 Snakes
I have been asked by different ones to write an article on snakes.
Let me say from the beginning that when we moved to the farm, my greatest fear was that we would have snakes around and I cannot describe how afraid I am of those critters. My niece, Terri said my dad used to tell her stories of me killing snakes and she was fascinated by them. I'm sure when he saw her fascination, he made them plenty interesting!
When we moved here, we were unable to move it all at once, so we brought what we could and Leland and his dad and brother drove back to Andrews for the rest. Mother and the kiddos and I came down one evening to do some things and the electricians were just leaving. They had gotten the electricity turned on and had checked the pump in the well house. Sure enough there was a copperhead in there and they killed it and carried it back to the house and had it stretched out by the road. When we got out of the car I gathered the kids around and said, "This is a snake, this is a snake!" Well, I could tell the men were somewhat amused and I'm sure they drove off laughing about the crazy woman that had just moved in.
We didn't exactly find them everywhere, as I had feared, but I had decided that when we did that I simply could not kill one with a hoe. That would be getting too close to it and besides I couldn't have it squirming at my feet. I would just shoot it - like I could shoot a gun. One day I did see one, a long black chicken snake. To me, I feel as a neighbor once said if it doesn't rattle, it's a cobra. If it's a snake it dies. So, I get the ole 22 rifle and take aim. I have no idea how many times I accidentally hit it, but finally it's bullet ridden body lay at my feet. I was real proud of myself until some neighbor came along and ask" Shoot that snake with a shot gun?".... Nooooooo... When Leland saw it, I took some kidding about it too.
The next big one came later. I had Wayne and Sharon cleaning limbs from under a large pecan tree. Mike was still too little to get in on that... Wayne spotted a rattlesnake. Sharon came to the house telling me there was a rattlesnake in the gully. I grabbed the 22 and as I loaded it, I thought I better get it on the first shot or it would get away, but did go ahead and put another bullet in the gun. Got down there and sure enough it was pretty big. I shot once and missed but to my surprise it didn't move. I shot again and I will say right now, that the Lord guided that shot, because I am not that good. I got it below it's head and it spun up and started rattling. We got a hoe and pulled it to the house. A neighbor came by and wanted to cut it's head off. I said, "No way, my husband needs to see this." I had to redeem myself from before. It measured 47 inches and we were told it was a velvet tailed rattler. We had seen only one before. It was killed by a neighbor at another place on our farm. For those who know more about snakes than we do may know this kind by another name. I tried to find it on the internet recently and could not. Anyway, Leland carried it to the rig the next day...kinda showing it off.
Another time that I still chuckle about was when Sharon had the hiccups one night and I had listened to that long enough... I went to the desk and opened it and slammed the door closed and said, "Get the gun." Oh, that only meant one thing. She came running back in there with the 22'minus the bolt that we kept removed for safety... When I ask her where her hiccups were, she was not amused!!
We all remember the time she was outside just as it was getting dark and she thought she saw a snake under the hedge. She RAN for dear life. I saw this little streak go by the window and in a second as she came by the back door she said, "Have the door open when I come back around!" Bless her heart she thought it was chasing her and then was afraid she was running so fast that she may come upon it.
As the boys grew they did the killing if they were home or Leland would if he was here. Sharon never killed a snake in her life. There were those times when it was necessary for me to still do the job. Like the time David, our future son-in-law came. He was picking up Sharon for their first date. I was in the yard with my 22 when he came up, and had just shot it and he still laughs about it. Said he thought, "WOW, I better take care of that woman's daughter." He has, but I'm sure that little episode had nothing to do with it..
The thing I had dreaded most happened one day. Leland and Mike were over on another part of the farm when Mike was bitten by a copperhead. Leland did what we had always been told to do, cut it and try to get the poison out. I believe they recommend not doing that now. We called the ER and got him there as soon as possible. He did spend a night in the hospital, but was o.k.
Then later Wayne and Beth were up and Wayne and Mike stepped in the garage and a smaller, nonpoisonous snake bit Wayne. He killed it and of course we were relieved it wasn't going to kill him, but Beth and I almost did later when he went into the bathroom and came out with shaving cream foaming all over his mouth and acting crazy. Can you understand why I use hair coloring?
One day Beth called and told me there was a snake in the house and to bring the gun. They have two daughters and both were very small then. We had just seen Wayne and Leland pass by the house going to a neighbor's. When I got there she stationed both girls and me against the wall on the far side of the snake and gave me orders to shoot if it so much as moved. She did not want that loose in her house. This was before cell phones, so she jumped in the car to go get the men. At this time, I will say the guys in this family get a lot done, but with nothing but love in my heart for them I must say they do not move very fast, or excite easily. Beth came to a screeching halt, told Wayne there was a snake in the house. His response "Oooooooookkkkkkkkk, be there in a minute." She said, "Wayne, your mother is in the house with a gun." She still laughs at the speed of light that he and Leland got into the PU. When they arrived we were still all in place, snake too, Wayne was able to get it out of the house to kill it. All was well.
Then there was the time we had moved to Houston for little over a year with Leland's job. This was before Mike married and he stayed here and we would come home on weekends when we could. Even though Leland worked in the Houston office, he would sometime have to leave for a few days. Once he had to go to Tyler. We knew this was going to be for several days, so I decided to come home and see the family. I got up very early and left Houston and went by Tyler to see Leland and then drove on in. I was really tired and had a terrible headache when I got home. Mike was at work already and I just drove in, went around to get my luggage out of the car and to my horror I had stopped on about the middle of a long black snake. It was just flopping. I did not feel like killing it, so I just came on in the house and laid down. When Wayne came home, he stopped by here and I told him about the trapped snake. He got a hoe and killed it. He said it was almost dead anyway. He laughed and said, "That has to be the unluckiest snake in Grayson county you came wheeling in here from Houston and stopped right on it." First time I ever felt sorry for a snake.
A very few years ago, Wayne and Beth built a gazebo. Some trees needed to be cleared for this, and I think they did see a few little crawly creatures during this process, but the thing that was so scary was one afternoon they were cleaning up some brush and rocks, etc. Beth reached down and picked up a handful of rocks and threw them in the wheelbarrow and realized she had picked up a copperhead with the rocks. I believe the tone of her scream brought Wayne to her side immediately. He killed it and all was well. He remarked that must have been some surprise for that snake - probably had been sleeping away when all of a sudden it was thrown in a wheelbarrow and then killed within seconds..
Now that Leland is home all the time I leave this little chore to him, and he has had quite a few experiences himself....
Ephesians 6:11,16
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil Above all taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.
Esther |
