Scott and I often joke that we have a mixed marriage. He's from Mississippi and I'm from Chicago Heights. He grew up playing in the woods, hunting, fishing and all things Southern. I grew up not doing those things, like at all. The only thing I remember coming out of the woods were raccoons, deer and more deer. So when I moved to Florida, which by the way I do not consider the South, I consider it an annex of the North, I was not prepared for the "critters".The geckos were my first Florida critter experience. I did not handle them well, especially the albino ones with the beady red eyes, they creep me out. I'm better with them, as long as they are not the albino ones, those still creep me out.
Next was the black racer snakes. Remember that story? *gag* I saw one walking into EPCOT a few months back and practically scaled Scott. I do not do snakes. At Brookfield Zoo I skip the reptile house, that's how much I do not like snakes.
Fast forward to two nights ago. It's like 9:30 at night and someone is pounding on our door, it's our neighbors daughter telling us there is a cottonmouth snake between the houses and not to let the dog out. Me being the Yankee that I am had no idea what she was talking about and Scott informed me it's a poisonous snake. Well giddy up.... Lake County's finest came out and took care of the snake.
So last night we get home and here's our neighbors daughter again telling us ANOTHER cottonmouth just came out of our backyard. Here's where our inherent North/South difference fits in. I grab the kids and go inside and try to figure out how to seal up every possible entrance and google if in fact snakes came get in through your pipes. North. My husband opens the garage, grabs a shovel and walks off with the neighbors to "kill 'em a snake". South.
I know our North/South differences will always lead to funny stories like this. And I know this story will be one of those that we will share at family get togethers for many years to come. Ridiculous things like this are what makes each family unique and special, and boy do we have a lot of these special moments!
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4 comments:
Um, I do not do snakes either! I've heard that you can sprinkle powder laundry detergent around your house (outside)and it will keep them away. I haven't tried it myself, but I've had several people tell me that!
No way! I grew up in PA and there were tons of snakes around. I freak out over them regardless. My husband used to have pet snakes. I can't even look at a picture of a snake without getting goosebumps. ICK!
Yeah....well my son and husband also had pet snakes and when they would find one while riding through our property...they would bring it home....well this particualar time we just had an old fish aquariam with no lid so my husband rigged this aquariam up with some shavings for the snake and put a screen (something he had laying around in the shop) on top of the aquariam.... prior to bedtime..we put not 1, not 2, but 3 large old stype Encyclopedia's on top of the screen...just in case...well low and behold...the next morning I woke and swore that the snake was not in the cage... everything was still in place....so my husband thought I was crazy ...but when he openned the top and moved the shavings around.....NO SNAKE.... needless to say...I turned my house upside down everyday for about a week...and we lost sleep...my teenage daughter slept away for several nights..... three months went by and one morning I woke to take a shower and when I moved the shower curtain back......SNAKE !!!! Yeah...my husband brought it out far away and we have never had pet snakes in the house again !!!! South Louisiana
Your story is something like our story. Here I love animals especially snakes but my wife really don't have interested in these and she is really afraid of them. We often have fights over watching TV as I see most of the times wild life channels like Nat Geo , Animal Planet and she wants to see music channels or movies. I would also like to share a website (cottonmouthsnake.net) for all those people who love snakes and want to improve their knowledge about snakes like me.
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