Yard Clean Up and a surprise.....

This Sunday was our planned day to take care of the yard.  It was a gorgeous day and the weather was perfect to spend outside.  The yard is now fertilized, raked, and cleaned up.  We did stick pick up (from all the storms), I pruned the mulberry tree and put down mulch.  I planted my tomatoes and my onions (in the house), to be transferred out to the garden next month!   Richard helped us all day and we got everything that we wanted to accomplished.  We even had the house power washed!

As I was raking the top section of the yard, on the opposite side of the chicken coop.  I saw a coiled snake.  All I could do was run like a lunatic and scream for husband (he was in the front yard)...I am so afraid of snakes so while I cried my eyes out, he got rid of it!   Maybe we weren't supposed to kill it, but I spend a lot of time outdoors and this was a big one.  It was about 25-30 inches long, thicker than a garden snake (about 1-1/2 inch diameter) and my son Rick thinks it was a milk snake.  Honestly, I think it was a copperhead but I don't care what the hell it was.  As long as it is gone.

Here are the markings:  If I have any snake experts out there, let me know your thoughts.  I'm just glad that the dog nor the chickens came across it!  

After careful examination of the CT Snake website, it is either an Eastern Milk Snake or a  copperhead.....we don't know...