Latest round of storms to hit Arkansas

Last Sunday night, Arkansas was hit by another round of tornadoes and flooding.  Thankfully, none of my friends or family were effected. 

We do have a storm shelter.  We have never had to use it.  In fact it's our "root cellar", where we store our dehydrated foods and such.

For more info on the how Arkansas was effected by the recent storms, please check out our local news station, KAIT8.  Storm surveys continuing for arkansas tornado

We got 7 inches of rain in our area.  The local town of Hardy had some flooding, along with all the other little towns along the Spring River.

Our friend who live in Ravenden found a cottonmouth (2 feet long) in their basement while there were sheltering from the storm.  NOT GOOD.  Luckily, it was stuck to one of those stick mouse trap things!  Damn!  It wasn't enough that they were in the basement, watching the river rise higher and higher... they had to worry about MORE snakes being in their basement!

Doggy misadventures

Yesterday started out well.  Miss Peanut and I went out and fed the birds.  Then she decided it was time to chase that chipmunk family around.  The poor little rodents live in the woodpile.  Peanut spends a lot of her time chasing them and and silly squirrel that comes anywhere near the yard.

I went in the house and got the laundry started.  I was checking out Facebook when Peanut came scratching on the front door (something she rarely does) and whimpering.  I opened the door and she hobbled in.  My husband John and I thought at first she'd stepped on a wasp or something.  Her right front leg and foot were very swollen.  When I looked at her leg more closely, I found 2 puncture wounds.  OH NO!  Snakebite!

I called the vet and we took her right over.  She was very short of breath, had lost her bowel control and vomited.  NOT GOOD.  When Dr. Donna Shaw gave her a thorough examination, it turns out she'd been bitten TWICE.  Cripes!

She spent the night at the vet's and should come home today.  She may need some further surgery if there's too much tissue damage.  Only time will tell.

Here in Arkansas, we have 6 different types of poisonous snakes.  Copper heads, water moccasins, timber rattlers, pygmy rattlers, western diamondbacks, and coral snakes.  Please folks, learn to recognize the snakes in your area and how to protect yourself from them.

We're not the type of people who kill snakes indiscriminately.  But, poisonous snakes are dangerous!

John spent a better part of the day yesterday trying to find where Peanut got bitten.  I don't know if it's good that he didn't find the snake or not. 

Our granddaughter, Ariel, will be coming to spend the summer.  Now I'm thinking about how to make her understand the danger.  I don't want to make her afraid of the woods.  But I do want her to understand that she can't go wandering off by herself.  In previous summers, she hasn't been allowed to play outside unless she was directly in view at all times; or if she was with one of us.   I had thought that she's now 10, maybe she could have more free range to play.  Maybe not.

Ariel lives in rural Georgia.  But she's not been living in the woods like this.  They do have copperheads there in Georgia.  I don't know if she's ever seen one or not.

We've lived here 7 years now.  We killed 1 pygmy rattler on the brick patio.  I killed a copperhead last spring by our big water tank.  We're assuming that's where the snake was that bit Peanut.  I guess I'll make sure to wear boots and carry my "ratshot" pistol whenever I'm outside now...  Damn I hate wearing boots when it's hot.