The first time I remember holding a snake was back-to-school night in seventh grade. Mom walked into the science lab and I went straight for the aquarium that held a tiny blue racer. Much to my mother’s horror, I picked up the wiggly little critter and let it slither around my fingers and hands. I laughed at my mom’s squeals of horror as I held the snake closer so she could see. Poor mom. I deviled the heck out of her at every opportunity, I’m afraid.

Snakes have never bothered me, really. I don’t particularly like being startled by them, but if I know they’re there, and I’m assured they are not poisonous, I have no real problem with them. I remember going to my cousin’s girls’ band concert once. As I drove into the parking lot there were several women standing around, bouncing from leg to leg and screaming. I parked and came over to see what was going on. There was a huge black snake between them and the school. I reached down, picked it up by the tail and carried it over to the edge of the woods. The screamers looked at me sideways as though I were some sort of witch to be steered clear of.

Grandma always taught me to carry a hoe with me to kill snakes in the garden or when wandering around the farm. When Hubby #2 and I went on a twenty mile backpack trip up Spruce Knob back in the late ‘70s, she loaned us two hoes to carry with us as we hiked so we would not only have something to kill any errant timber rattler, but also have a hiking stick. I’d love to know what the other hikers on the trail thought of these two greenhorns with the hoes and the WAY overpacked backpacks. I think Grandma laughed for a month at our expense.

It’s always fun when the naturalist shows up at the campground to give a little nature lesson to the Girl Campers. Yesterday, Mike showed up with a baby water snake he had found during the stream stomp earlier in the day. He also was helpful in identifying a particular beetle that is detrimental to the trees in the area. It needs to be reported so the woods can be monitored. A tree fell across the road during the night and had to be removed early yesterday morning. Later in the day, the maintenance crew came in and cleared the ditches along the road and removed another dead tree that was in danger of falling across the road.

Mr. FixIt arrives today…can’t wait to see him! The girls are all looking forward to his arrival, as well. He’s a favorite around here. ❤

“On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬