So -- on to weed-whacking.. I've had some requests to show a photo of me dressed up in my weed-whacking getup -- so here's a selfie I took before doing the rest of my driveway, aka Faranuf Trail --
And yes, my gloves are missing from this photo -- I forgot to put them on, though I wear them all the time when I use the string trimmer.. But besides, that, my ensemble is all there -- starting from the bottom, my boots, snake guards, long pants, long-sleeved shirt for protection against things flying up in the air during use of the weed-whacker (like small rocks and branches), my special harness to hold the weed-whacker (using both shoulders, not just one as with the harness that came with the Stihl string trimmer), mask so you don't breathe in flying grass/weeds, goggles, and all-around-the-brim hat. The only thing missing (besides the gloves) are ear plugs, recommended by a friend here, but I've never had a problem with the noise (what's that, you say? Speak up! ) So I weed-whacked for about an hour and a half --- and now Faranuf Trail has more space on the edges so you don't scrape the sides of your vehicle when going down the driveway. Though I still have to cut the odd mesquite branch...After that I futzed around with my bike computer; I'd lost an important screw when it dropped from the back deck onto the back yard grass; I thought I'd put the computer on the bike while out on my back porch -- not a good idea as the floor boards have wide spaces between them, so the screws kept on dropping through the spaces (doh!) But the screw was lost, so I picked up a replacement screw from a hardware store in Douglas, used my power screwdriver to put in the screw -- and the screw got stuck, I couldn't unscrew it, and I needed to do that to get the computer holder on the bike handlebar. Another DOH! So I checked Amazon, and it was a lifesaver once again as I found a replacement computer holder for only $13, as opposed to buying the whole kit and caboodle again for $35 when I didn't need the whole thing. Ok, now that I've bored you with that -- in the afternoon I was in the back yard, and noticed a hole, then noticed it was occupied. Upon tentative closer examination --
I breathed a sigh of relief as I knew it wasn't a rattlesnake -- but what was it? My first thought was a garter snake of some kind, but then I Googled Arizona snakes, and also got feedback from FB friends -- and after much debate decided it was a Big Bend Patch-nosed snake, completely harmless to humans -- and eats rodents and lizards, which is fine by me. I found out from a fellow on Facebook who lives in Portal and works at the Southwestern Research Station that Big Bend Patch-nosed snakes are found in the grasslands below Portal, while Eastern Patch-nosed snakes (which I considered this to be for awhile) frequent the area beyond Portal, in the Madrean zone. A friend who lives on a Montana ranch said snakes will keep away the rattlers -- which is reason enough to grant this snake "Faranuf Resident" status. However, one of its enemies is the Roadrunner, and I've seen 2 in the back yard, so... :o( Who knows what the outcome will be. Just before I headed out to meet friends at the Portal Lodge for dinner, I checked the hole where the snake was -- and it was gone. I looked around but couldn't see it. Apparently the Patch-nosed snake is a pretty fast-moving dude; I saw a YouTube video showing it looking around to excavate a hole, and it was like the video was on high speed, surprising for a snake. Here's one last look at the Big Bend Patch-nosed, a closeup on its head --
Then I had dinner with good friends, made arrangements to pick up a friend and visit the rare-for-Arizona Ruby-throated hummingbird at Rick Taylor's place in Whitetail Canyon -- and called it another successful, fulfilling day..
No comments:
Post a Comment