Little mystery solved...

Because I don't have a "proper" barn, I keep food and hay for the livestock in the garage. Stacks of hay line one wall, cans of grain another. The milk bench for the goats is next to the hay. This morning, after I completed milking the does, something caught my eye.



It was a bit of poo. On top of a hay bale. Fresh poo, from an unknown origin. It didn't look like rodent feces. It was about the size of a quarter, and looked somewhat familiar. During my busy day I thought back from time to time, trying to drag from the dusty recesses of my memory just what kind of excrement was decorating my hay bale. My memory refused to bring forth the answer, however.

Tonight, when I was milking the ladies...



... my daughter came out to chat with me. As I finished, and stood up, I remembered the odd bit of poo and pointed it out to my daughter. And then I saw something in the hay, about a foot from the object in question. And the mystery was solved.



The curve of its body, partially buried in the hay gave it away.



A lovely garter snake, about 14 inches long. She was not overly impressed with our attention, and vanished into a dark crevice. I hope she will stay around, dispatching mice and classing up the place with her sleek good looks.