DRY AS A SNAKE SHED..........

I swear, if I didn’t know better I’d think it were the dog-days of autumn instead of almost the 4th of July. My poor drought stricken trees are shedding russet colored leaves all over the yard and striding across the sun-seared lawn produces crackling sounds that would be much more appropriate in a Rice Krispy commercial. It’s so dry that all the critters are out hunting water including the Devil’s totem, that universal symbol of evil, the snake.I mentioned awhile back that I had lost 3 puppies to snakebite, but the other day I almost lost my future niece-in-law to a copperhead! I wasn’t there when it happened, so I don't know what is the honest truth, but it seems that a birthday party was going on when Erica heard a friend’s 3 year old son hollering outside. Looking out the door she was horrified to see the youngun’ running across the porch with arms outstretched, attempting to grab a baby copperhead that was sunning itself on the warm boards. When Erica snatched up the little boy the snake struck and caught her in the ring finger. (I also heard that she was trying to catch the snake but I’m gonna put that down to idle gossip). The copperhead only managed to scratch a small place, there wasn’t any real penetration by a fang, and everyone thought things would be OK.

The snake was dispatched, Erica wrapped a ponytail elastic around her finger and started to drive herself home, but on the way she started to feel “funny” and dropped by the local emergency room. When they removed the elastic her whole had ballooned up and her fingers started to turn black, so the hospital loaded Erica in an ambulance and shot her off to Huntsville hospital. Now days later they say she’ll be alright but might lose a fingernail.

I can’t help but think that if she hadn’t looked outside when she did that the little boy wouldn’t have lived. There’s no way a 3 year old could have gotten inside and explained that a snake had bitten him in time to have gotten to the hospital for a shot of antivenin. Not only that, the medical people would have to have know what type of snake it was before giving him that injection.

Copperheads bite more people in most years than any other U.S. species ....... A difference between copperheads and the other species appears when they are approached. Most rattlesnakes vibrate their tails and most cottonmouths sit with mouth open when a human comes near ....... the copperhead is different ....... most copperheads strick out immediately when they felt threatened.

BTW: Sweet Thang goes back to the Dr. on the 26th and then maybe we can work on the walking thing. He’s so bored that he’s taken up watching golf on TV! Thanks to everyone for asking about him