A Walk on the Wild Side

A Walk on the Wild Side!

With all the rain we’ve been having lately I knew it wouldn’t be long before the snakes would be out & about on our woodland property. Our tiny pond; I call it a tank is overflowing, which is wonderful after the drought of the last couple of years. Storms clouds had missed us time after time until recently. Now it won’t stop raining.

Yesterday I walked down to the dam to see if any small fish were caught in the rocks and sure enough there were. Fish make a dandy meal for the water snakes in our area. I saw one snake slither under a rock, but didn’t get a close look at it. Another snake was hiding in the taller grass. He probably thought he was safe out of sight. I must have special radar because I can see him looking right at me.

Because I didn’t see as many snakes as I had in the past I followed the creek down to our little fishing dock, hoping to see the BIG Bruiser that liked the sunny spot by the gate last year. In snake country you learn to walk with your eyes open to the path in front of you as well as out ahead of where you are walking. Look for any movement in the grass.

Big Bruiser wasn’t where I thought he’d be……, but movement caught my eye as three smaller snakes launched off the bank into the water. Suddenly my eyes shifted to a sight I never dreamed to see. A pile or bundle of snakes near the pond bank, their bodies intertwined. It was Big Bruiser and several smaller snakes, maybe as many as six or eight. Their bodies were still but their tails were all a flutter. Mating season is my guess. As I stepped back away from the mass of snakes I almost stepped on a snake in the grass beside me. Today’s walk was more on the wild side than I expected.

Last week our youngest grandson said, “Snake” in a not too excited voice. I looked and all I saw was a stick in the grass. I started to correct him when I looked past the stick and notice a little ring-neck snake. They are coal black on top with a red ring around their neck, with a lighter underbelly. Although this snake is tiny I believe it was an adult.

I remember once on a narrow walking trail when I was in the lead with six other hikers behind me. I step over what I thought was a limb across the path but my shoe flipped it over and everyone behind me could tell it was a huge snake. It was so long you couldn’t see the head or the tail. I didn’t know it was there until I heard the commotion of everyone behind me.

Many people feel the only good snake is a dead snake but I’ve grown a little more used to those that are harmless: but I’m sure I’d feel differently if the snakes in my yard were poisonous. What I hate are the ticks, chiggers & mosquitoes. They scare me more than the water snakes. Snakes are great for keeping the mice at bay.

About twenty-five years ago I was doing the laundry in the basement. We had a washing machine but not a dryer. After the first load was washed I loaded it in a basket to carry outside to hang on the clothesline. It was a warm spring day and the clothes would dry fast. Our basement had a door to the outside with stairs leading up to the yard.

When I opened the door to go out I used the basket in my arms to push it open wider. Into my nice clean clothes dropped a snake, which had been resting across the top of the doorframe. To say the least I let out a scream my husband, Larry, heard from on the golf course.

Larry rushed home and down the stairs. Saw the tipped over laundry basket, scooped it up along with the snake. When he suddenly saw the snake in his hand he threw the clothes up in the air while stammering, “Why didn’t you tell me there was a snake in there?” My reply was that, “My mouth wouldn’t work.” To this day I get the creepy crawlies thinking that snake would have landed on my head if I’d have used my hip to open the door like I usually do.

Time to take another walk-on-the-wild-side to see if Big Bruiser is sunning himself by the dock. Remember always keep your eyes on the path in front of you.

Story ID:	2085
Written by:	Cynthia Jo Ross (bio, contact, other stories)
Organization:	Lens to the Past
Story type:	Things to do
Writers Conference:	$500 2007 Family Memories Writing Project
Location:	Towanda Kansas USA
Year:	2007
Person:	Me & the snakes