Welcome to Snakes in the house

We had mice. They are gross. Kinda cute, but totally gross. So I cleaned. Cleared out closets, dressers, cabinets and so on. Got two cats. Mice population went way down. I joked with Tractor Man that we needed to get a snake and let it loose in the walls.
Not two weeks later my middle son backed out of his room saying, "No. There is a snake." I barely believed him. I open the door and guess what? Yup. There really is a huge long snake on their dresser.
I'll admit. I kinda freaked. I mean.. it's not a tiny snake. I called Tractor Man's father and he came over. We tried to kill it, which I'm not proud of. Super snake is ticksy though and it hid somewhere. Which left me with a hidden snake in my children's bedroom. Delightful.
Tractor Man left work early to rescue his city girl from the terrors of a rat snake. He's dreamy like that. Of course by the time he gets home we have lost the snake and everyone is hiding on our bed. He sits my boys down and explains that the snake is safe and likely terrified. And almost certainly it has escaped through whatever hole it came in. And it worked! My children, ages 4, 9 and 10 went to sleep that night without worries. Tractor Man told them they were safe, so they were.
And I guess I got my wish. I believe a snake lives in our walls. I like to think it is keeping us safe from mice. I have not seen another mouse ya know. (No "evidence" of mice either.) My kids decided he's our friend and part of the family. His name is Fred now. He lives here. I guess. Oh, and apparently I was not supposed to kill him. I was supposed to put on gloves and pick him up and put him out in the yard. Because picking up wild snakes should be the obvious answer. Now I know.
"Welcome to the country"

Welcome to the Country

I hear it at least once a day. I hear it when a snake has gotten in my children's bedroom. I hear it when a giant, presumably man-eating, spider is in the bathroom. I hear it when thousands and thousands of delicious blackberries grow in the yard. "Welcome to the Country."

I was a city girl. I've never lived anywhere like this before. This is an honest to goodness farm. And I live in the middle of it. In a shack. In the woods. I came here to find myself. To reconnect with the woman I let go of a long time ago. I came because I want my children to understand where food comes from and what hard work means. I came because of heartbreak and love. It's beautiful and hot and sometimes scary and painful. And it's mine. My country. Even though I have never lived anywhere like this before, my soul said, "I am home" when I arrived.

So welcome. Welcome to the story of a city girl moving to the country. Of learning to garden and can. Of battling snakes and stray cows. Of love and healing.

Geography is important. More important than I ever knew. I need to be here. Right here on this very farm.