Snakes Alive!

I should have known how the rest of the day would turn out when I found a little garden snake...dead...on the sofa table next to the jelly beans. Not having my glasses on, I had to ask Guy what it was -- it looked like a brown string to me! And I knew there was no way in Texas that it could be a snake; one that Astro had played with during the night and finally done whatever cats do to them (besides ingesting them.) After Papi disposed of it, I walked over to the sunroom to give my hugs, kisses and thanks to Astro for that little gift when I happened to look out the window of the sunroom, where my little Saint Francis of Assisi statue was -- in the midst of the rosemary. I noticed what looked like a "thin log" nestled in the midst of the rosemary and the statue. I called Guy over again: "Guy! Come here quick; come here quick; come here quick!"
Now, the whole scenario in a nutshell went like this: Guy and I tried everything to "move the snake." While it finally did move, it went to a corner and coiled itself up. Guy then tried to remove it using a)a brick which he threw at it and completely missed it; b)a piece of wood, with the same outcome; and c)FINALLY! Spraying it with water. It finally slithered away to the next door neighbor's empty backyard. Whew! It was a fast-moving rat snake, about 5 feet long. We now walk around a little more cautiously!