Monday, March 2, 2009
Florida's Little Inconveniences
6:34 AM | 
Posted by
Gabby Faye |
Yesterday late morning I strolled out onto the patio to check the greenery, the weather, and the lake. There, on the North side of the pool was a curvy streak of BLACK. A SNAKE.
When I was teaching I tried to be the FIRST to bring a snake into the classroom each spring. That usually stopped the jokesters from trying to scare me. If I am in control, snakes don't bother me, but I don't like being surprised. I would never show shock or fear in front of the children so I overcame a natural aversion to snakes.
I came in and told the Old Dear, hoping he would be the hero. I also grabbed the Audubon book on Florida. One black snake was all black and the "better" one has white or cream under the chin. WHAT? I am going to look???
Ok...I grabbed the binoculars just in time to see the snake slither through a crack and into the curbing around the pool. I know there are a couple of Anoles that hide there...or were.
Bu the time the Old Dear appeared with a 5-gallon covered (empty) bucket and the Delux Gopher Pick-up and Reacher tool the snake's head was coming out from the crack. AHA! Cream under the chin. A Racer (coluber constrictor) CONSTRICTOR???
Once the snake was completely out the OD stepped between it and the pool. As he worked to pick it up with the "Gopher" that snake got MAD! He was vibrating his tail like a rattler (but no rattles).
Finally the snake was IN the bucket and the lid firmly on. My OD took it WAYYYY down the road and let it go into the brush.
I am not crazy about snakes, especially on the patio or in the house (like that first week we were here this year) but I wil not allow them to be killed.
When I was teaching I tried to be the FIRST to bring a snake into the classroom each spring. That usually stopped the jokesters from trying to scare me. If I am in control, snakes don't bother me, but I don't like being surprised. I would never show shock or fear in front of the children so I overcame a natural aversion to snakes.
I came in and told the Old Dear, hoping he would be the hero. I also grabbed the Audubon book on Florida. One black snake was all black and the "better" one has white or cream under the chin. WHAT? I am going to look???
Bu the time the Old Dear appeared with a 5-gallon covered (empty) bucket and the Delux Gopher Pick-up and Reacher tool the snake's head was coming out from the crack. AHA! Cream under the chin. A Racer (coluber constrictor) CONSTRICTOR???
Once the snake was completely out the OD stepped between it and the pool. As he worked to pick it up with the "Gopher" that snake got MAD! He was vibrating his tail like a rattler (but no rattles).
Finally the snake was IN the bucket and the lid firmly on. My OD took it WAYYYY down the road and let it go into the brush.
I am not crazy about snakes, especially on the patio or in the house (like that first week we were here this year) but I wil not allow them to be killed.
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