A Rattlesnake

Warning: Graphic pictures ahead.

So Paul called me yesterday on his way home from church. He tells me that he's right outside our house and he saw a snake in the street. I ran outside and the snake had slithered over to the house across from us and under a rose bush. I get a cautious distance from him and realize it's a rattlesnake. There were kids out playing in the street, as there usually are, so I yelled over to them to come here. I told them there was a rattlesnake and they needed to be careful playing outside. That drew the attention of two other neighbors. One who brought a shovel and another who brought a bb gun. The guy with the bb gun shot it several times. It's rattle started going off like crazy. It was mad. I went inside at that point. I didn't want to watch them kill it. Paul stayed to see the end result. It crawled under a utility box where one neighbor lifted the box and the other shot at it again. They successfully killed the thing. Chopped of his head and then his rattle (someone wanted to save it I guess). 

And while I am VERY glad it is no longer living across the street from me, it kind of makes me sad in some weird sort of way. That they killed it, that is. I know they are dangerous and all, but still. Just gives me a yucky feeling. And really makes me wonder if there are more living right over there. I'm sure there are. We do live in the desert after all. Snakes are everywhere. I just hope I don't see anymore in my neighborhood!