The King Cobra

After weeks of 100 degree weather, this cool morning was a treat.  The Duo and I had an early breakfast so we could go out and play.  The sun was just easing over the hill and a nice breeze was blowing.  Getting to play outside has been very few and far between times this summer.  The girls stand in a chair and look outside at their swing set and Lyssa waves "hi" to it every afternoon.  I feel like a warden.

So, the Duo are running and sliding and swinging.  Great morning.  Kayla, especially, likes to sit under the trampoline and dig in her dirt pile.  It had rained just enough to make it a little damp with a few shiney mud spots.  She squated down to dig with her spoon and I noticed it was so pretty with the halo effect of the sun behind her.......until I noticed the water her foot was in was moving.  Hmmm....that's funny....  She moved to a more promising looking dirt pile and I noticed the shiney place was still moving.....and coiled!!!  She had been standing on a snake!  Here I come running and yelling and she knows this is a new game so she runs away from me....BACK ON TOP OF THE SNAKE!!!  Lyssa decides it looks like a neat game to her too so she runs to get under the trampoline too. 

Most of you know I'm not too skinny.....or for that fact, not too young, but I can hoof it if I see a snake.  There's no such thing as a nonpoisonous snake.  I know in my own mind there are only two kinds of snakes:  Boa Constrictors and King Cobras.  This had to be a King Cobra. 

After running around the trampoline, trying to get Kayla to come out, I had to crab-walk under the thing to pull her out.  By that time I had Lyssa under there too.  With a kid under each arm, I crawled back out and threw them in the house.  I armed myself with a shovel and went back out to kill the deadly beast.  Of course, after it had been stepped on at least two or three times, it had made tracks out of Dodge.  By tomorrow my heart rate should be back to normal.  All I can say is if you wanted to be rich you should have been at my house early this morning with a camcorder.