I'd been sitting in the truck listening to radio, with my feet dangling out. When I stepped outside there was a two foot long, fat, hognose snake. Previously I'd only seen small ones and didn't know they would get this big.

It must have went right past my feet. At first I didn't know what kind of snake it was. They can make a sound like a rattlesnake and it did.

They sure have a funny shaped head, sort of flat on the bottom. I put it across the road where some gophers and ground squirrels live. It seemed happy enough.

It would be interesting to know if this was the tiny hognose I saved from a cat years ago, and put down by the marsh. It seemed happy then, when I released it. There are lots of mice at the marsh. Plenty to make a snake fat like this one.

We've got all kinds of snakes around here, but hadn't seen any for a few years. I've seen coral snakes, rattle snakes, bull snakes, corn snakes, hognose, king snakes. This area is getting so developed wildlife is hard to find.

When a neighbor bulldozed mesquites on his land next to mine, lots of box turtle's passed through looking for a new home. Ones been digging holes under elm trees.

There are still lots of quail, dove, and owls, hawks, but some other species are hard to find.

I miss the old days when my house was the only one out here.

But at least coyotes don't come around like they did, before it got populated out here.