Monday, June 22, 2009

Being One with Nature ... is for the Birds

When Domenick and I lived in Hawthorne Heights New Jersey, we had a farmhouse on 1.5 acres of wooded land. We had deer passing thru daily and the most beautiful birds of all shapes and colors come to feed. It was amazing.

Five years ago we moved to sunny South Florida (where I grew up) and built a small home on what they call a zero lot line in a gated community surrounded by a golf course and preserves. We still wanted a little privacy so we picked a lot with the preserves backing our back yard.

Aaaah, undisturbed nature at it's best. ... Slap me now!

Since then, I have had 2 black snakes flaunting themselves in a small tree 8 feet from my front door, a possum trapped in my fenced in back yard, green frogs slapped against our glass doors nightly, a baby black snake swimming in our pool, a gator down the street in a pond and while I was trimming our palms a small banded snake hidden among the leaves making it's escape, just inches from my face. You think that would be enough to send us packing ...

just this past Saturday, Domenick and I were lounging poolside when I looked to my right, and freaked out! I jumped out of my chair and yelled for Rippy our Scottish Terrier to get inside ... As we approached to get a closer look, there, in our back yard, on our paver's, close to the pool, (where I stand every day watering my plants), was an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake! It was approx 4 to 5 feet long, very thick and making his way from my neighbors yard thru ours, back into the preserves.

I'm getting too old for this much excitement.

Priced to sell. An adorable little house, w/pool and a preserve in their backyard. It's Nature at it's best.