About 3 or 4. My mom laying me down for a nap, hearing a ruckus in the backyard, her checking on it and finding our cats had surrounded a coiled rattlesnake. She scooped me up, walked down to the general store/saloon. That part I distinctly remember. The remainder probably has been aided by her telling the story over the years. She said there was the biggest rattlesnake she had ever seen in her backyard and she needed a man to bring a gun and take of the snake. The men all laughed and said you don't need a gun for a mere snake. Mom said for most snakes; I've dispatched many of them myself with a shovel but not this one. So one man came back with us, took a look, and ran to his pick up for his gun. When they threw the dead snake over the clothesline, both head and tail touched the ground.