Really Man, What's Your Hang Up

February 13, 2022

Really Man, What's Your Hang Up

Okay, this guy was old like no one I've ever seen; we're talking Methuselah old. He was long in both tooth and tail. His shadow had given up the ghost many summers ago. He was also cranky as all get out - no, he was more than that, he was cranky and grumpy and belligerent all rolled into one - exuding spit and venom with every minute that passed. Geez dude, what's your hang-up anyway? I asked. He just kept right on, "tchchchchchchchch...," shaking his rattle in that grumpy old man way as a warning to keep off his patch of dirt road. He may have retreated well into the brush by then, a deep covering and tangle of branches and leaves beneath an equally ancient lemonade berry bush visually obscuring his exact location, but the "tchchchchchchchchch" invective continued to roll along, pinpointing his spot undercover.

Whatever man, you need to mellow out, I think. Where is all that nonsense going to get you, anyway? You could have kept on sunning yourself, I would have given you space, stopped for a photo and then continued on, no harm done to anyone. But no, you've got to get all angry and defensive... there was no point anymore, he was beyond seeing the reality of the situation, beyond caring to even consider the reality, so I left him with his anger, his "tchchchchchch..." only fading with the distance as I rode away.

Sorry, no photo of this guy, he quickly got off the road, into the shadows and out of sight in the underbrush. He was a pretty typical full grown Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, very dark coloring, hefty girth, more than three foot long, and making a whole heck of a lot of noise. Then there was this little guy (a typical gopher snake, i'm guessing); with this streak of warm / hot and dry weather, they are coming out of their burrows all over the place, so keep your eyes open.