Startling NC Encounter

David and I are making a bookcase today. I have a small corner in my room where it would be nice to have a little library.
Dave lives on a ranch of 30 acres in an old musty house filled with character. I believe there have been four additions to the original home. The surrounding woods are filled with whitetail deer. One morning I saw an Eastern fox creep under the old wood shed out back.

The wood shed if filled with wonderful junk. I have found several interesting items for decorating the garden and my new apartment. I love recycling and making useless garbage into new creations. (Hm, how theological.)

This morning, I told Dave I found some good wood in the rafters of the old shed. We went inside the shed and climbed up to get the wood down. Dave grabbed several pieces and handed them down to me. I tossed them out on the grass and went in for more. After a couple loads, there were a few large pieces I still wanted for the bookcase. David reached up between the boards and shuffled them around.

A thin black tail dropped between the cracks. David yelled.

Sprinting out of the shed, David bent over in a panic. He kept yelling and buckling over in disgust.

He hates snakes.

The two foot long slithering reptile had a white underbelly and stared out in a zigzag shape from the rafters. David was convinced it was going to kill him.

I think it was a rat snake.

David is eating goldfish now and watching soccer to calm his nerves. I don't think we should go get that last piece of wood. I think David wants to move back to Washington tomorrow.

Welcome, to North Carolina.