Living on a farm put me in close contact with all types of the slithering creatures. My sister was bitten by a snake but not a venomous snake, as a young child while swimming in the tank on our farm. When we fished at night, it brought snakes to our boat from somewhere out of the bitter gloom. When we walked around the house, it brought forth images of snakes lurking at every corner. We caught snakes on trot lines while fishing. My uncle brought snakes to our attention that he had procured out of the local barns. One of his stories involved the tale of what happened to him on one of his frog gigging adventures late one night. The eyes loomed large in the night. The frog gigs aim was true. The snake was struck and the result of the escapade was having the snake wrap itself around the arm of my surprised uncle.

The time that I was fishing out of a truck inner tube and saw a strange motion. A huge water moccasin was sunning itself on a log in the creek. I was about 5 feet from hitting the snake. The wind was blowing toward the reptile. I bailed out of the tube and swam for shore. I left my tackle box and all of my equipment to the mercy of the snake and stock tank.

Shortly after my marriage to a naive city girl, our trip to the farm brought forth images of a peaceful and relaxing week end . I enjoyed riding an old motorcycle . The kick starter on this vehicle was broken and needed the aid of another vehicle pulling it down the road through the use of an attached rope. I enlisted the aid of my wife. Off we went down the one lane rock covered winding road. She spied a snake on the side of the road in a watery ditch. I had the habit of picking up snakes and using them for show and tell. The kids really enjoyed this. I got off of of the motorcycle and preceded to club the snake. I then put it in the back of the open pick up. The motorcycle was unusually cranky this morning and balked at coming to life. My wife turned at the cross road and returned in the direction of the farm house. I was sitting on a motorcycle that was attached by a rope to the accelerating pickup. My wife was narrowly avoiding catastrophe at every turn. I could do nothing but scream at the top of my lungs. She barely missed putting my body through the barbed wire fence surrounding the family home She bailed out of the truck, shouting something that I could not understand. The snake had recovered his senses and was trying to get at my wife through the open pick up window. Water moccasins are very aggressive and if threatened will not shy away from a fight. The snake got out of the truck and backed me up about 15 feet. It struck at everything that it could see. The escapade ended after many near hits by the large snake.

My wife and I enjoyed boating and camping. The tent was erected on the shore line. The boat was in the water. The storm was coming. Everyone on the lake tried to use the boat ramp at once. The wind blew my craft into the rocks. The shear pin snapped in the motor. This pin allows the motor to function. I needed the help of my dear wife. While she held the bow of the boat in chest deep water , I would be at the stern repairing the motor. Dusk was approaching and I was moving rapidly. Not fast enough for the two water snakes that appeared on each side of me next to the motor. I weighed the severity of the situation. It seemed to me that the need to fix the motor outweighed the problem of the snakes. If I warned my wife the efforts to fix the motor and get back to the boat ramp would be curtailed. She screamed as the two snakes swam between her legs. The whole escapade came to a screaming halt.

I had not cut the long grass in weeks. Walking through the field one day I lost my balance and fell. The spot where I fell was not where I wanted to be. I had left a short log about 6 inches in diameter at the very spot. A large snake had rested next to the log. My foot landed on top of the snake. My foot continued movement with the flexibility of the snake skin helping it along. I kept moving until my foot hit the log. Down I came. I believe that I got up faster than I went down.

I found a copperhead snake down by the old hog pens. A large stick struck at the right part of the anatomy of the snake seemed to solve the situation. It was show and tell day. It was a long walk back to the house through tall grass. The kids were waiting. I was within 100 yards of the house when the snake began to move. It fell off the stick which I had used to carry it. It fell right at my feet in the tall grass. Another sticky situation that could be solved by fast action.

I have walked among snakes all of my life. I have come in close contact to water moccasins, copperheads,bull,chicken,coral and timber rattlesnakes. I have stepped on them and next to them. I have swam with them. I have never been bitten by them. I have had many narrow escapes. Snakes have struck at me at me with no ill effects. As a youngster I walked among them bare footed. Having matured, I now use snake proof gaiters when I know that I am moving in areas with high snake populations.