I am on a list serve that some people out in the east end of Muscogee County manage, to report all kinds of things residents might be interested in. Some I could not care less about, some noteworthy, some that have been very beneficial. The 'not care less' category is stuff like dog food recalls. Noteworthy is stuff like home invasions in subdivisions, cars broken into, people roaming the streets looking suspicious, guys trying to scam homeowners with pine straw sales. Beneficial would be something like 'five foot long water moccasin killing pet rabbits' (whereupon I am thinking: holy @#$%!)
There have been lots and lots of reports in recent weeks about rattle snakes in the area, coiled up on pool decks, patios, steps leading into homes, driveway aprons, any place they can think of that you are not expecting to see something snakey and sneaky that scares the stew out of you. Some think it is all the wet weather, some think it is housing developments, it could be global warming/rising sea levels/deforestation. Who knows? What ever the reason we are seeing more- I don't like it.
Rreminiscing yesterday about growing up in a house that was for some unknown reason very attractive to snakes. Can't say what particular 'brand' of snakes we found in the house, at least a dozen times over the years. But don't you think just finding one is one too many? Yeah, me too! There was a cousin during these years who had a mother that allowed him to actually bring snakes into her home, and live with reptiles. I recall a time when a particularly adventurous reptile got it's snakey-self coiled up in the springs/underpinnings of an upholstered chair and had to be found, then extracted when it was loose, roaming the house. Maybe that house-bound creature was trying to escape to it's natural habitat? Yes, one is definitely one too many.
I remember sweeping them up into the dustpan and putting them in a shoe box to deposit outside of the house I grew up in. I recall getting the broom and just sweeping them out the door. I remember the last one: was discovered coiled up around the warm cozy innards of the television, and had to be somehow extricated and shown the exit. (I was not the one who reached inside the TV to remove the guest.) My mom had such a strong distaste of them she would not say the word. And I'm not so crazy about them myself.
The most memorable snake experience since moving into this house, was the day I walked out on the back porch, at least 25 years ago. All I can say for sure is it was dark, probably black, probably harmless, possible King snake. It was Big, coiled up in the corner of the cross-piece of the screening supports. I should have been prepared, living on a big wooded lot with a stream at the bottom of the hill, lots of trees, leaf/pine straw mulch. And I am the one who wanted to find a house out of town, not in a squeezed together subdivision. Embarassedly, I freaked out. I would like to blame it on the fact that I had small children.
In recent weeks, I have been doing a lot of yard work, here and in south GA.Continually expecting to reach down to pick up a stick, limb, or vine, and have that sucker wiggle. I've been pulling lots of thorny vines out of shrubbery, and lots of Virginia creeper up from under pine straw - expecting the next one to move when I go to pick it up. You will probably hear me screeching from miles away, when it happens.
Just typing all this is so un-nerving, thinking about snakes, I think I should consider forgo working in shorts and sneakers - start wearing high top boots and snake proof chaps... And recruit myself a honey badger, who would jump at the opportunity to engage a ssssssnnnnnake.
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