Badass Mom

I am a Badass Mom. Ya know why?  I caught this rattlesnake!! And I did it with a pole and my bare hands.  Riley was there with the bucket to put over top, so I gotta give him some credit too.  It was actually Riley who helped the most.

He wanted to get the snake out. He was gonna do it, so I panicked and had to intervene. This cute little venomous creature was nested up in the rocks in our backyard.  I cannot believe I caught a rattlesnake.  Really… but I did.  

The kids found the snake; they heard it rattling while climbing the stairs. It was nestled up near the playground.  I was gone at the moment and there was a babysitter at the house.  

They had sent some messages, but I was busy and didn’t really look close enough to understand what was happening.  When I got home and saw the snake, that it really was a rattlesnake, My alarm bells sounded.  

And to add that I saw where it was in relation to kids playing and how easily it could leap out and bite a child… my mommy alarm bells started to sound like sirens.  Something over took me that said I must remove this snake.  

It was positioned in the rocks directly along the stairs that lead up the higher level of the backyard. The kids climb up and down these stairs to get to the playground. This is an all day activity in the summer.  This was just the beautiful sort of day full of kids playing in the backyard.

They were all going up and down these stairs. Not just my kids either, but friends from the neighborhood.  In the few seconds after I realized how close and dangerous this snake was, in my mind flashed several scenes of a small child passing by.

I could see on their way to the playground and then being attacked by the snake on route; a bite, the poison, the child falling and screaming and crying and then passing out lying on the rock steps in my backyard dying.  I had to get rid of it asap. 

What do I do?  Well in days past… I would have called out, “ There is a rattlesnake! “GRAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNTTTT!!!!!, Come get it! “  And I would have gathered the children around me while he captured the snake.  But, I have no Grant.

What I do have is lots of kids, grave danger and a kid who kept wanting to play with it and make it his pet.  So I had to act fast.  The mamma bear… the fierce mamma… the badass… well she appeared and got to work.  How do we do this?  How do we stay safe? 

How do I keep the kids far enough away while they are enthralled with the hunt???   Do they realize how dangerous this is???   The thoughts raced as I put together a plan to restore safety to the backyard playground.  In this frenzie, I felt like it was all up to me.

The lives and safety of the children rested upon me and me alone in this moment… There were other options.  I just didn’t know of them yet, and all I could think about was getting that snake out before a child went near the steps. 

With all of them gathering around, wanting to see and get close and look; I needed to secure the area and there was no waiting for that.  So here’s what I did.  I got the water key to the main water line.  It’s a long metal bar about 8 feet long.

Its narrow enough I thought I could get it into the crevice, hook the snake and throw it out of the rock while keeping a safe distance.  I told Riley to go get a clear container to put over it when we got it out.  

We prepared for his role by outfitting him in winter pants, coat, and gloves along with eye glasses and a hat.  I wasn’t about to let him get near without covering.  That way if the snake did lurch, it would have to get through a lot of layers first. 

Me, I was barefoot in shorts and really only concerned about getting the snake out as safely and quickly as possible.  I went to the top and tried to fling it out from the top of the rocks so I wouldn’t be in any line of danger whatsoever. 

The angle wasn’t good enough for me to grip it; so I decided to come down, perch on the top of the stairs and work my way down close enough that the pole could get into the rock crevice.  It worked.  I got close enough, hooked the snake, flung it out of the hole.

It landed safely on the grass.  It didn’t move from the landing spot, probably a bit stunned.   As soon as we got it out, I yelled to Riley, “Cover it!”  He ran over close enough in all his winter attire in the dead of summer heat to throw the container over it. 

It was a perfect throw and it landed square on top of the snake.  He was contained.  I carefully slid the lid on the bottom, all while the snake was rattling up a warning that would have scared all the squirrels away.  He told us just how unhappy he was.  

I got the lid under it without hurting it, turned the container over and the snake fell to the bottom.  I secured the lid.  Success!  I exhaled, feeling like perhaps I was holding my breath through the whole thing.  

We had caught a rattlesnake! Everyone was safe, unharmed and the playground was again accessible to the children.  Without the dread of all the possibilities of this snake bite and the venom and all the other horrible things my mind conjured up just moments before. 

Riley was ecstatic and wanted to keep the snake for a pet… yeah no way.  I asked some friends what to do.  I then learned that they are a protected species and animal control will come and remove them…  

Ahhh… well the things you learn after putting your life in danger to save your children.  Well, now I know.  They came and got the snake and I’m sure it’s in a happy place now enjoying the warm sun. 

Me?  Well I did something I never thought I would ever do. Had I been asked, I would probably say there’s no way I could do it.  Yet, I know that the courage I felt came from several places in me that have grown deeply since Grant’s death. 

The safety of the children, I really will do anything it takes to keep them safe.  It was this overwhelming natural instinct to protect.  I learned that I do the hard things that come with running a household on your own.  When everyone depends on you, you become dependable, capable and experienced in doing more things than you knew there were to do.  

Faith and intention is greater than fear.  My faith that I would do anything to create safety and faith that I would accomplish this task prevailed.  My intention was to protect.  With those as the motivation, I knew that I would do what needed to be done.  

And I did, and I do everyday, whether it’s a venomous snake, fixing the toilet or just learning to live on my own.  When it’s those quiet times, I wish I could smile and laugh with you.  

All the changes seem like they still haven’t ended, and yet, I feel capable.  I’m still willing to learn and submit myself to what is, and love what it is, cause I can be a badass.