Isn't this cool?!?!

The 250 hedges that I ordered FINALLY came in on Wednesday. . . and I was lucky enough that Thursday was one of Gerald's off days this week - I think he'll say it was UNlucky! :) We got up early Thursday morning to get busy planting before it got TOO hot outside. While Gerald went and to get a tillar, I was walking around the yard. I noticed some strange looking little flowers along the edge of the ditch. The leaves look like Mimosa tree leaves. . . but I've never seen a flower like this before. The look like fireworks - the tips of them are a bright yellow - almost like they are on fire. Of course, I had to get out my camera. I took a few shots of the flowers and some other flowers around my yard and then I took my camera back in the house. I didn't put it back up - I set it on the freezer in the utility room.

I went back outside and walked around the yard and over by my studio I noticed a little shaded area under the pine trees that would make a good place for a Hosta bed or some kind of flower bed for plants that need shade. There is some Poision Ivy and other plants growing there - so that will have to be taken up - and there were also some little branches sticking off the pine trees. I started pulling off those little branches and as I was starting on the second tree, I reached down to grab a branch that was probably a foot off the ground. As I did, something green caught my eye. It was a little grass snake. I thought it was the prettiest shade of green.

NOW. . . if this had been a trantula or any type of spider - I'd have been in my house in under 3o seconds. . . and I probably would not have come out for the rest of the day - hedge planting or not! But snakes don't bother me much. I'm not fond of the poisionous ones - but this little grass snake was just cute! I yelled for Jackson to step inside and get my camera and "HURRY UP!" I was afraid the snake was going to leave with all the yelling I was doing! We had a little photo shoot with this small grass snake. I don't think the snake enjoyed it too much. He seemed a little freaked out by Jackson and I "up in" his space. He stayed on the little branch for several minutes and then finally he decided he'd had enough when Jackson started trying to pick him up. He slithered down the tree so quickly that we lost him for a minute. But we eventually saw him a few feet away. When we were planting the hedges near that area, I kept looking for his mama. I was sure he'd gone and told her how we'd been harassing him and I figured she was going to be after us! But apparently she was one of those moms that said, "Well, you KNEW bettter than to be there in the first place!" :)

After I downloaded my pics, I noticed in the pic below the snake had an "S" shape too it. So of course, it make me think of the KHaynes Sidewinders. . . and I had to make this little pic for our team logo! :) How perfect was it that it was a pretty little GREEN grass snake and our team colors are green and white?!?