Our little bird did not last the second night.  I was sorry it died but wasn't really expecting it to live as long as it did.  It was just too young and still needed its mother.  We enjoyed its presence while we could.

One little black cloud.  Two little black clouds.  Three little black clouds rushing together to make one big thunder cloud right over our little hill.  The Monsoon it finally here!  Hurrah!  Hurrah!  Yippee! The whole sky to the south and east of us eventually turned dark and nasty with lots of rumbling and sparks of lightening.  We watched and "ooohed and awwwed." It is great to have the moisture again!


While we were watching the storm, a creepy critter close to the ground caught our eyes.  The first tarantula of the season.  She didn't like us coming close to take her picture.  She arched her back and raised her front feelers high in the air as if to say "Back Off!"  We did and she hurried under a nearby rock.


As the storm got closer and the sun faded we headed inside.  Just as the door was about to close behind me, Buddy started barking loudly and insistently.  I turned in the doorway and could hear the loudest rattling I have ever heard!  Yikes!  "We have a rattlesnake!"  I yelled to Steve and Sara.  Buddy was at the gate pacing and barking.  I didn't dare let him out.  I looked toward the pool but couldn't see anything.  I could hear him though, loud and clear.  Then I saw our cat, Mikie, jump away from the big agave by the pool.  And that rattling kept on going.  I grabbed a long handled rake from the garage.  Steve came out with the rifle and Sara with the big flashlight.  We crouched down searching the agave, the tree trunks and the cactus where the unique sound of danger continued.  Finally, Sara and I could see the distinct diamond pattern that gives the diamond back rattler its name. The body we could see was as thick as my forearm. But no head!  Where the devil is the head?  Then low to the ground, tongue flicking we saw it in the center of the beam from the flashlight.  Steve got the gun ready but said he couldn't see the head.  Sara, lower to the ground said, "I'll do it!  I can see it!"  Steve handed over the gun.  Sara tried to balance herself but got the giggles for a minute so she shifted and took aim.  "POP!"  A single shot. A perfect hit.  The rattling stopped and the snake slid into the hole it was poking its ugly head out of two seconds before.  What a relief!  We couldn't see any more because it was completely dark now and the thunder storm was getting ominously closer.  We vowed we would find the snake in the morning.


This morning we searched for the snake.  We found the hole and figured he was dead down there under the agave somewhere.  That is probably a good thing as the smell will be hidden under all that dirt.  Funny how big the snake has gotten with the retelling of the story though.  Steve told Shawna today that, "We only saw the thing because it was so big it was trying to eat my truck!"