My mother was very upset when she went to get the mail yesterday. She somehow received this magazine and was not happy about it.
Yesterday we watched the BYU bowl game against Tulsa (BYU WON) at my parent’s house (we don’t have cable) and it worked out perfectly because I hung with my madre and went to the mall while Billy and his brother watched sports. Win-win. Another win was my mom offering to pick up Cafe Rio for everyone and eat it at home.
My normal chicken salad was even better eaten in the comfort of my parent’s house.
I have never had a grapefruit that was as perfect as the one I had last night. Two of the containers in the background are other people’s guac that they didn’t want. I am already thinking about my future salad with it. Tell me that would make you really happy too.
I need your expert opinion. Yesterday at noon we were walking in our backyard and came across this:
(If you can’t tell my mother-in-law really doesn’t like snakes).
5 out of 7 of us are convinced that it is a rattler snake. In my backyard. I will be sleeping at my parent’s until it is gone. Do you think it is a rattler? I read that the rattle can fall off and that is why there wasn’t one on the above snake (IN MY BACKYARD…the path I take to get to my car). Any expert opinion? I need to prove my point….Billy thinks he is a cute little guy and that he is harmless, I think that he is extremely dangerous. This has been the biggest fight in our marriage thus far.
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Do you like grapefruit?
What wild animals do you see in your area?
-SNAKES and deer…lots of deer.
What is your favorite thing to eat guac with? Chips, salads, sandwiches, tacos or any other fun ideas?
I hope you have the best NEW YEARS EVE EVER!!!
54 comments
Sarah
We have a ton of deer near our house! I’m always worried I’m going to hit them while driving.. Love guac! Best on salads :) And grapefruit is okay.. I can’t eat it plain but if I put it in a yogurt bowl or on a salad it is delicious!
Lori Lynn
I’ve never seen a rattler before, but I have seen a whole bunch of smaller type ones. When I was little, we used to live somewhat close to a river, and we had a snake crawl through our sewer system, and I found a snake in the middle of my bedroom!
Chelsey L
Iwould DIE!!! I have to turn the light on when I go to the bathroom so I can make sure there’s no snake in the toilet. I hate snakes and I agree with the MIL a snake detector is a must.
Allison
A grapefruit a day keeps the doctors away! Love them- I peel ’em like an orange!
THAT IS DEF NOT A FRIENDLY SNAKE [he isn’t even smiling, hehe]! I would have screamed, dropped anything in my arms, and run the other direction :-Z
Blond Duck
Rattlers have a triangular head and if you were that close, you would have heard the rattle…. I can’t tell from the angle if the head was triangular or not, but it doesn’t look like it. Looks more like a grass snake. And if it was real chilly out, it could have been sluggish (hence the no rattle/ striking…)
Karen
I don’t think it has the right snout to be a rattler–but snakes freak me out, so I don’t want to study it too carefully!
Crissy
Don’t know much about snakes. My FIL actually found one in his backyard a few months ago.
Animals: Ha! I was just joking with one of my friends at work about this. My house seems to attract animals: possum, skunk (yes, he greeted me one early July morning when I was about to go for a run. eek!), mice (don’t even get me started on that one- they are gone now), birds- these birds made a nest on top of our hanging porch light. I snapped a picture of the babies with my phone. I was standing on top of a chair and one of my neighbors just looked at my very strange. Ha! Ok, nothing too wild, but it is wild enough for my area. Several of my colleagues have bears that visit quite oftent. Northern New Jersey has a lot of bears.
Happy New Year! I wish you and your family all the best for a wonderful 2012!
A local restaurant makes a chicken sandwich with guac. it is awesome!
SkinnyRunner
i think it is obvious that what you need to do is move away from the snake… to california.
Jamie @ Don't Forget the Cinnamon
That is so scary!!!!! I know nothing about snakes so I cannot tell you if it’s dangerous or not but I feel like you have to be cautious around snakes as though they are dangerous…you never know! Or you can use my mom’s tactic of chopping its head off with a garden hoe. That works too.
Love grapefruit!! They’ve been so good lately!
I like toasting a tortilla and then topping it with a layer of guac and a ginormous spoonful of pico de gayo!
Ashley @ This Is The Place
I’m from CA (where there are a lot of rattlesnakes) and both the husband and I agree….looks like a rattler to us! The pattern and the head shape look like a rattlesnake. The real question is – what is a rattlesnake doing in UTAH in WINTER?? He’s probably reallllllllly angry.
Extra guac always makes me SO happy! You are not alone!
Emily @ Perfection Isn't Happy
We only have rabbits and bugs near my house, haha, but if you go further into the country, there are deer and coyotes. I would not want to see a big snake!!
Amy
I’m not sure it is a rattlesnake, it doesn’t have the right pattern. Gopher snake?
Jerilee @ Mom's Gone Running
Ugh- that picture just makes me feel sick and a little scared to walk around my house. I think all snakes are bad snakes.
We have had 2 mice try to live in our garage- but that didn’t last long. We live way out at the base of some hills/mountains, so there are deer all over. We have had HUGE ones bound out in front of us while running in our neighborhood early in the morning. Scared us to death!
Lauren @ What Lauren Likes
Happy New Year! I love grapefruit :D
Laura @ LauraLikesDesign
Ahh, I hate snakes! That would have freaked me out–plus he’s hiding in the leaves so you can’t really see him! Yikes!
That salad from Cafe Rio looks delicious! Nothing like takeout eaten at your own house!
I love grapefruit!
I live in the city, so we don’t see many animals!
I love guac with tortilla chips and in my salads and tacos!
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen
We have a family of deer that literally live in our woods and backyard. It’s really cute when the babies sleep on our front lawn in the summer. When we lived in Florida we had tons of snakes. I went out back to let the dog run around a little once (outside of our small gated yard) and she picked up a dead snake and ran around with it for 20 minutes until I could get her to drop it. It was probably one of the grossest experiences of my life!
Losing Lindy
I initially thought it was a bull snake, but pulled up a picture on google, and it looks different. I would email the picture to animal control or take it in to a vet’s office and see if they know.
I am sooooo scared of snakes that there would have been no way I would have thought to take a picture.
Mallory @ Have Your Cake
OMG! That would’ve scared the crap out of me. I hope it’s harmless.
I live in the Northeast; the scariest animal around here is probably a bear. I haven’t seen any myself, but a co-worker took a video of a HUGE black bear walking around her lawn. scary.
Brittany @ GOtheXtraMile
Ewww to that snake!!! Yuck.
OBSESSED with grapefruit!!!
I saw a racooon on my run this morning and ran the other way!
Guac on salad or chips!
Diana @ Sneakers2Sandals
I think what you should do is call someone to come get it…As in get that thing outta there…
CatieB
WOah! That is a big snake!! My Dad and boyfriend are both super scared of snakes so I would have to be the brave one… Eeeek!!!
Oh I love guacamole so much! I like it chips and salsa!
Love grapefruit!
Have a super fun New Year’s Janae :)
Emily@RunningPerspective
happy new years eve girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hahah i LOVE those texts i was cracking up!!!! hahahah
snakes, turtles, and deer in my backyard!
i def need to eat more grapefruit they are so so good!!!!!<3
Bethany
I do not like grapefruit! We live near some woods and regularly see rabbits, and fox, I wonder who is eating who, but a few days ago I saw 4 deer in my yard, which was very cool.
No big plans for New Years, but a 5K tomorrow to start the year off right.
Happy New Year!
Mamarunsbarefoot
Uh NO I don’t like grapefruit, I’m much more of a salad person. I have about a million prarie dogs living right in my back yard. No plans for New years, lame I know but even in my 20’s I was never interested in the party. Have a great day Janae!
Ashley
I used to live in Florida where there are many types of snakes. There are also many types of rattlers and this one looks like it is a smaller rattler. The head is triangular and wider at the neck area. I would def be careful. I don’t mind snakes but he looks like he could be mean! I am deathly afraid of spiders. I want them all dead lol
lauren
I am okay with snakes because they stay outside for the most part. Spiders on the other hand……… ewwww.
I like Mexican style salads with veggies, salsa, beans, corn, and guac! Yummm chipotle style
Nicole
I don’t like grapefruit. Find it to be sour.
We have a 5 ft black snake (harmless) that lives in our front yard. We see lots of birds, turtles, snakes, deer, bunnies.
Chips and Turkey Burgers!
The Kidless Kronicles
Heather @ run eat play
If I saw that snake I would die of fright – seriously. We don’t have snakes in Illinois in our backyards, thank goodness. Just creepy bugs, rabbits, and squirrels and stuff. I did see a dead coyote in the middle of the road last weekend though.
Jenny Finnegan
So my friend’s wife works at the Bronx Zoo ( you know, where the cobra escaped?) She actually works with the reptiles. She said it looks like either a terrestrial garter snake or a night snake but she leans toward the garter. :) Yay for no rattles!
We see a lot of deer, squirrels, and chipmunks here but so far no snakes thank goodness! I don’t blame you for being scared! I would be too.
Happy New Year’s Eve, girl!
Ann
OMG, Janae! THAT SNAKE!!!! AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
Holli
I say NO it’s not a Rattlesnake, the marking don’t look like a rattlesnake. I run a lot of trails and this summer I saw 3 of them (huge!) all piled together and I just looked at my pics and they don’t look like this snake. The ones we have are Timber Rattlesnakes. I’m no expert though, so just be careful!!
Zaneta
YUCK!! I hate snakes!! During my marathon training, I almost stepped on one on the bike path of all places… in the middle of town lol… gross! I’m hoping its not a rattler!
I’ve been eating quite a few grapefruits lately…. love them! :)
Jade
Oh, my skin is crawling! Wish I would’ve went on my run BEFORE I read this! It’s going to be a VERY fast run since any leave rattling is going to make me think it’s a snake! I agree that he DOES NOT look friendly at all, and I would call someone to find him a new home!
The animals we see are bunnies, coyotes, bears, foxes, and now cougars…Thank you DNR who thought northern WI would be a good home for them, boo!! Oh and lots of cows! I don’t know what I’m more scared of while running coyotes or birds, LOL, and now snakes!
Grapefruit = yum! Not a big guac eater..
Holly {our interestingly boring life}
eeks!! I would be like your mother in law – I HATE snakes – biggest fear ever!! I am the absolute slowest runner, saw one on a trail run started booking it in the opposite direction, and looked down at my Garmin, and had a 6:55 pace!! oo gives me the hibby jibbies!
I love grape fruit, and I think the grape fruit spoon is the greatest invention ever! Oh and I absolutely LOVE guac!! I would put it on everything…
No NYE plans.. working all night with the babies in the NICU!
Erica
It is a family regular to pair mexican and grapefruit. Since as long as I can remember whenever we had tacos/taco salads my mom always served grapefruit after……or sometimes grapefruit/orange/banana fruit salad.
Happy New Years, my dear, have a wonderful start to 2012!
Kate @ Chasing It
EWWWWW snakes, I’m totally with you on that one!! so gross and sketchy!! Thankfully there aren’t a lot around here, I freak out every time I see one! And yum guacamole, is there really anything you CAN’T put it on? I had a great sandwich at a restaurant once with a grilled chicken breast, smoked gouda, tomatoes, and guac all on a rosemary ciabatta roll….I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t recreated it at home a milion times haha. HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE!!!!!!!!
stephanie
oh my gosh! i would have cried if I saw that! rattle snake or not. a snake is a snake and a snake is scary. poison or not, they have a mouth that bites and that will either give you a heart attack from poison or from fear (you can tell Billy that I’m a nurse so you now have a professional opinion to get rid of it) :)
Kate
AHHH ! That would terrify me!! I’ve come across a few snakes while running in the canyon and they always scare the you-know-what out of me! What are you going to do?!
Your posts make me miss my madre, 2,000 miles away. :(
Katie
AHHHHH!!!! I love your mother in law’s reaction, because it is identical to what mine would be!!! I am absolutely petrified of snakes! There are rattlers where my parent’s live (about 45 minutes from the city we live in) and I HATE it!!! (i mean, I love where they live, but hate the snake part, obvi.)
Not a fan of grapefruit, either. Too… sour? Is that the right word to describe it?
And as for guac, I love it love it love it, and put it on like everything. Sandwiches, any Mexican food (duh), salads, chips, etc. Best. condiment. ever.
And your mother is too cute :) I’m sure that was some sort of mix-up in the mail.
XLMIC
Best thing to eat guac with? A spoon!
Snakes always kind of freak me out. Actually coming upon any wildlife always startles me…even just a wild bunny hopping back into the brush! I am not usually scared…just startled. We have a skunk in our neighborhood. He (or she) always used to hang out in the ‘bad’ end of the development, but I saw him in our across-the-back-fence neighbors’ front yard two nights ago! I also saw an oppossum, which is one of the ugliest animals in existence :P
Jaci
i googled rattlesnake and a nearly identical snake popped up. so…. i’d say yes!
Jaci
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rattlesnake
the little side diamonds are what got me
M Cinnamon
I just became allergic to grapefruit last month. I miss it sooooo much :(
Robin
I don’t think that’s a rattler (I live in So cal and see them a lot hiking) but I still wouldn’t want that hanging out in my backyard. When my lab was a puppy she came upon a baby rattler before we could see it and she tried playing with it, I still have no idea how it did not bite her.
Anyway, I have to thank you for introducing me to Cafe Rio! We flew into Salt Lake City on Tuesday, and on our drive to Deer Valley my FIL mentioned offhand that there was a place called Cafe Rio that was pretty good. I literally started jumping up and down in my seat and demanded that we go there for lunch (I told him my ‘friend’ is obsessed with it) and we had an insane meal. I put it above my tostada salads from Poquito Mas and Baja Fresh, which is really saying something!
Janae
ROBIN!!! Thank you so much for writing me. I am SO happy that you tried Cafe Rio and LOVED IT:) We are friends!! What did you end up ordering? What did you think of Utah?
Alicia
Don’t worry, that isn’t a rattler!! They have different shaped heads and markings. I think it might just be a garter snake or something. Anyway, I’ve been reading your blog for a couple months and I find you hilarious! Keep it up!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats
Oh gosh, that snake would have scared me! I’d observe it from a safe distance…
Steph
It doesn’t look like a rattle snake. Snakes with a round head and eyes are non-venomous which leads me to believe its not a rattle. I hope that helps eliminate any anxiety you have.
Stephie
I love snakes. If it ended up in my backyard I would have caught it wrap it around my arm and take a million pictures with it. I don’t think its a poisonous one but its best to let it be and it will leave on its own. Probably wanted to greet the family Happy New Year. What a way to end the year.
Anne H.
I hate snakes! Our gardener found (and killed, thankfully) a black spitting cobra in the corner of our compound not too long ago. Don’t worry, it’s only the second most deadly snake in Africa. Not only do you have to worry about getting bit by one, it can also spit its venom up to 20 feet. Awesome.
Holly
I would DIE if I saw that thing in my yard. EEK! That is terrifying! The scary thing is that it just blends in with the leaves…so it would be so hard to see. Yikes!
VanessaG
I see alot of deer where I live (east TN). My dad just hit one and his truck got damaged last week(sooo glad he’s ok). I see lots of snakes as well in the summertime. I’ve almost stepped on them so many times when I run=i run so fast after I see them!!! Anyways, I love grapefruit but hate guacamole. Oh, one more thing…please do your snow dance for east TN(so don’t want to go back to 21 hyper 7yr olds, haha) & I’ll do one for you. :)
jamie
that is one scary snake. eeeek. & one good lookin’ salad. :)
Sarah
NOT a fan of grapefruit. Too sour!