road to the truck.

Guy:  It was over there slithering in the grass beside the sidewalk.  I can't tell from here what it is, but I saw you and your dog coming and I didn't want either of you to get bitten."

Marcus:  Jan's old eyes couldn't see anything in the grass from that far away, but that area of the mill is overgrown and the grass by the sidewalk needs a good mowing.   She really wanted to see and take a picture of that snake, but no way was she going over there.  Whatever it was, she knew it could move faster than she can.  She thanked the guy before he drove off slowly, watching that side of the road.  It was really nice of him to stop and wait so he could warn us.

Percy:  So you turned around and came home?

Marcus:  No, we took our walk on the side of the road with no sidewalk.  I think we're going to be walking on that side for a long time. That really gave Jan a scare.

Percy:  And you?

Marcus:  Not me!  Nothing scares me!   ** leaps onto the swivel chair**  EEK, it's a snake!

Percy:  I thought nothing scares you!  That was Taylor dragging a shoelace through the room. 

Marcus:  Oh ... er, I was just showing you how Jan would have reacted if she had seen the snake.

Percy:  Uh-huh.  Nice try.


I would like to thank everyone who left a comment on our blog (Farewell Merci) or on Facebook, or emailed us.  Merci's passing was not a surprise.  She was 17 years old, blind, slightly deaf (wasn't the least afraid of the vacuum cleaner any longer), and had dementia.  She'd been "in hospice" here for a while.

I nearly lost her last September at the same time Buddy died but she rallied.  I coped these past months by doing what I could for her and not talking about how she was.  Even if we think we are prepared for a death, we actually aren't.


 Thank you, Ann of Zoolatry, and


Ingrid, Pipo & Dalton from Meezer's Mews & Terrieristical Woofs

... for the lovely graphics.

19 comments:

  1. Dalton is a snake demolisher...maybe he could help you...then again the ones he has evicted here were not that large, and they were just garden snakes. Glad that man was able to warn you.

    Petcretary knows what you mean about knowing your furry one will not be long with you, and still it rips you apart when they do leave...we had that with MJF back in Feb.
    Hugs to you and your furmily.
    ((((( ♥ )))))

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ugh a snake! Flynn found a vipers nest once (the only poisonous snake in the UK) and kept bringing baby snakes home. Best to keep well clear of them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. We are very sorry to read about sweet darling Merci. Sending you all lots of love
    Take care
    Old Kitty, Gumtree and angel Charlie x

    ReplyDelete
  4. Snakes are sure not fun, any old time.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hari Om
    OMD Marcus, that man was an absolute GENT to let you and Jan know of the snake and am so glad you are both safe.

    Jan - we can know the inevitable but still be deeply affected by the eventuality... Hugs and wags, YAM-aunty xxx

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have never seen a snake in my yard, although I suspect they're around. My science geek humans would be very happy to see one and would want to take pictures of it.

    We understand what it's like to have an elderly doggie, having gone through it with Old Charisma, Miss Ginger, and our dear Joey dog. We all still cry when we think about our angels.

    ReplyDelete
  7. We all think that we are prepared, but it doesn't work out that way! So sorry that Merci is gone; there will be a hole that she filled up in the house for a long time. Hugs and purrs to you all.

    ReplyDelete
  8. So sorry for your loss. We're never really prepared for when they leave us. I hope all the tender memories of a fur-bulous life provide some measure of peace now and in the days to come. Sending oodles of poodles thoughts of comfort.

    ReplyDelete
  9. guyz.....if we wooda saw de snake....we wooda walked on de out skirtz oh towne ~~~~~~~~~~~ faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa if we iz knot sizzeez when it comez ta snakez.... it was verree nice oh de man ta warn jan that a boa constrictor waz lyin in wait ~~~~~~~

    ☺☺♥♥

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh, dear Jan, we are never prepared for death of a beloved, animal or human.
    As for the snake, a black snake is not dangerous and should not be killed as they eat pests and help the gardens, unless in Georgia there is a another breed that bites. Normally, they are harmless.

    ReplyDelete
  11. So sorry for your loss of Merci. We are sending gentle head bumps, purrayers and our love for you all. Glad the gentleman warned you of the big snake, so it didn't scare you and Marcus and maybe cause an injury.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Beautiful graphics of Merci. Snakes scare me even little ones.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Snakes scare the beejeebees out of me! I'm thankful that man warned you. Take care of yourself and know that we are thinking of you and Merci. ♥

    ReplyDelete
  14. Mom bean says if there was a snake here she would put the house up for sale and move...that's how scared she is of snakes!

    We are glad that you all had a few more months with Merci, and are grateful she had a loving furever home. She was very obviously loved.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Beautiful Merci. She must be so much loved. Snakes are really scary.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Yes, snakes can be a bit scary! We continue to pray and purr that you find peace and comfort as you mourn your sweet Merci's passing. Hugs to you.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Glad ya'll are safe. Snakes sure are skeery. Big hugs

    Luv ya'

    Dezi and Raena

    ReplyDelete
  18. We saw a good size snake skin in the neighbors yard. We know the spirit of Merci will keep that snake away.

    ReplyDelete
  19. We were so sorry to learn of Merci's passing. We will miss reading about her. Sorry we have been out of touch so much we will try to do better. Purrs of comfort and paws of sympathy for your loss.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for coming by for a visit. We love to hear from you.