The excitement continues at home

Published 8:39 am Friday, April 17, 2015

It seems lately like there is never a dull moment in the Hammons household.

Nothing could be further from the truth. But events over the last two weeks or so certainly would make the unsuspecting believe something is always happening.

Readers might recall last week that I thought I had a lawnmower stolen from the carport. A check with some immediate neighbors didn’t turn up any information about the mower’s possible whereabouts. However, another neighbor who had allowed us to borrow the equipment had retrieved the equipment just before I had returned home for lunch.

Well, early Monday morning, I received a frantic call at work from Gail telling me there was a huge snake that had made its way into the carport. She said she could not make out what type of reptile it was or if it was poisonous. Poisonous or not, Gail said she definitely wasn’t going to hang around and possibly find out.

It seems Gail had spooked the snake somehow after retrieving the trashcans from the road. Apparently the sound from the trashcans startled the snake. She said the snake lunged straight up at her.

She ran back in the house and called me. By the time she had gotten three words out of her mouth, I immediately realized something was up and it wasn’t anything good.

I called Bogalusa Animal Control, and two employees arrived on the scene a few minutes later. Neither saw the snake outside. They searched inside the house and the search came up empty as well.

The Animal Control employees said the snake was probably non-poisonous and thought it could have been a king, black or rat snake that wound up in the carport.

Gail said the snake had unique markings on its head and had colorings on its body. I’m surprised she stuck around long enough to notice those distinctions.

Our little chihuahua, Paco, apparently noticed the snake a little before Gail had. Gail said she had seen Paco jump straight up in the air from inside the house just before she took the trashcans to the street.

Obviously, the conversation on our way to the Washington Parish Council meeting in Franklinton later that evening centered around that snake. Early in the conversation, I understood her to say the snake was approximately 10 feet, long enough to equal the inside of the car. Later on, she said the snake was only about two feet in length. That is quite a difference, but I’m sure any snake in attack mode is certainly threatening enough.

We’ve had to change a few things around the house. We make sure no pet food is outside, and we make certain the door is closed all the way. We don’t want any slithery snakes making their way inside and making themselves at home.

We’re hoping next week will be uneventful. It’s too early to tell right now.

Randy Hammons is a staff writer for the Daily News. He can be contacted by calling 985-732-2565 or by email at randy.hammons@thebogalusadailynews.com.