A Rattle you DON'T want to Hear!

The other night I was getting ready to head out for a run, when I decided to give the ladies (our hens) some fresh hay in their nesting boxes.

I headed into the barn.

I didn't want to spend a lot of time with it, and since the hens don't need our best hay (which is reserved for the horses to eat) I decided to just grab a busted bale towards the front.

Right as I grabbed the bale, I heard a rattle.  A rattle I hadn't heard since my days of riding horses in the gravel pits of Texas.  Yes, it was THAT kind of rattle.

Now you may or may not know, but Virginia has timber rattlers in the mountains.

Timber rattlers are shy snakes.  We've lived here for years and I haven't encountered one yet, but I know they are out there, and certainly have friends who have crossed their paths while hiking.

Here is a google image of a timber rattler.

Note how nicely they blend in.

Now as soon as I heard the rattle, my eyes started scanning, I dropped the hay in my arms, and I slowly started backing away from the hay.

The hair on my arms stood up.  Just a little bit.

And as I walked backwards, the rattle got LOUDER.

Why was it getting louder?

Quickly I looked to my sides, and twisted to look behind me, as I continued moving AWAY.

I couldn't spot the rattler anywhere.

And then as the volume increased yet again I had a realization.

The reason it kept getting louder?

Because it was on my Ipod.

That's right.

I was listening to some tribal music for my run, that had rain sticks incorporated in.

Lucky me, the rain sticks just happened to pick up right as I scooped up that hay.

Go figure.

Well, that was one way to get my adrenalin pumping for my evening run!

I'm linking up today with Tuesday's Show and Tail at WV Treasures.  Click HERE to go read more great animal stories!