Sunday, July 16, 2006

A picnic and a rattle

Dad's company picnic was yesterday. It was fun, but so HOT! Even in the shade we were sweating rivers. Dad was there most the day, but Mom, me and Cindy went in the morning about 10, stayed long enough to eat lunch, then went home to the swamp cooler! At about 2:30 we returned to buy our BINGO cards and get a good seat. Every year I look forward to Bingo, even though I haven't won for over ten years I think! The last time I won was the last time the picnic was at the park instead of Diamond Guest Ranch, so I thought that since it was at the park again now, this was my year! Surely! But it wasn't. When I was little, the game I won on was the blackout. This year, I was one away from winning again on the blackout, but a little girl, who apparently didn't know that I was sposed to win, called out BINGO! So I again went home a little poorer than I started out, but it was fun anyway.
THE RATTLE
This morning, Cindy and I were sleeping in mom and dad's bed, when I woke up to dad coming in and saying "SHHH." Assuming he was going into the bathroom to take his shower, I rolled over and went back to sleep. Later, when I woke up, mom told me the real story. Apparently, dad had gone outside in the morning to poop-scoop after the chihuahuas when he heard a hiss/rattle sound. Knowing exactly what that sound meant, he ran quickly back into the house and grabbed his .45 (from his closet, which is why he was in the bedroom when I woke up). He ran outside and saw the rattler by the fence behind a cynder block. He then shot the rattler around the middle and, of course, buried the head.
It must've been a pretty old snake, as it had 10 buttons on it's rattle! Dad said that is the biggest rattle he's gotten from a rattlesnake. It's a good thing that Dad found the rattlesnake before one of the little chihuahua's or Missy or Smore did!

2 comments:

Cindy Loo said...

first thing mom told me this morning was "cindy i heard a gun shot so i ran outside" first thing i thought is why would you run toward a gun shot? but then she explained she knew it was dad in the backyard shooting something. hehe

Anonymous said...

Yeah the scary thing is that all the dogs were in the backyard at the time dad found the snake. and not only that, but dad had gotten the scooper and poop scooped and then was putting the scooper BACK when the snake rattled, which means it did not rattle the first time when dad GOT the scooper. with the dogs running around the whole time while dad scooped! and so so glad the dogs didnt find that snake! and dad had to herd all the dogs into the house BEFORE he could run and get his gun and then came back out and shot it. although after it was all over and I had come out after hearing the gun shot, we realized smore had pushed the back screen door open and had been IN the back yard while dad shot the snake. luckily he didnt go over to investigate what dad was doing.