Sharing a day in my life
Periodically I like to break away from the topics referring to my book, writing tips or reviews and give you a peek into my everyday life. This event happened last week and I’ve not laughed so hard in decades and I just had to share it with you all.
Some of you may have seen the video of this encounter which I posted on social media. If you have, well now you can read the story behind the video.
What to do on a day off?
Rarely do my husband and I have the same day off. When it miraculously happens, we leave our lives and responsibilities in the dust and escape on an adventure. Today the skies were blue, winds were calm and the sun was beaming upon us, telling us it was a great day to take the quad and dirt bike up to the top of Frazier Mountain. We agreed, packed a lunch and headed out the door.
The glorious ride to the top
Living at the base of the mountain and on a dirt road, we’re able to ride from the house on the dirt bike and ATV to the top of the mountain without loading them into the truck. It’s about a twelve-mile trek and took us just under an hour to reach the summit.
The climb up the mountain was rejuvenating. As we climbed higher, I could actually feel the stresses of writing, chores at home and all our responsibilities being left behind. I welcomed the soleness the mountaintop gave us. After turning off the bike and quad, we were mesmerized by the sound of the slight breeze whistling through the pine trees. We watched as they swayed lightly in the wind. A lizard catches our eye as it scurries across a rock. In the other direction, we snatch a glimpse of a bushy tail as a squirrel races up a tree. Up here nothing matters and life is good.
After spending the afternoon, exploring different trails and stopping for lunch it was time to head back home. My husband, Gordon leads the way on his dirt bike and I follow driving the quad. Becuase he likes to ride faster than me, he tends to be a quarter-a-mile-ahead. Taking my time, I make a turn on a sharp bend, only to see my husband standing in the middle of the road, waving his arms above his head. I can tell he is yelling at me, but with the noise of the quad bellowing in my ears and a helmet on my head, I have no idea what he is saying and continue to ride. If I get closer, I’d be able to make out what he is saying. Right?
Gordon continues to wave his arms in a frantic manner and yells whatever it is he is yelling. In an attempt to communicate above the loud motor of the quad, I shake my head with my hand held up to my ear, indicating to him that I can’t hear him. In response, he shakes his head vigorously while rolling his eyes.
Finally, I hear the word “STOP!” blasting from Gordon’s mouth.
That got my attention and I came to an abrupt stop. With the motor still running, I holler back, “WHAT? WHAT’S THE MATTER?”
Gordon yells back, funneling his mouth with his hands, “THERE’S A SNAKE IN THE ROAD!”
“A WHAT?” I scream back.
You’d think by now I’d have the sense to turn off the quad so we could talk civil to each other, but I don’t and my husband has to continue shouting. “A SNAKE! YOU’RE ON A SNAKE!”
As soon as I heard the word snake, I began freaking out. Neither Gordon or I like snakes. In fact, we hate them. I follow his hand signals instructing me to back up, which I do only to hear more screams from Gordon. “OH NO! IT’S IN YOUR QUAD. THE SNAKE WENT INSIDE YOUR QUAD. GET OFF THE QUAD!” he yells in a frantic state.
Understanding what my husband was yelling, I jumped off the quad like it was on fire and ran twenty feet in the other direction. Oh and yes I left the quad running.
Avoiding the quad, Gordon races over to me, still yelling in a state of disbelief. “THERE’S A SNAKE IN YOUR QUAD. YOU STOPPED ON THE SNAKE. IT WAS ATTACKING AND HISSING AT THE TIRE. WHEN YOU BACKED UP, IT WENT INSIDE THE QUAD.”
At that point, we both began to laugh hysterically. Here we were in the middle of nowhere, both afraid of snakes and we have one hiding in my quad. After a meltdown of laughter, I tip-toed over to the ATV and turned it off. Gordon joined me and we began the search for the snake. After twenty minutes we finally found it in the back coiled up next to one of the shocks.
The dreaded task
Now that we had located the snake, our next mission was to figure out how we were going to get it out. I decided to stand back and film the event, while Gordon held his weapons – two sticks and approached the quad with caution. He kneels down and attempts to prod the snake with the sticks. But that only caused them to break. Now with shorter weapons, he tries it again, but not before stating, how much he hates snakes, while I’m laughing hysterically in the background. After twenty-minutes of prodding and banging on the quad, the snake finally uncoils itself and slithers away from the quad. Oozing with relief, we creep over to our unwelcomed guest, see he is a gopher snake and not poisonous, laugh some more and begin the trip home.
This was an adventure that will stay with us for many years and a good story to tell at gatherings. We also have the video to prove it which I’ve posted below. Enjoy.
Other days in my life you may enjoy
