We may not raise livestock on our farm, but we have plenty of pets. Puh-lenty. Trust me. No matter how often I might entertain the idea of getting a lab or a retriever, we have enough pets. You’ve met Miss Bitty and Shaggie but today I’d like to introduce you to our most elusive pet, Blackie.
The Cotton Husband says that Blackie has been here as long as he has. Who knows? Maybe this is the original Blackie’s grandson or something. All I know is this: I hate mice. I hate rats. They give me the heebie-jeebies. (But notice that I can take close ups of this snake with no problems. How weird is that?) Blackie takes care of those icky mice and rats so that they don’t come into my house. God forbid they come into my house. I’ve been known to jump on tables and not remember how I got up there. And forget sleeping if there is a mouse scurrying through the house. Just the thought makes me shudder and makes the Cotton Husband laugh and laugh – unless I wake him up to hunt down the mouse. Then he doesn’t laugh so much. Then he calls me a big baby and gets slightly upset. So we both appreciate Blackie’s contribution to our farm.
Sometimes Blackie graces us with his presence. For instance, one day last week he came slithering into the yard and no matter what I did, he was determined to head towards the porch.
Nothing and I mean NOTHING was going to stop him. I tried picking him up with a rake and putting him back into the field but that just made him more determined. I went into the house to cook lunch and when CH came home Blackie was on the porch. Call me heartless but while I fully appreciate Blackie, I really don’t want him in my house.
Do any of you have what I’ll call “non-traditional” pets? I hope that’s the politically correct term. I don’t want to offend any pets out there. Let me know and the owner of the most “non-traditional” pet will win a $20 Magazine voucher for magazines like these:
But also Health, People, Southern Living and a whole mess of others.
Contest will end Thursday, June 12th EST. I can’t wait to hear from you!
.png "mentoring")
.png "footer1")
.png "footer2")
16 comments
Well, this may be a little strange. You know those bumblebees who seem to hover around the porch?
Every year they show up, guarding the entrances to our home. I name them. Herbie is the most recent protector of the entrance.
I think “non-traditional pets” is a good term. My husband and I currently have a bat living in our basement. Whenever we go down there, he seems to be hiding from us, so I guess he’s taken up permanent residence. My only real concern is that I don’t want to be startled by him; I just hate that.
At our last house, we also had an unfriendly possum living in the crawl space. He was a little slow (mentally and physically), so he didn’t scare off easy. I wasn’t too sad about leaving him behind…
(This is my first visit to your blog. Very fun! Love it!)
Our non-traditional pet would have to be the weasel. I wrote about him on my blog a few weeks ago. He’s still scurrying around our farm catching mice and even birds. The weasel drives our dog CRAZY!!!!! Since she’s a tripod catching a very fast weasel isn’t an easy task.
What a neat contest!
I just jumped over from PW. I am glad you like your pet… but I think I would rather let my cat take care of the mice and gophers. Since we got her three years ago there have been no more rodents. She even scours the country and hauls back her dead prizes for us, isn’t she so thoughtful.
I really enjoyed visiting your blog which I found via the comment you posted on my daughter’s blog…Busy with Boys/Forever in Blue Jeans. I think all us “country gals” have the same passion for family, growing, fresh air, space, quiet….I really loved one of your posts ith the fields growing away and the old barn. Love your father’s (or was it father in laws??) garden. I just had my morning cup of java and walked the plants. In my garden the potatoes are just setting flowers, and the peas are poking up.
Mary in Montana
I am loving these answers!! Also, welcome to Lindsay, Carin and Mary – gardens hold so much potential this time of year. I love watching them grow!
~Jenn
My father used to look after a pet Cheetah when he lived in Africa… Kind of a weird pet…
Blackie? ICK! I’m with Indy Jones when it comes to snakes!
Speaking of Africa, I believe one of my parent’s German Shepherds was eaten by a snake, so I’m not a fan!!
It was a Python, obviously. I think Blackie would be hard pressed to wolf down a dog that size!
Ok, the snake is nice for keeping the other yucky critters away,but I would have a heart attack and drop dead on the spot if that thing was on my porch when I opened my door! No weird pets just a crazy dog that digs holes so you can break your ankle when not watching where you are going!
Our most recent non-traditional pet is a juvenile possum that my ‘boys’ found in the backyard. Ruger was dancing around this little fur ball on the ground, and the fur ball? It was playing ‘possum’! Too darn funny too! I don’t think Polly Possum (named by my 10yo daughter) realized that ‘dead’ possums don’t hiss. ;o)
Oh yeah… came to visit you via PW.
Hmmm. Does an ex-husband count? Oops, someone’s already used weasel.
No real non-traditional pets here, except the squirrel we named Rascal who lives in our big Pecan Tree in the backyard. He climbs our squirrel-proof bird feeder and swings upside down, knocking all the birdseed below for his enjoyment. Dadgum little bugger.
What kind of snake is Blackie? He’s BIG.
He’s a blacksnake, Rhea. And yeah – he seems pretty big to me too!
And thanks for giving me a huge laugh, Ibartist! I love it!!
~Jenn
My husband and I have a mourning dove that hangs out with us all of the time. This has expanded to us calling every mourning dove that we see by his name, the most creative ever, Spot.
We have opened our home to an army of carpenter ants. First, we let them live in our laundry room, then we invited them to the kitchen to eat some of our walls, and now they are watching t.v. with us in the family room. Oh yes, we’re all about hospitality here.
Just jumped over from PW from your post…A snake no matter how benign and ‘helpful’ with the Critters/Varmits would give me the Heebie Jeebies and I would be up on a Table…or hanging from the chandelier…!
My non-traditional pets are a pair of Barn Swallows who built a nest on my front porch and return each year to raise their broods and catch my mosquitos…of which I obediently supply them with from my fish pond. It is fun to watch them sit, hatch, feed and teach the fledglings to fly. They like me so much that some of their friends came this year with them and built nests on my back porch…..hmmm I may soon be called the Bird Lady here in the neighborhood. I am already called the Dog Lady…LOL cuz I am always walking my dogs.
Have FFFFun with your pets. MoMo
[...] have cemetaries in their backyards so it doesn’t seem so weird to us. Then again, we have a pet blacksnake. So maybe I’m not one to comment on [...]