Rattlesnake...

I read all the blogs and listened to everyone's warnings and knew that living in Texas in the oilfields meant the possibility (or probability) of running into a rattlesnake.  But, I didn't think one was thinking of moving in with us!  Last night about 8pm I had just started to open the screendoor to put something outside when I noticed a strange shadow across the drive just a few feet in front of our steps.  I had to stare at for a few seconds because I didn't remember a shadow like that in the flood lights before.  Then it moved!  I yelled "what the h--- is that" and Jim ran over to look, sure enough it was a 4' rattlesnake moving towards the steps!  He went outside, it stopped and then he grabbed the shovel and tried to hit it, it coiled up to strike and then headed for the brush, he finally hit it and then cut it's head off.  Don't get me wrong, we don't want to kill something even a snake if it stays out in the brush, but when it heads for us, whose to say it won't again so we had to kill it. 

The creepy thing is, that even with it's head off it moved and coiled and tried to rattle for over half an hour.  I read that you put mothballs under your rig so we did that several days ago so that didn't work.  David, our field service tech, came to fill our diesel tanks about 9pm, he took the snake and said that maybe they like the heat generated by the motorhome or generator, who knows, maybe?

David weed wacked the taller weeds where we walk the dogs and I can't tell you how careful we will be from now on!!  Jim will go into Cotulla to the Ace Hardware and get us some 1/2" mesh fencing that we can put along the step side of the motorhome so maybe we won't have to worry so much stepping out of the rig.

As for the well, traffic has slowed down now that they are finishing up odds and ends and the latest guess is that it will be another 3-4 weeks but again, that's just an estimate.

Take care and watch where you step!

Interesting Things...

Ok, so it's been an interesting couple of days.  First of all, Jim went to Dallas to visit our son Ben who has come from Vancouver, WA to do some training for his company.  Since we are on a gate that doesn't have night traffic it's probably one of the few times this would even be possible.  We miss everyone so this is a special treat!

The next thing is that they seem to be winding up here at the Crescent C well so the water trucks have been going back and forth hauling the water out of here and over to another well down the road a bit. In addition, folks I haven't seen before are here checking things out and deciding what to do next.  I'm assuming that we won't be at this gate much longer, but of course, we won't know that until time to leave.

Yesterday I checked in one of the guys, Jason, who told me to look in the back of his truck which I did. He had the biggest rattlesnake I have ever seen!  He measured it at 6' long and it was as big around as my arm.  It had been run over down the road so he stopped to pick it up.  Then, later in the afternoon just after I logged some guys into the gate they stopped down our drive about 50 yards and killed a rattler.  Now, I'm not a rattlesnake fan (though I do like some snakes) and can't see killing something just to be killing it but...I have to admit having it that close to us made me a bit nervous!  Now I have to start watching the dogs even more closely.

Then to add to the excitement, last night about 11pm while I was on the phone talking to my daughter in law, Cari, I heard my gate clink, then the dogs started growling.  I looked out the door and there was a guy in a cowboy hat with a pistol on his hip and carrying two rifles accompanied by a large dog coming through my gate.  I only had the screen door closed which was locked but you all know that doesn't mean much so I called out to him.  He said he had rolled his truck down the road and my lights were the only ones he had seen which makes sense! I told him to go back to his truck and I would call 911 and have them come to him.  Turns out that someone knows him and he's an alright guy and I feel bad  not letting him hang around here to wait but when I'm here alone and someone comes in with guns, call me silly but it makes me a little nervous.  Of course it didn't help that one of the trucks coming in saw what they figured were illegals on our dirt road!

Jim should be back this afternoon and things will probably calm down and nothing exciting will happen but that's Murphys Law, right? 

Be safe and watch for snakes!