The cover picture is of a bunny, because I think they are cute. Also, I refuse to have to look at a picture of a snake, if it can be helped.
I hate snakes. Hate is a pretty strong word. Let me go with dislike. I really really dislike snakes. There is nothing more toe curling for me than seeing a snake.
Thankfully, I have never lived where there are huge snakes and I never intend to. I have never seen a rattlesnake in real life outside of the Reptile Cage at the zoo and that was years ago. I now refuse to go into another Reptile Cage, as it is really an honest case of “been there, done THAT”.
I never want to have to look into the coop nesting boxes before I reach my hand in, just in case there is a snake in there. Snakes love eggs and will happily help your chicken eggs disappear. I wonder if they like baby chicks as much as they like eggs?
If you live in an area where there are larger snakes, what do you do about them? Do you try to keep them out of your vegetable gardens? Would snake prevention be important to you? I would think snakes would do a good number on the mice population, although I am not sure.
The only snake that we have around here that I know of is the garter snake. I am somewhat more used to those snakes because they are all over BC. I grew up with seeing them sometimes in the woods or on our lawn. One house I lived in had clover planted around it instead of lawn seed. I have never minded mowing the lawn and did so happily until I realized I was running over things that would then….ahem…get flung out the side chute.
I screamed and right away the toes started curling. I ran back into the house, which is harder than it sounds when you can’t uncurl your toes. I think it took me 2 beers to calm down.
The next time I mowed the lawn, I wore rubber boots, but was soon so grossed out by the flingings, I refused to ever mow the lawn there again.
Here in the Valley, I have seen three snakes in all the years we have lived here. They were garter snakes but they were a lot bigger around and a lot longer than those puny Island snakes down in Southern BC.
That’s probably pretty good, only 3 toe curls in 6 years. I can handle that. I don’t have to like it, but I can handle it.
There’s a lot to be said about living in an area with cold, snowy winters. Maine has no poisonous snakes or spiders, no alligators and not many creepy crawlies. I don’t mind snakes as long s I know they’re there. I don’t scream (usually) anymore when they startle me. I moved the compost bin in one of the high tunnels yesterday and found four snake skins inside. Most of our snakes are less than 2′ long and for that, I’m grateful. I’m glad they’re here, that they eat a lot of pests in the garden and high tunnels…and that they’re small.
What kind of snakes are they Robin? Garter snakes? The ones I have seen are probably around 2 feet long, like the ones you have.
Aww, I’ve always thought snakes were pretty. I used to want a little red corn snake as a pet but I didn’t want to worry about feeding mice when it got bigger.
I wonder if people’s fear of creepy crawlies is biological or taught? My other family members don’t really care about insects, but I will FREAK OUT if a creepy looking one gets near me, like a centipede.
Are you afraid of bugs?
Not really, although those Cariboo thingys with the long attennas did freak me out when I first saw them. They fly vertically in the air and look like they are sitting up when they fly. I should try and find a picture of it, so you can see what I mean.
No please!! Don’t go through the trouble, really it’s ok!!!
Its probably a result of our rural lifestyle during our teen years, but my wife and I both absolutely love snakes – especially garter snakes. I have many fond memories from my teens of chasing and pet-keeping with the local garters. Spiders, on the other hand, are something my wife positively cannot handle. For me, the phobia is wasps and similar stinging insects (came too close to a nest as a child), but I’ve taught myself to tolerate bees over the years.
Your post reminds me of a story my wife once told me of her grandfather during his ranching days in southern Alberta. He apparently took a nap in the shade on his property and when he woke up, he found that a rattlesnake had decided to cuddle up beside him. Needless to say, he chose to stay and enjoy the scenery until the snake decided it was time to move on. LOL.
Napping with a cuddling snake? I don’t think I could have stayed still, like your grandfather probably did! I know garter snakes are good snakes to have around and I would never kill one. I would run away though
I grew up in FL, in an area around fresh water lakes and the St. John’s River, so was in an area of lots of snakes, gators, insects of all types. So I am really not afraid of snakes, though I remember a time my brother saved me from being struck by a sand rattler as we got off the school bus. Not a big snake at all, the color of the sand in the driveway. Here in NY state though, we have the garters and our snakes tend to get pretty big. We do not kill them and try to take care that we or our cats and horses do not either. Why are you afraid of snakes? They are not slimey as most people think they are. I don’t want to live near the poisonous ones and am glad we don’t.
Kathy, I remember you writing about the snakes in Florida, on your blog. I think it is the slithering I cannot stand, I am glad we don’t live in a place where there are poisonous snakes or really big ones either!