It was in the upper 90s everyday last week, and today has gotten off to a "good" start at a blazing' 101. Supposed to be 100 or more for the next several days. This means lots of irrigating corn, to keep it from wilting and going back in this intense heat. Son and I had several systems running yesterday, but one was causing some issues. That particular one draws water out of Brier Creek at 1000 gpm via a diesel powered centrifugal pump. The 8" diameter suction pipe has a "river screen" on the bottom end, which is a floating, rotating rotary screen that prevents debris form being sucked into the suction pipe. It needed some maintenance, which requires the use of a small jon boat to access it. We keep the boat at the creek bank, turned upside down, in case it rains.
Nobody with any savvy puts his hand under the edge of an upside boat, on the bank, to right it. That cool, shady place is a favorite place for cottonmouths, and an occasional canebrake rattler, to "lay up". I carry a long handled grubbing hoe in the back of the truck for many things, and turning a boat over is one reason that is high on my list. I can ill afford a hospital stay this time of the year due to stupidity. I have warned my son, grandson, and full time man to never put their hands under a boat.
Yesterday afternoon we were to meet up there about 4 pm to work on the river screen. I arrived first, looked around carefully for snakes, then pulled a double .410 out of it's case in the back seat. It rides with me this time of the year, loaded with 9s, just for close encounters of the reptilian kind. I took the grubbing hoe, reached over to the opposite side of the boat and pulled it over towards me, righting it. There lay a big ol' pile of cottonmouth, apparently so comfortable with his spot that he didn't even move. Reaching into the back seat I pulled out the much maligned Yildiz .410. Poor thing ............... he lost his head when he saw it.
As I have said before ................great patterns.
BIG cottonmouth. As thick as my forearm, and roughly four feet in length. If I had seen him crossing the road a mile away from our pump station I'd have let him go. But, we sometimes have to attend to these pumps at night, and I just couldn't let this 'un by.
Y'all watch where you put your hands and feet, ya' hear?
SRH
