Snake!

Tuesday
This morning I had a dentist appointment- just for a routine check-up and cleaning. Unfortunately, it was really poor timing, as Roger told me later I was just reversing down the driveway when our son Philip called from the Marshall Islands! The extremely long time difference makes for limited opportunities to speak on the phone, and it had been ages since we’d heard from him, so I was really frustrated at having missed him, but at least Roger got to speak with him. He had tried several times Sunday morning, but of course we were out at church and bible study! Anyway, I got a clean bill of health at the dentist and a thorough cleaning, then went on to the “Y” for a swim.
In the afternoon, we were out in the garden - I was putting the rest of the plants in, and Roger was doing other jobs, when he was suddenly surprised by this large snake! We have occasionally seen snakes in the garden before, but I think this was the biggest we’d seen! Fortunately we don’t have many venomous snakes in Ohio, and I believe this is a harmless Northern watersnake, which can grow up to 4 feet long. It had been near the patio, and we watched it slither along the ground till it disappeared under the bush between us and the neighbours.
One year ago: Flowers in the grove