Snake in the Grass

I was getting things ready to give poor Jethro an outdoor shower with a bleach and water after rinse, recommended by the vet to help him fight this skin infection that has been bothering him, when I skipped to the back of the house to get my fancy spray nozzle with 14 settings on a wand. I had on slip on sandals, not hard shoes. I was thankfully watching the ground and I stepped over what I thought was the hose and accidentally stepped out of my shoe. This happens all the time, but the fat black hose I had tripped over picked up its head and looked at me, over the shoe. After emitting what I call a girl noise, I called Shawn over to look at it with me, but it slithered off to hide in the dense flower patch next to the house. Shawn only saw the tail end of it as it slithered away. After completing the prep for bath time, I came inside and looked up our visitor. It was a big old fat black rat snake. I may have added a few words to its name, but you get the idea. Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone. Spend a little time reading!