THE GARDEN OF EDEN

Yes....we here at the Southfarm have SNAKE'S. Some years we can see several of these slithery things here. In late 1992, this snake was found curled up close to our Crepe Mirtle bush, right near our carport. It was not aggressive, it was very cool outside.

I had the stomach flu and was laying on the sofa, when I heard a horn blowing, knowing that the mail lady had already run, I couldn't figure out who or what was blowing that horn. And I could hear someone yelling, so I got up and looked out the front window and there was John yelling his head off for me. I went to the back door and stepped out on the carport and yelled back at him 'what did he want' ( I was fixing to tell him to leave me alone ).

He told me to go get his rifle and I asked what for, he pointed down at the ground and OMG there was that Timber Rattlesnake all curled up. All I could say was KILL IT, and John said, "get me the rifle", now..all guns of any type are GUNS to me, I told John to go get his own weapon ( where ever it was ). He did !!! And he put the snake out of OUR misery. Sorry...all you snake lovers.

John decided to save the snake meat ( rattlesnake meat is a delicacy ). He skinned it and we put the meat in the freezer. That snake took up the whole top shelf in the freezer. I was worried that, is there a right or wrong way, to skin a snake for the meat. I sure didn't want any poison running through the meat of the snake.

Don't John look proud. Who needs Batman or Superman, when I have John. This snake was five an a half feet long. That's one foot too long as far as I'am concerned.

Snake's do have beautiful skin. We don't go around looking for snakes to kill them, King Snakes are around the barn and we leave them alone, their not poisonous and they keep the rat population down somewhat.

This shows you the size of the snakes head up against John's hand. We didn't save the head...I wish we had, or at least the fangs. We do have the rattles that are at the end of the snake.

Here's John prying open the mouth, to show you the fangs. How does she say that, "my what a big mouth you have" and he say's, "yes, and better to eat you with, my dear" Oh...wait...that's from Little Red Riding Hood...he he !!!

This is what became of the snake skin. John and I located a taxidermist in the next town and preserved the skin. As I've said before...we have other snakes here, like cottonmouths, water moccasins which both are poisonous, and kingsnakes. I try to avoid all snakes at all times, but...some times you can't.

Well...guess what !! Yes, and another rattlesnake was found the following year. John wasn't home this time ( he was on a run ) so I called a good friend from up the road from us, and he came and did away with this one for me. I tried to shoot the snake ( hand shaking like crazy the whole time ), but John's pistol jammed up on me and it wouldn't shoot. Later when John came home he looked at his pistol and said I was very lucky, I had jammed the bullet in away, that if the pistol had gone off...I could have been badly injured.

Guess again...yep yep, another one, the same year as the second one. Is this the Garden of Eden or what !! As before, I called the neighbor up the road, and he did away with this one also. I saved all the rattles form the three snakes. In the past five years we haven't seen any Timber Rattlesnakes, like is that all of them...yeah..right. We had that bad flood in 92, that's the only reason we can think of, of why these big snakes came out of the woods, so, who really knows why.

Don't ya just want to get a hold of EVE and sort of choke her...just a little bit !!! We here down south hope you have enjoyed our little garden. Hurry back now...ya hear...love having ya.