a tale of tails, tenacity, and tedium, as told by me, usually barefoot and bellowing

Friday, May 6, 2011

Why Maria Hates Snakes...

The wonderful comments and questions I received on yesterday's post got me to thinking.  As a child I had snakes for pets but had to keep them in the barn.  Mom wouldn't allow them in the house, don't know why.  Snakes have never been a problem for me and have always had dogs that were trained to eliminate them.  I, too, have no problem eliminating a poison one.  I try to move the others to a place further into the woods.

Well, as my mind was traveling through all the snake tales, I thought of how terrified my youngest daughter is of snakes.  The evil me laughed out loud because I remembered why!

I had a pair of Thrushes building a nest by the chicken house when Maria was about twelve, I'm guessing.  I call them Thacker birds because this is the sound their song makes.  My Thacker birds were throwing a fit, Maria and I went to look. 

Sure enough, there was a huge black snake trying to eat my baby birds.  The parents were bomb diving it and trying to get the snake to leave. I sent Maria after the gun, while I kept an eye on the snake.  He is about midway in a thick cedar tree about twenty-five feet off the ground, I did not want to lose him, especially this close to my egg laying hens. He is wrapped around a limb, striking at the birds as they attack him.

Maria arrives with the gun and the dog.  I think I may have had to shoot a couple of times.  The snake was hard to see in the branches and I was using a twenty-two.  I hit it, it fell.

Zara, the dog, jumped on it and started shaking it like a dirty rug.  Zara let go, the snake was not completely dead and it wrapped around Maria's bare leg.  I'm really sorry but it was a funny sight!!!  Maria is hopping one legged, screaming, Mom, get it off me!!!  I am laughing so hard at the sight I can't function.  From ankle to knee, Maria is wearing a live snake and it's not happy.  Neither is Maria!

Come oonnnnnnnnnnn, guys, it was a black snake, perfectly harmless except to my Thacker birds.  I finally grabbed the snake and with Zara's help, we unwrapped it from Maria's leg.  She ran screaming to the house and left me and Zara alone for the kill.  Zara did the job.

Maria, I apologize for such a tramatic...but funny...event.  And that is why Maria HATES snakes.

Check out more Farm Friend Friday Posts at Verde Farm.

17 comments:

Tamara said...

omg I would have dropped to the ground right there and died of a heart attack if I had a snake wrapped around my leg! lol I've had a clinical fear of them my whole life, but since i moved to florida and am forced to live amongst them, I've almost gotten over it. I will always have the ultimate fear of garter snakes tho...i know i know they are harmless and blah blah blah but that is my worst fear. I'm always running around with my camera taking pics of the snakes I see down here. Mostly black racers and scarlet kings, but recently we've had 4 diff water mocassin episodes by the lake. eeeeeeeh!

Far Side of Fifty said...

I would have died right then and there..your poor sister..I bet that was the last of her snake hunting episodes with you.

We have garter snakes in the area..they are not poisonous..I still hate them..and I used to have a dog that would kill them for me. I don't think Chance has ever seen a snake. I prefer not to see them either:(

Dreaming said...

Funny! As parents we are sometimes less than supportive and kind to our young 'uns! ;-)

Our dog would kill non-venomous snakes and had a special bark that meant, "Come see what I have here" that she'd use if it was a Copperhead. Then we'd dispatch the critter.

Country Gal said...

Yup I would of killed myself laughing as well, I was laughing at the story how bad is that ? Poor girl though she must of thought you were a right cow for laughing as she is scared to death lol I know my kids would lol and I believe my mum did laugh at me in a simular situation lol . Great post, well maybe not for your daughter ! Have a great day !

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

Oh Gail, you a bad one.....yes it is funny but poor baby girl, especially at 12. I used to be a snakeophile but as I've gotten older the lure isn't as pronounced. Not afraid but would rather not have to deal with them. Happy Mother's day this weekend...be careful of daughters...tee hee

Irene said...

Poor Maria. It was mean of you to laugh at her. That's something my mother would have done. Not nice at all, Gail.

ellen abbott said...

oh, god, I'd have been laughing too. in fact my son had a similar experience with a mockingbird which attacked him, actually pecking him on the head. I was helpless with laughter but he didn't think it was so funny. doesn't like birds to this day.

Susan Anderson said...

That experience would give me more than just a dislike for snakes. We're talkin' full-blown snake phobia stuff here!!

=)

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

Poor snake traumatized Maria. You'd be puttin' me six feet under in a hurry if one wrapped around this chicks leg!

I touched a black snake once when I was a kid and suppose to water the calves. The black hose layin' in the grass moved when I went to pick it up. Needless to say I could probably been heard seven miles away and Mama watered the critters that day.

Snakes...not thank you! :o)

Have a beautifully blessed Mother's Day weekend sweetie!

Jules said...

ROFL, only in the south do we send our children to retrieve guns and then reward them with snake-skin hose :)
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

LindaG said...

I've never had anything like that happen to me. I'm just a wuss.
I'm afraid of most bugs, though some I watch in... horrid fascination? Haha.
And I won't touch them or snakes or spiders. Don't have a clue how I'll function with chickens. ;-)

Golden Eagle said...

LOL. I probably would have laughed, too. :P

Ahem.

Brenda said...

I do not like snakes either and would have been jumping around and screaming just as loud. Poor child, if she was one of my three daughters there would not have been any help for her.

Elizabeth Mueller said...

I can't blame her for that, I'm not fond of them either. I don't hate them, I just stay clear from them. :D

YA Paranormal Romance Darkspell coming soon!

♥.•*¨Elizabeth¨*•.♥
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T. Powell Coltrin said...

Poor Maria, but I still like snakes...even wrapped around my leg. Now spiders...is another thing.

Anonymous said...

Poor girl. The simple things that traumatize kids. I can understand why she hates them.

Teresa

Pat said...

Okay. Not funny. You're lucky she didn't grab the gun and shoot YOU!

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