BYC Café

[Mtn Margie]

Ticks and chiggers and Heaven only knows what else - the thing I worry about the most is the venomous snakes. From the time my kids were toddlers, I have told them not to put hands or feet anywhere they can't see.

Yeah, no, . my first son...., if I told him there were snakes anywhere, he would dive in head first to catch them. I do not know how many times he would sprint off the trail or come up behind me with a snake in his hands. He would tell me that he knew what the poisonous ones looked like.

I would tell him that his arms might get amputated. He is sill here ( with two complete arms) , and he is still like that, living in AZ. He saw his first Coral Snake down there, did not attempt to catch it, just looked at it. He is always freaking his MIL out and my DGD, is apparently fascinated by reptiles as well....

 

[Tumbling K]

a corral snake would be the only kind of poisonous snake I might try to catch......lol

yes dewberry picking essentials down here, consists of:

boots with long pants, untucked
deet
stick for poking and prodding the vines
empty gallon milk just with part of the top removed



now if I could just get them kids to come back to the house with a pink, and not purple tongue, we'd probably have twice as many.

 

[Bunnylady]

I remember the owner of a local blueberry you-pick joking about weighing kids coming and going from the field, lol.

I'm probably more sanguine about snakes than my kids. I still remember an incident from before Critter and I married. We were visiting his parents, and I was still upstairs getting myself together one morning while he and his father were in the back yard, sorting the woodpile in preparation for an imminent delivery of firewood. I heard his father yell, "Bunny, if you have any sense, you'll jump out the window!" Shortly I heard a knock on the bedroom door, and when I opened it, there stood Critter, with three garter snakes that they had found sheltering in the wood pile. You can't imagine the consternation when I came downstairs with two of them.

 

[sourland]

, I need to DNA test Critter - there is no way that we can not be related.

 

[3goodeggs]

My husband came into the house a few years ago holding a garter snake.
I said, "You need to hold it closer to the head, they bite,"
"Oh No, they don't, I know what I am doing."

He got bit.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

Humm probably more pf a warm weather plant. What thrives here are gooseberries and some raspberries. I tried to find a good way to eat gooseberries, But it is definitely an acquired taste.

We strongly considered homeschooling, but my girls are desperate for friends, so we are going to feel it out. If we see a reason to pull them from school and teach at home, we will. We used to have a great little Catholic school that taught until 8 th grade, but it just closed down. (The broiler broke down and was cost prohibitive.)

don't discount home schooling because of lack of friends......home schooling isn't what it used to be.

there are many opportunities for those kids to get out and interact with other home schoolers, from sports, to theater, to even co-ops(think classes taught in a more conventional school setting, except you dont' have to worry about governmental bias).

The little Catholic school was mostly just a coop. To my knowlege another one has not yet started up (we are just so rural and it is a poor area) we are giving the public school a chance, and it looks like the school will have 7 years before they consider closing it again. So we will just play by ear.

Dewberry is a common name for the wild blackberry.

I imagine there are some blackberries in peoples yards, but I have not seen a wild one here.

 

[Tumbling K]

My husband came into the house a few years ago holding a garter snake.
I said, "You need to hold it closer to the head, they bite,"
"Oh No, they don't, I know what I am doing."

He got bit.

they don't carry much weight into their bite tho.......

 

[3goodeggs]

It was a love nip for sure. It only had about five inches to throw into it.

okay, as I reread that I know you are going to do bad things with it.
Don't. just DON'T

 

[Tumbling K]

The little Catholic school was mostly just a coop. To my knowlege another one has not yet started up (we are just so rural and it is a poor area) we are giving the public school a chance, and it looks like the school will have 7 years before they consider closing it again. So we will just play by ear.

yeah, we live about 45 minutes from a relatively big city, with a good home school base, and about 1.5 hours from Houston. There are lots of opportunities to pull a field trip together for home school kids.......many places even offer them discounts.

It was a love nip for sure. It only had about five inches to throw into it.

okay, as I reread that I know you are going to do bad things with it.
Don't. just DON'T

me?

surely you must have me confused with another member?

nah, it's not as fun, when it's that obvious.......

 

[ShrekDawg]

I remember one time when my brothers friend found a snake. I think it had crept into the basement from between the floor and the step up going outside. Either that or it was right outside the door. Harmless garter snake but a tiny creepy, though i think i thought it was cool. Never saw another though although this fall we found a skin on the front steps. Pretty big one too. My brother HATES snakes. Terrified. Same with my whole family. And I used to be terrified and still somewhat am. Like if one jumped out on the trail I would probably jump and scream. But I love looking at them at the zoos, pet stores, etc. And one day I think I might like to own a corn snale. They're pretty cool.