Ranch Life: Snakes & Weather

     There are two things we worry about in the country this time of year. One will kill you. The other could cost you a lot of money, if you're not prepared.

      The killers are snakes. We got 'em and we got 'em just about everywhere and anywhere you step out here.

First Rattler of the Year, WRP

       In fact, I've killed more rattlers on our pavilion front porch than I have anywhere else on the property. So when we say, "Watch for snakes," we mean it! The first venomous viper of the season showed up about a week or so ago.
      I had returned from town. As I was walking toward the porch between our kitchen and pavilion with an arm load of groceries, I heard THE SOUND. We've been cold here (at least too cold for snakes) for so long, that we kind of took our safety for granted. Now, we can't until at least the next big frost or extended cold weather.
      This rattler looks about four feet long. We think it's a she based on its girth. That'd be real bad because if she's a she and she's that big that probably means she's made snake love and that's not good. If she's a he, then he's just plain big.
      Male or female, this snake got away. I didn't have a gun and a snake that big is too big for a short-handled shovel.           Now, we have multiple firearms at the ready but still must look outside each door before walking from the kitchen to the pavilion or visa versa.

     Our other concern that is both a giant pain in the neck and potentially costly is the weather. We'll never turn down rain, but the ranch 'people's area' is in a low spot. So, a west Texas squall easily and usually floods our kitchen and pavilion.
     A calm day out here comes with winds in the 15-25mph range. We can deal with that. Unfortunately, this time of year winds can top 40mph for hours. The next day we're picking up furniture, dusting dirt thick enough to write a term paper on the furniture inside the pavilion and picking up trash cans in the pasture.

West Texas Weather

      The worry is the cold and it's crazy to see, but we're under a freeze warning here on April 7th. A freeze means potentially broken pipes inside the accommodations or as it happened most recently inside our well house.
      This is the country. Codes and ordinances don't apply to things like plumbing and electricity as they do in the city. A severe cold in the country can wipe out all water service to the ranch. A violent wind storm can knock out the electricity.
     All winter long we, with the help of our neighbors while we were in Florida, babysat the fragile plumbing in the unusually long cold spell. Now, it looks like we're in for another night of leave the water dripping, cover the outdoor hose bibs and waiting.

Bill Robertson, Watch for snakes and crank up the heat...