THE HEAT'S BEEN BRUTAL, BUT THE ADVENTURES GO ON!

SNAKE CATCHING 101

WITH THE TEMPS REACHING AS HIGH AS 110 DEGREES, AND NO RAIN IN SIGHT, EVERYTHING IS DRY AND IN A VERY STRESSED STATE OF BEING! THE SNAKES ARE MOVING, TRYING TO FIND WATER...THIS HUGE BULL SNAKE WAS FOUND IN THE FRONT YARD, PROBABLY HEADING TOWARD THE WATER FAUCET ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE HOUSE...THE BOYS CAUGHT IT AND OF COURSE TOOK IT TO THEIR DAD FOR INSPECTION AND KUDOS. WHEN THEY LET IT DOWN AND THEN TRIED TO PICK IT UP AGAIN, IT BECAME VERY MAD, HISSING AND STRIKING! USING THEIR CAP, THEY WERE ABLE TO DISTRACT IT, WHILE ZACK REACHED DOWN AND GRABBED THE HEAD. HE'S A BIG 'UN!

ALMOST A 6 FOOTER!

HURRY UP, MOM, HE'S MAD!


ANNIVERSARY PRESENT!

FOR MY ANNIVERSARY PRESENT, DYKE PROMISED HE'D HELP ME FIND SOME MORE CHICKENS...I JUST LOVE WATCHING MY CHICKS PECK AROUND ON THE FARM AND OF COURSE, I LOVE HARVESTING FRESH FARM EGGS! OVER THE PAST YEAR, THE VARMINTS METHODICALLY PICKED OFF ALL OF MY BELOVED HENS, LEAVING ME WITH 4 LONELY ROOSTERS. (Dyke says the hens didn't last long because they were "free roaming" and not tucked in each night...)SO, THIS TIME, I AM GOING TO TRY HIS IDEA AND KEEP THEM IN THE CHICKEN PEN, AND PUT THEM ALL UP AT NIGHT. WE'LL SEE...

WE FOUND A "CHICKEN-MAN" IN SEYMOUR, TX JUST SOUTH OF US...WE HAND-PICKED 10 HENS, TRANSPORTED THEM BACK TO THE FARM IN MY ANTIQUE WOODEN CHICKEN BOXES, CLIPPED THEIR WINGS AND THEY SEEM VERY HAPPY IN THEIR NEW HOME. THE "CHICKEN-MAN" HAD 100's OF CHICKENS...IT WAS PRETTY RED-NECKY, BUT THEY WERE HEALTHY AND OF LAYING SIZE, SO IT WORKED OUT GREAT! IT'S A GREAT FEELING TO HAVE CHICKENS BACK ON THE FARM! DESPITE THE INTENSE, INSANE HEAT, THEY'VE STARTED LAYING ALREADY! NICE, LARGE, BROWN EGGS! YEE-HAW!

THE ROOSTERS ARE SO HAPPY NOW!



WE WERE ALMOST HOME FROM GETTING THE CHICKENS, AND WE SPOTTED A SNAKE IN THE ROAD. DYKE STOPPED AND I SHOT OUT, QUICKLY REALIZING IT WAS A PRAIRIE RATTLER...

IT WASN'T VERY BIG, BUT DYKE SAID IT COULD DEFINITELY KILL YOU WITH ONE INJECTION OF VENOM.

DRIVING LESSONS

ZACK'S BEEN DOING SOME PRACTICE DRIVING IN THE EVENINGS ON THE RIVER ROADS...HE'S THE ONE I AM WORRIED ABOUT...DURING THE ENTIRE TIME, HE'S SCANNING THE FIELDS FOR DEER, RABBITS, AND HOGS, OR CARRYING ON LARGE AND INVOLVED CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE BEST WAY TO CATCH THE BIGGEST CATFISH OR WHICH LURE IS BEST TO USE ON BASS, OR EVEN HIS NEWEST CHALLENGE - HOW TO CATCH A WILD HOG ON A FISHING POLE! HE'S NON-STOP JABBERIN' WHILE HE HANDLES THE WHEEL WITH ONE HAND. HEAVEN FORBID A SNAKE CROSSES THE ROAD IN FRONT OF US...AS IT HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES, THE TRUCK IS THROWN INTO PARK AND HE FLIES OUT TO APPREHEND IT BEFORE IT SLITHERS AWAY!

I AM CONSTANTLY SAYING, "TWO HANDS, ZACK!! EYES ON THE ROAD, ZACK!! QUIT YAMMERING AND PAY ATTENTION, ZACK!!"

GOTCHA, JAKE!

JAKE DETESTS GETTING HIS PICTURE TAKEN, SO I HAD TO PUT THE SNEAK ON HIM WHILE HE WAS GRILLING ONE EVENING! WHEN HE REALIZED WHAT WAS HAPPENING, HE NEARLY THREW THE GRILLING FORK AT ME!