Steer clear!

Beautiful, cool day. Spent the morning piddling around home. It was nice. Johnny is much better and mowed today. Jessica had to deliver a birthday cake for a friend here in town today then she came out here. We went to a local lake and walked about 2 and a half miles. Weather was cool and nice, clear blue sky. We were thankful this guy stayed in the water. This is a cottonmouth moccasin ( Agkistrodon piscivorus) , a semi- aquatic pit viper with a terrible temper. Their venom is extremely toxic and contains enzymes that destroy tissue. He’s called a cottonmouth bc of the white membrane lining his mouth. When agitated, which doesn’t take much, he opens and flashes that mouth. Stepping on him would make for a terrible day! Luckily this guy was in the water. He was rather sluggish probably bc of the cooler temps. Jess hates snakes but I think they are cool, at a distance. This one was more patterned than I’ve seen before. They are usually a dull gray. He may have just shed his old skin.
Johnny is home now and seems back to normal, praise the Lord! I’ve cooked a pot of great northern beans with a hambone and I’ve made cornbread. Now to settle in!
Be blessed!!