Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Adventures With Parents Who Are Armed


So, the other day I stopped to see my parents because they like seeing me and shit. The next thing I know I'm being led around back to Dad's massive burn pile. Once every five years Dad and one of my brothers throw a match on it and all of that yard and tree litter goes up in flames. Exciting stuff, unless the wind picks up. But that's beside the point. Thrown atop the pile was a six foot black rat snake with most of its head blown off. Of course I still had to poke it with a stick to make sure that it was really dead, all dead, completely dead. You know how reptiles can survive without a head or a body. At least I've heard tell of that sort of zombiesque phenomena. This snake was 100% dead. Once we established absolute death, Cree and I started examining it more closely. What remained of its head revealed that it died a violent death when Dad shot it. Other than that, there wasn't much left to do but heave it back on the burn pile and marvel and how much snakes, even expired ones, creep me out. Still, Dad was so dang proud of himself for killing it. He was sitting on the porch waiting to shoot the chipmunks that are digging through Mom's flower garden when BLAM.
End of story.

2 comments:

drollgirl said...

ack! he shot it's head off?!?!? he must be a great shot!

one time i saw my dad hacking a snake to death with a hoe. it was horrifying to behold. but then again, i want NOTHING to do with snakes. shudder.

jennifer from pittsburgh said...

He is a great shot. I saw him shoot a snapping turtle swimming in the pond one time. I fished the carcass out and he hit it in the head, from about 150 yds.
And Droll, I hate snakes too. Snakes and spiders. Spiders are the WORST!