Twelve Rattles

And no I am not talking about baby rattles. I am talking about the number of rattles that were on the HUGE rattlesnake coiled up under my picnic table this afternoon. The really bad part is that the snake was only about six feet from my back door. We all had been out several times this morning walking back and forth right where the snake was coiled. Joe didn't see it until about his fifth trip. When he came back in the house to get the gun, he was as white as a ghost. I think he realized that if the snake had struck Noah, there would have been no chance of Noah surviving. With the size of the snake, we just would not have been able to get help in time. I am now paranoid about even allowing Noah to walk to the car. I think we may all have to invest in snake boots. Our other option is to get a goat. Has anyone else heard that goats keep snakes away? I have heard that many times and I think it may be worth a try. As for right now, my kids are once again confined to the house.