I have had so little time to write this year I was unable to find the time to relay this story until now. Let me start by giving you a few details of the place and players. The arena, i.e. chicken pen, a 12 x 12 foot enclosed area with a poultry netting top a bit more that 5 foot high. Billy, a.k.a. Billy Bad A$$, rooster, RIR, lives up to his name. My SO, red hair, loves her chickens, more afraid of a snake than I am a Grizzly bear on crack. Upon finding a 6 inch worm snake in her flowers last year, she emitted a wail that not only brought me in a full run from over 100 yards away, but caused two passing cars to pull over and await why they thought was an oncoming fire truck.
Lovely late summer afternoon, SO was mowing the last of the yard when she spied a snake. The type and size of this critter where hard to discern as she does not discriminate when it comes to snakes, they are ALL evil and must die. Unfortunately this poor creature was headed to the chicken pen; with all haste she tries her level best to mow it over with the riding mower. The snake manages to elude her deadly advance and seeks refuge beneath the feed barrel. Standing atop the mower, as we all know riding mowers will give their lives to protect you from snakes, she moves the barrel aside. Snake, in an effort to escape, enters into the battle arena. Once inside he assumes a defensive position in the corner where he entered. The pullets in what I first thought was a shock and awe tactic began to run around the arena perimeter screeching at the top of their lungs. Later I realized they were only looking an escape route from the field of battle. Billy immediately advances on the snake, sideways and puffed up. My normally terrified SO at this point goes mother hen to an extreme. There is a snake in with her babies and she has cast her fears aside. In spite of the fact that not 50 feet away stood an open shed with all manner of edged tools inside, 3 axes, shovels, hoes, and a pipe wrench suitable for dispatching a good sized alligator. My SO quickly grabbed up the broom and entered into the arena to do battle with evil. She savagely, in as much as you can with a broom in a pen with a 5-foot ceiling, struck the snake about the head. Billy flanked his foe and began to flog, peck, and bite from the rear. The snake beat a retreat diagonally cross the pen to the safety of the near by woods. The battle continued for some time, Billy flying up and on the snake, SO, flailing wildly with her broom. Bits of straw from the head of the broom filled the air, shards of broken handle flying about, and pullets in a mad scramble for the coop. It was a sight to behold. In the end the snake escaped, the broom was utterly destroyed, SO was a basket case for 2 days, and Billy is willing to take all comers. The mower having been left to its on devices was recovered a short time later calming trying to push over a large Popular tree it had collided with. I laughed harder than I have in years, albeit out of SOs earshot.
Lovely late summer afternoon, SO was mowing the last of the yard when she spied a snake. The type and size of this critter where hard to discern as she does not discriminate when it comes to snakes, they are ALL evil and must die. Unfortunately this poor creature was headed to the chicken pen; with all haste she tries her level best to mow it over with the riding mower. The snake manages to elude her deadly advance and seeks refuge beneath the feed barrel. Standing atop the mower, as we all know riding mowers will give their lives to protect you from snakes, she moves the barrel aside. Snake, in an effort to escape, enters into the battle arena. Once inside he assumes a defensive position in the corner where he entered. The pullets in what I first thought was a shock and awe tactic began to run around the arena perimeter screeching at the top of their lungs. Later I realized they were only looking an escape route from the field of battle. Billy immediately advances on the snake, sideways and puffed up. My normally terrified SO at this point goes mother hen to an extreme. There is a snake in with her babies and she has cast her fears aside. In spite of the fact that not 50 feet away stood an open shed with all manner of edged tools inside, 3 axes, shovels, hoes, and a pipe wrench suitable for dispatching a good sized alligator. My SO quickly grabbed up the broom and entered into the arena to do battle with evil. She savagely, in as much as you can with a broom in a pen with a 5-foot ceiling, struck the snake about the head. Billy flanked his foe and began to flog, peck, and bite from the rear. The snake beat a retreat diagonally cross the pen to the safety of the near by woods. The battle continued for some time, Billy flying up and on the snake, SO, flailing wildly with her broom. Bits of straw from the head of the broom filled the air, shards of broken handle flying about, and pullets in a mad scramble for the coop. It was a sight to behold. In the end the snake escaped, the broom was utterly destroyed, SO was a basket case for 2 days, and Billy is willing to take all comers. The mower having been left to its on devices was recovered a short time later calming trying to push over a large Popular tree it had collided with. I laughed harder than I have in years, albeit out of SOs earshot.
