Don’t worry it’s not poisonous

Yes, right!  But, I was programmed to jump every time I see a snake, poisonous or not.  Growing up in the tropics you learn pretty fast not to mess with cold-blooded slithering creatures because they can kill you in minutes.  I learned to identify Cobra, Krait and the lesser poisonous ones as well as the non-poisonous Pythons since I was a kid.  Once we found a Python coiled up in the kitchen at my parents home, that gave me pause for a second before I chased him out.  Don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t a pet.  He came in looking either for warmth or food.  We had enough of these guys in the neighborhood that we didn’t need to welcome him in our home.  Why didn’t I smack him and make him into a small purse?  We believe that Pythons are sacred, plus they eat rodents.  They are good, practical protection.

Anyway, it’s not like I am afraid of non-poisonous snakes but it spooks me when I unexpectedly  encounter one.  I was programmed to jump first.  Poisonous or not, they, would coil to strike at you first if they were surprised.

After I realized that we have a little guy, a Garter snake as our full time resident in the yard, I have been very careful to scan the area where I walk.  Bill laughed.  He had a snide comment “Aw, he’s not gonna kill you.  He’s as spooked as you are. The worst he can do is pee on you and that stinks.”  Right!  Thank you. And that should re-program me just like that.

I say one because I usually see one at a time, but I’m not sure exactly how many of them are in our garden since I have seen it in the vegetable garden, outside the vegetable garden, in the wood pile, on the other side of the pool deck, in the flower plot.  I couldn’t tell the difference from one to another.  Most of the time we just jumped back from each other.

I have to accept that he or she  is a good looking fellow.  Look at all those scales, copper eyes and red and black tongue moving in and out to sniff you.  Well, from what I heard, once you have a snake in your garden the eco system is complete.  That’s a nice thought.  I feel sorry for the little frogs and toads who serenade us every night, though.