Snakes, Snakes, and more snakes!

In our little rental house, snakes were one method of pest control. Not that we chose the option, it came with the house! Every fall the snakes slither under the house to spend the winter. They never came into the house, thank goodness, but we knew they were beneath our feet. The good part--lots of snakes, very few mice!

Spring, sunshine, and warmer weather brings these little creatures out into the open. They stay in the flower beds, or peer from under the house, basking in the warm sunshine. Naturally, when the snakes come into view, the grandkids (and Poppa) spring into action. Deegan caught all these snakes to play with. (There were more, but we had to be mean and tell him not to catch any more snakes.)

Does he look a little happy with his new friend?

Sy had to check out these new little discoveries. At first she didn't mind touching them, then the inherited "girliness" kicked in and she wouldn't hold the snakes again.

Roux had mixed emotions. He kept wanting Deegan to catch the snakes and for Poppa to hold them, but Roux was a little hesitant to do the catching and holding. After several exposures to the snakes, some coaxing and cheering, he touched, played with, and finally held a snake.

It won't be long until the snakes leave for their summer slithering grounds, and it won't be long until we leave this little house. It is tempting, after seeing how much the boys loved the snakes, to take some snakes with us and find a nesting spot for them-as long as it isn't under the house.

Septic System

The last step before getting our final inspection for moving in was to install the septic system. Now, for you folks living in the city who don't have a clue about where waste water goes when you can't tie into a city sewer line, that is what a septic system is for. The waste water, and other stuff, drains into an onsite septic tank and drain field. It is a little gross if you stop to think about it, so just don't think about it!!

The system is designed by a specialist, reviewed by the local branch of the state environmental agency, and if all is according to code, approved for installation. This is done before you even get a building permit. Some people believe the system is just a big tank that is dropped into a hole in the ground. Not so!!! There is a tank, but so much more!

One of the six trenches for the drain field. We had to wait until the ground was workable enough to dig before tackling this project. Once the tank was in, the trenches were dug and drain/filter pipe was set in place. (Notice all the rocks? We have an abundant supply of them!)

More trenches--and rocks!

The tank that the trenches branch off from.

Kind of a mess! Once everything is in place, the county environmental inspector comes to give the final word. Luckily, we passed without having to make any adjustments or modifications. We were actually very relieved since the water level is higher now than it was when we had the original drainage testing. Now that it is official, everything gets covered back up and we schedule a final inspection for a letter of occupancy.