This time of year is always hard. Everyone is a little cranky. Students and professors are trying to finish up the semester. The rest of us have reports and such...and I am trying to pack my things as I approach my graduation at the end of January. Yes, I am graduating from the world of "working for the man" and into the world of "working on the projects I have been putting off for 25 years or so."
It wasn't difficult to choose to take a nice long therapeutic walk with the puppies this afternoon. I left the office and called TDW to see if he was planning to take Stanley, Hugo, and Ruby to the park. We set up a time and I rushed home to change and load up the pups.
Then I sat in traffic.
We live in a small town. There's not supposed to be traffic, at least not traffic like this. The problem is that the town is growing and so the construction to serve that growth is happening all at once. There is no way to get into town or leave town (or drive through town, for that matter) without being stuck in traffic. Today I managed to sit waiting for one light to change three times...too many slow-moving vehicles ahead of me resulted in a frustrated driver and dogs who were a little anxious in the back seat.
By the time we reached the park, TDW and his pups were well into the meadow. Paddy and Scruffy were wild with the great weather (the rain was holding-off) and all the exciting smells in the field.
We could hear distant thunder. We were warned of scattered storms for today and wild weather tomorrow. Even our thunder-fearing dog was unconcerned...after all, we were 5 dogs and 2 people heading for the creek!
We found the path through the tree-line (it indicates the location of an old fence). The dogs were impatient with us and moved back and forth through the trees. I started ahead of TDW and saw a bright flash of green. I jumped back as my brain registered - SNAKE - and my mouth exclaimed a word one doesn't teach one's children.
TDW has seen me fall (once flat on my face) and slip and impale myself on thorns. He didn't see the snake at first and rushed to see if I was hurt. "No," I laughed. "It is only a grass snake. It just scared me." The snake was a beautiful green with a bright red tongue. He did his snaky thing, curling up and pulling his head back as dogs and men passed. Then he turned and headed back up the twig and we continued toward the creek.
OF COURSE I forgot my camera today! But TDW did not forget his. All the photos in this post are his.
The creek is still low - we haven't had that much rain, yet. We were able to skirt the puddles and head a good way down the creek.
My eyes scanned the creek bed - to keep from slipping and to watch for fossils. It was a success. I didn't slip until climbing up the bank (and then I had some help) and I found another chunk of a nautiloid.** This one is 4 inches by 2 by 2. Someday I will find a whole one! But for now I am teased by the creek.
The dogs moved in multiple directions and TDW headed up to the field after them. I started to climb a particularly steep spot of the creek bank when Paddy decided she wanted a cookie and sat directly in my way. I reached down to pet her and try to move her to one side or the other. Then she started sliding and pushing me back down the bank. I didn't know whether to shout or laugh. The second attempt got us all safely to the level ground along the top of the bank.
And we headed back across this little bit of the prairie.
NOTES:
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_green_snake (OK. Ours was MUCH BIGGER than this one appears). NO, NO, NO, IT'S A ROUGH GREEN SNAKE see comments below.
**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nautiloid
***I know I have talked about fossils multiple times. I also know that I have forgotten to post any photos of those we have found. Watch this space for more fossil photos soon.
It wasn't difficult to choose to take a nice long therapeutic walk with the puppies this afternoon. I left the office and called TDW to see if he was planning to take Stanley, Hugo, and Ruby to the park. We set up a time and I rushed home to change and load up the pups.
Then I sat in traffic.
We live in a small town. There's not supposed to be traffic, at least not traffic like this. The problem is that the town is growing and so the construction to serve that growth is happening all at once. There is no way to get into town or leave town (or drive through town, for that matter) without being stuck in traffic. Today I managed to sit waiting for one light to change three times...too many slow-moving vehicles ahead of me resulted in a frustrated driver and dogs who were a little anxious in the back seat.
By the time we reached the park, TDW and his pups were well into the meadow. Paddy and Scruffy were wild with the great weather (the rain was holding-off) and all the exciting smells in the field.
We could hear distant thunder. We were warned of scattered storms for today and wild weather tomorrow. Even our thunder-fearing dog was unconcerned...after all, we were 5 dogs and 2 people heading for the creek!
We found the path through the tree-line (it indicates the location of an old fence). The dogs were impatient with us and moved back and forth through the trees. I started ahead of TDW and saw a bright flash of green. I jumped back as my brain registered - SNAKE - and my mouth exclaimed a word one doesn't teach one's children.
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| This guy was big for a grass snake.* DH (not a fan of snakes) said it looks suspiciously like a bamboo viper (a "two stepper" - you may take two steps after you are bitten before you fall down dead). I am glad DH was not on the walk today. I should mention that the dogs ignored the snake and it ignored them. |
TDW has seen me fall (once flat on my face) and slip and impale myself on thorns. He didn't see the snake at first and rushed to see if I was hurt. "No," I laughed. "It is only a grass snake. It just scared me." The snake was a beautiful green with a bright red tongue. He did his snaky thing, curling up and pulling his head back as dogs and men passed. Then he turned and headed back up the twig and we continued toward the creek.
OF COURSE I forgot my camera today! But TDW did not forget his. All the photos in this post are his.
The creek is still low - we haven't had that much rain, yet. We were able to skirt the puddles and head a good way down the creek.
My eyes scanned the creek bed - to keep from slipping and to watch for fossils. It was a success. I didn't slip until climbing up the bank (and then I had some help) and I found another chunk of a nautiloid.** This one is 4 inches by 2 by 2. Someday I will find a whole one! But for now I am teased by the creek.
 |
| Today's fossil - I will take better photos and repost with the others.*** |
 |
| Fossil - different view. |
The dogs moved in multiple directions and TDW headed up to the field after them. I started to climb a particularly steep spot of the creek bank when Paddy decided she wanted a cookie and sat directly in my way. I reached down to pet her and try to move her to one side or the other. Then she started sliding and pushing me back down the bank. I didn't know whether to shout or laugh. The second attempt got us all safely to the level ground along the top of the bank.
And we headed back across this little bit of the prairie.
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| Fall is beautiful. |
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| TDW takes beautiful photos - the red in the landscape. |
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| I love these beans - like flags along the stem of this plant. |
NOTES:
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_green_snake (OK. Ours was MUCH BIGGER than this one appears). NO, NO, NO, IT'S A ROUGH GREEN SNAKE see comments below.
**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nautiloid
***I know I have talked about fossils multiple times. I also know that I have forgotten to post any photos of those we have found. Watch this space for more fossil photos soon.
In case you are curious, check out the bamboo viper:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.snakesoftaiwan.com/Viridovipera%20stejnegeri/species_viridovipera_stejnegeri.htm
Darn. I thought I had corrected this already. This snake was actually a "rough green snake - Opheodrys aestivus. Two of my biology friends (separately) mentioned the vine snake which led me to the correct identification. Now I have found a handy guide to snakes of central Texas. [I gave one to TDW for Chrismas and got myself one as well. It includes our snake so I considered it a sign.]
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