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Monday, July 2, 2018

a hot weekend in Texas...



Timber Rattlesnake


My friend who lives out in Anna, TX (about 45 mins. from Dallas) caught this Timber Rattlesnake in a trap a few days ago. They were trying to catch a possum or raccoon that was after their chickens, but caught this instead. She emailed me the picture and her husband called my son who is the Curator of the Herpetology Dept. at the Dallas Zoo.  He drove to her place and picked it up. 






Mama raccoon and her 2 kits in our backyard 

This mama raccoon brought her 2 babies to our backyard this past week.  The 3 feral kittens were fascinated with the raccoon kits.

And there's no getting around it... it's HOT! We hit triple digits this week and are continuing to go there. There is some news that perhaps we will have rain on the 4th which will lower the temp just a bit. The feral cats have been laying under the fan on the back porch and we make sure that there's plenty of water out there.

I think the comments notification is fixed... or at least partially. Some come to my email now... and some don't.  But I guess some is better than none. 

And I'm posting a pic of a mug I threw using a new glaze (new for me). I like the way it looks on Spectacular clay (which is a red speckled clay). Trying it this week on T-mix (which is white). 



Blue Rutile glaze on Spectacular clay

This is the only pottery pic I will post here. I think the glaze is interesting, but those of you that would like to see more can click on my pottery blog (and if you do, please leave a comment so I'll know if that blog notification needs fixing too). I have more 'chickens in progress' pics posted there. Pottery blog is at top right under text: New Blog!

And I hope to post again for the 4th! But if not, know that I wish you all a Happy Safe 4th of July ! (and since my birthday is on the 6th... I'm happy to have made it to another year!!

As always, thanks for reading...




19 comments:

  1. Looks like the snake can easily escape from the cage.

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    1. It does, doesn't it? But he was still there when my son went out to pick him up.

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  2. I'd freak over the rattler. I don't mind snakes, but we don't have deadly ones in my part of the world. The raccoons are cute, though I'd give them a wide berth, especially a mom with little ones. 🙂

    Have a great week and keep cool!

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    1. We do get rattlesnakes and some copperheads and water moccasins around here... but unless you step on or surprise one, they usually go their own way. The raccoons are cute... but they are wildlife, so we do give them their space.

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  3. Happy pre-birthday wishes! Stay cool out there. We haven't hit 70 degrees all week while it's burning out everywhere else. :-)

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    1. Besides the heat, apparently we're getting dust from the Sahara dessert too! Lucky us! I'm happy to hear that you're staying cool out there...

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  4. Yikes on the rattler. He doesn't look very contained. Glad he stayed put.
    Glad you are taking care of the hot cats and raccoons. I feel for all the animals when it gets this brutal.

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    1. It's hard to imagine he couldn't get himself out of that trap... but he didn't. Perhaps he ate too much and his stomach wouldn't fit?

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  5. I don't think I could manage finding a snake in a trap...I'd run screaming to the nearest real estate agent to sell the property. Yes, that's how frightened I'd be.

    The glaze is lovely. I'll pop over to the other blog to see the rest.

    Stay cool (or at least as cool as you can)
    Eileen

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    1. It was kind of weird the way he couldn't get out... but now he has a nice home at the Dallas Zoo with a regular feeding schedule.
      And thanks for checking out the pottery blog!

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  6. Oh my gosh! A Timber Rattlesnake! We have plenty of snakes but they're Rat Snakes and black snakes, and that is scary enough. The raccoons are so cute. I worry about the animals too in this heat wave we are in. It was 97 degrees here and humid today. Hope we don't reach the triple digits like you have. I would air condition the little chicken house if Poppy would let me. :)

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    1. DH helped my daughter put up fans in the stables for the horses. And her chickens go there or under her house where it's a little cooler.

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  7. Hope all survive the heat wave with no ill effects!

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    1. We will. The heat just makes me tired...

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  8. Dear Rian, happy birthday and may this coming year bring you many opportunities for growth in the human spirit that unites us all.

    I'll go to your new blog on pottery. The cup in today's posting is lovely. That speckled/blotched effect just delights me. Peace.

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    1. Thanks, Dee. I do read your blog faithfully, but don't always respond. I'll try to do better there.

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  9. The rattlesnake looks like it is escaping, though on closer look I see the body is too big for an escape. Good an expert came and got it. That glaze is beautiful. Stay cool.

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  10. Wow, that would definitely be a scary site if I ever had a rattlesnake that close to my property. It has been very hot this week, hope you enjoy the rest of your week. Thanks for the share.
    World of Animals

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