Reptilian Ruckus

Okay, don't ask me where my thoughts wander...that is a weird and scary place...I don't even know why things come into my mind, so how can I explain them to you? I saw a snake on TV the other day. (I was flipping around, it was probably the animal channel or something.) It got me to thinking about my childhood. (just stick with me on this, there really is a connection.) When I was 5 my family moved down the road to property that was wooded. We lived about a 1/2 mile down a gravel, "country" road. Our house sat in an area that had been cleared in the woods. Very nice. Very pretty. Very quiet. VERY SNAKE-Y! You see, our slithery neighbors did not like that we had moved into their territory---they were very polite, but definitely let us know that they were not moving out anytime soon!

My memories are still vivid over the first several years of our living there.....

----A nest of baby snakes in a pile of leaves next to the driveway where mom parked her car.

---My sister, neighbor girl and I were out playing behind our playhouse when we saw what appeared to be a baby snake. Now we were young, but not stupid. I went into the house (me being the oldest and of course the more mature of the group). Mom was on the phone with her friend Norma. "Mom, we found a snake." (now keep in mind that there is no love loss between my mother and snakes.) She told Norma she had to go. Even though she was probably scared, she got the shovel and made some confetti out of that snake. I don't even think he received a proper burial. Oh, well. He was a trespasser.

----Another time my grandparents were visiting and sitting in lawn chairs out in the front yard. My dad was sitting on the porch stoop with his back towards the house. He kept swatting at his arm thinking it was a mosquito or a fly that kept bothering him. (one of those nuisances one has to deal with when living in the woods) Well, finally he turned around and came face to face with a 5 foot long snake who had a need to flick his tongue on my dad's arm. Dad popped up off that stoop like a rocket on the 4th of July. Got his gun and took care of the intruder. Poor guy, he didn't get a proper burial either.

----One day my sister and I were leaving with our mom to go somewhere. Mom walked outside first and turned around to say something to my sister and me as we were coming out the door. She yelled, "Stop!" "Don't come out. Close the door." I looked at her like, "what's going on?" Yep, you guessed it. Another reptilian buddy out sunning himself on our concrete porch...right under the door to our house. I don't remember what happened next. My sis and I probably locked the front door and went around to the back door. I don't think mom did anything that time, because that snake was NOT a baby snake and it was more then she probably wanted to deal with.

----Dad many times "took care of business" with our snake population. I remember mom telling her young daughters, "the snakes should go tell the rest of their family to stay away if they know what's good for them!" Eventually, they did and we didn't have as many problems, but boy were those first years filled with snakes!!!

(P.S) If I have alarmed or offended any snake lovers out there, I apologize. I'm sure that snakes can be good. They eat rodents, that kind of thing. BUT we didn't have any desire to live with them up close and personal. Geesh. Did they not know anything about personal space?