Snakes, Spiders and a VERY Strange Coincedence

Over the weekend while I was wondering around our yard, I crept into the old, ramshackle barn and was looking around in the creepy horse stalls.  I peered into the dark stall on the right and saw a snake.  A huge slimy, slithery, scaly, fanged, venomous snake.  Then I realized it was only a snake skin but that didn't stop me from hightailing it out of there while screaming, "SNAKE! SNAKE! SNAKE!".  I mean, a snake skin just means that a snake was in there at some point and that some point could have been 2.5 seconds ago and it could have been wrapping around my legs at that very moment. 

So obviously I will never set foot in the barn again.  EVER.  But what I found in my kitchen last night is just not right.  It's just not fair.  There were two very large spiders crawling around the kitchen floor.  I didn't get any pictures because I was frantically running around the kitchen screaming profanity while looking for something to kill them with.  I settled on the battery to Howard's drill.  I'm sure he'll thank me later. 

I thought that was the end of it.  Until I walked out my front door later and saw this:

I was attempting to get close enough to this spider to get a good picture and had no idea that another one was just inches from my shin:

This picture was taken right outside my front door.  And there were more.  They were EVERYWHERE.  I went on a fun, little killing spree with a shoe (Howard's of course) and a bottle of Raid.  But it didn't ease my mind.  As I lay in bed trying to fall asleep later, I couldn't stop imagining them crawling across my pillow.

Before bed though, I took Jack and Copper on their nightly walk.  I had barely taken two steps out the door when both of their leash cords broke at the EXACT.SAME.TIME.  One second they were pulling me forward, and the next they were across the yard and I was in the same spot.  I stood there extremely perplexed at what had just happened.  I mean I can understand one breaking but both?  At the same time?  Could someone please explain this to me??  Then it dawned on me the dogs were out roaming on their own and as strange as my night had been, I wouldn't doubt a coyote was lurking nearby.  I tracked them down and proceeded to walk them with their leash strings wrapped around my hands.  My hands felt shredded by the end of it.

To top it all off, a violent hailstorm started up around 2 am.  It sounded like large boulders were falling on the roof and slamming into the window panes.  The thunder was booming and the lightning so bright, it was constantly lighting up the entire bedroom.  I really appreciated the extra hour to imagine the spiders crawling all over my bed though. 

PS.  It's time to come home from your work training, Howard.  You are seriously needed at home.  I'm not cut out for this!

PPS.  Can't wait to see some of you this weekend up in Nova :)  Bring on Game Night!!