Three Snakes, One Frog, and some Wood Bees

We have two hours left on the road back to Texas. A very short weekend visit to get much needed yard work done. Boy, the grass was up high since we were there last! The grass is really like clover, so it grows differently than St Augustine and rye, etc. It is also very wet when cutting so you will be covered from head to toe. By the dock at the lake, I got my first snake glimpse by accident. As my weed eater string hit the corner, I seen a bulge roll tight into a crack in the concrete.......I must have nicked it a little. I am scared of snakes, so I put my tool up and began to yell for help. Deanna came up and took care of the rest.......sorry I did not wait to know what kind it was. A little leery I continued to get the yard tasks complete. We also had the pool drained to the steps so we could finish up some pool requirements. Safety yellow now marks all the steps and the sitting area in the deep end. While trying to keep from falling into the water that was left, I noticed a tree frog watching me try and keep yellow paint from getting everywhere but where it was supposed to be. I literally had to pick him up and move him away to get to a spot I needed to be. As soon as I sat up, he was back beside me the curious little thing. About the time the painting was finished a storm blew in, Brian and I covered the areas with a tarp and took a break on the back porch of cabin #1. To our surprise a bee began swirling around Brian's head and of course a bumble bee is the thing that I am also afraid of. After some research it was found to be wood bees which have bored their way into the sofit on the back porch........ugh. Scheduling a pest control to kill bees is now on the agenda along with an electrician, ac guy, and pool guy. The vacation rental business is not for the faint of heart for sure! Once the day was done, I took my shoes off, made me a whisky and coke and decided to sit on the back porch and take it all in. I had a neighbor there. A long black neighbor slithering slowly along the edge of the porch and to think I was barefooted! I yelled out to Brian who came to my rescue but said it was only a rat snake and by the time all that was said he creeped his way off the porch-hopefully to eat rats! Still having more to do to finish up this morning, Brian took over the weed eating like a mad man and I untaped all the paint and added some cute flower adhesives to cheer up the safety yellow step markers. My frog friend was there as if to approve my work. I gave him a pat and he leapt off. In Brians fury with the weed eater closer to the river's edge he whacked a water moccasin off and never stopped weed eating. Oh, the fun times to be had at the Ridge!