So, 2020 has not exactly started the way that we all had hoped for…

It has however slowed us all down and made us appreciate life more.

Perhaps never before have we appreciated living where we do more than we do now.

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Both of us remain employed, working from home which we both enjoy immensely. Less commuting gives us more time, which we take full advantage of on our daily photo-safaris around Rott’n Manor. Spring time means so much variety of flora and fauna in our yard.

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And Mary seems to be enjoying cooking. Fortunately, we have quite a few smaller local “farmers markets” nearby that have online or phone ordering and curbside delivery…fresh produce, meat, and even some dairy, all locally source!

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Pete is in danger of running out of “honey-do” projects, nah.

And despite all of the human activities, the critters are still able to get in their naps.

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Rott’n Manor’s Wild Kingdom

Charrie found a large beautiful Rat Snake sunning itself in the yard of Rott’n Manor this afternoon. I was able to grab my camera and follow it around to get a few great shots of it.  Depending on the source this either an Eastern Rat Snake, a Black Rat Snake or a Gray Rat Snake.  I’m just going to say it’s a Rat Snake and leave it at that… an non-venomous species that is welcome to hunt at Rott’n Manor.

When I first approached it, Charrie had irritated it a bit by batting at its tail and it was posed in typical Rat Snake fashion, frozen in wrinkled kinks and giving off a foul-smelling musk.  As it moved off thru the grass, it vibrated its tail in dead leaves trying to mimic the sound of a rattlesnake. And finally, it climbed a tree showing its’ full length, off hunting for its lunch which could include birds, eggs, lizards, frogs, chipmunks, squirrels, mice, rats and other small mammals.

Links:
http://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/elaobs.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantherophis_obsoletus