Aug 14, 2006

a snake story

The Sierra Nevada mountains in California is a beautiful place to live, but being surrounded by all this beauty and quietness exacts a price; like meeting face to face with a two foot long Gopher snake in your silverware drawer while reaching for a fork. A snake this size may not seem large at first thought, but when crammed in a small drawer it's huge!

A snake out in the woods away from the house doesn't bother me, but when its living inside the house slithering through the kitchen cabinets its a major catastrophe, as far as I'm concerned.

What really hurts is that by the time I finished running through the woods, getting as much space between me and the critter as I could, it disappeared. Now my imagination is running wild with a snake in the house that I can't locate. I can't even put my feet under the table to eat without first checking for a snake. Going to bed at night is another story!

Enough snaky stuff; Just wanted to share this lovely experience.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is always better to see a snake than to hear it, especially here in Texas where we have Rattlers that could swallow your pet. I am not fond of snakes myself ever since I read about how that one fooled Eve, if she had been a little more afraid of snakes we might be living in paradise.
I believe you will be OK as long as he don't see you as a gopher or rat Ha :)

Anonymous said...

I love snakes! How cool! He might be living in the wall and came out to see you. Actually he’s probably telling his family the story only adding you as the thing that frightened him. Snakes can live rather well in a house and you may not ever see them. They aren’t exactly thrilled with us humans and with the whole blame the snake for the apple eating in the Bible why would they be? If he has a food source like mice and stuff he’s a good thing. He is most likely escaping the hot sun. If your house is cooler he might be visible during the day more they go nocturnal if it’s too darn hot for them. A snake in the house :-} No joking. I love snakes!

Larry said...

Laymond...
Once ran into a 9 foot Gopher snake where I worked, but few people believed me until I printed out the info from a snake web site that proved the point.

I hate snakes!

Larry said...

Milly...

"I love snakes! How cool!"

Surely you jest!

Talked to a woman in the grocery store this morning after she picked up a lizard in the store, and took it outside (in her hand no less) so it wouldn't get run over by a cart. You just don't bare-hand critters with scaly, or weird looking skins.

She liked snakes too; don't know what to think about women who think long-fanged snake are cool!

Anonymous said...

My wife loves snakes... I think they are cool...

we had a desert kingsnake, which are the ones that eat rattle snakes...

We had a real bad rodent problem and really thought about letting it go in the house to rid it of rodents, but we thought that we might not be able to catch it again.

We had to give it up when we moved to Montana... it was a bit sad.

But, I have read about snakes coming up from the sewer and entering through the toilet... (Usually it is through a vent I think), now that one sort of freaks me out... all sorts of things can happen there...

Blessings,
iggy

Anonymous said...

But, I have read about snakes coming up from the sewer and entering through the toilet... (Usually it is through a vent I think), now that one sort of freaks me reptile... all sorts of things can happen there...

Yes I’ve actually seen it happen at a friends house. It came out then went back in when I came in. I called the zoo to find out what kind. I wish that I could have caught it. It was a bit cool for it at that time of the year.

I’d have easily picked up a lizard or a snake. I love them all of them even the I’ll bite you kind. Snakes are great to have around. Just remember to wear boots in the yard where you have poisonous ones. Ask my dad what happens when you don’t. Copperheads feed every seven nights. I’m not sure about your snake.

Some of us women love reptiles.

Thurman8er said...

I couldn't live there if I didn't know where the snake was. I kid you not. Family? Hotel? Whatever!

Anonymous said...

Snakes don't bother me at all. I don't go out of my way to find them. But if I come across one, I might stop and "check it out" for a while. But I think it needs to be stated that here in New Hampshire we don't have rattlers. I think there are only three "models" that are poisonous up here. So I typically don't fret much.

Now bees??? They freak me out BIGTIME!!! You want to see a grown man run like a sissy-girl? Tell me there is a bee on me. (insert heebie-jeebie shivers here)

One more thing:

"I wish that I could have caught it."

Um...Milly? It's probably best not to touch anything that has come up through the toilet pipes. Just a thought.

Anonymous said...

A fellow once told me that snakes won't hurt you, but they can sure make you hurt yourself!

Milly said...

I love bees too! Honey bees are cool you can just pick them up and look at them.

As for catching the snake. It was a bit cold for him and he might not have survived the “ride” This wasn’t one known for being aquatic. I could have easily found a home for it. If I wasn’t able to keep it. I’d just wash my hands after.

Where I lived several years ago we had lots of snakes timber rattlers, copperheads, and so on. Only one of us was bitten and he was the one who always insisted on boots, yet was struck in the toe while wearing house shoes. :-} I had several close calls. Snakes eat stuff you don’t want in the house. The large black snake was great in the well house.

I will say I freak at the sight of a spider.

Hoots Musings said...

I don't like snakes either Larry.
When I was pregnant with my first born, I opened my front door to leave the house. A 6 foot snake reared up at me and hissed. I slammed the door and screamed bloody murder. I don't like snakes, roaches, or rodents.

Anonymous said...

Larry...you've got TWO cousins (me and Pattie) who will have to think twice about visiting your abode! Pattie lives in Alaska because they don't have snakes there! :) I have this phobia about them also. Snakes in toilets...now that's a really good reason to keep the lid down!! AND turn the light on in the middle of the night!