Finally Fall

And I am loving it!
Southeast Ga doesn't really get 4 seasons. More like 3, maybe. lol

Days will climb to the 80's even in November down here, though the nights
get cool and require heat and plenty of blankets. Anyway, slowly but surely,
we are seeing the leaves change and the weather become cooler.

The last hurricane left us with an overflowing pond (no pics, sorry) that is
STILL over full. In the year we've lived here, the small fingerling fish have
become bigger, but we have yet to see evidence of grown fish. We speculate
that a turtle is eating them before they make it to adulthood.

We're considering having a cousin try to fish it out, if it's there. Dh's health
doesn't permit him to do much other than go to work and rest (so he can keep
going to work). He has PKD, and is on the Mayo transplant list at Jacksonville.
See Untangling the Skein at blogspot for that.

On our fish feeding journey the other day, we were emphasizing again to Drake,
who is now 9, to always, always, always watch where you step, even later in the
day/evening. Sure enough, on the way back to the house, he gasped and stuttered
 and finally managed to say "Snake!".

It was a ground rattler, about 14 inches long, just lying in the path, stretched out.
It never coiled up, or tried to slither away, but played dead, as they sometimes will.
We stepped waaaay around it and called for Cousin Donnie, who was on our property
at the time looking for snakes (he sells them, got $60 for one).

He came, held it down with a boot, and lopped off its head with a knife. No rattles, but
the customary yellow tail. Thought at first it was a copperhead because of that, but
the pattern was all rattler. Drake got to see the fangs on the tiny head, and even
touched the body of the snake. Great learning moment!

Donnie did not find any other snakes here, in 3 days of searching. Go figure!

Last night, we came in from a late soccer game and supper to see a gray fox trotting
away from the back door area, where I had tossed some leftover pizza. There is a cat
we've seen that I thought might come and eat it, but it was a fox last night. It had the
bushiest tail!

We see lots of wildlife here, and love every bit of it.
Deer, fish, turtles, rabbits, and foxes, we've got it all! (well, no turkey's so far, but I'm hoping)

Happy Fall, Y'all!