Blacksnake draws a crowd

Last month, while visiting my doctor's office in the Tiger Point area, I looked out the door at the rear of the building just in time to see a 12 to 14-inch long snake leisurely making it way across the flagstones and grass outside. I knew it was probably a harmless Blacksnake (we called them corn snakes up home), but it looked interesting.

I called to the nurses at the nearby desk, and they joined me, then the nurse carrying my test results appeared. When she saw the snake, she called three others from the front office to come look. Everyone stood there emitting various muffled shrieks and sounds of dismay. Of course, this reminded me of a similar occasion in my past.

In his early teens, my second son was an avid collector of snakes, some of which he caught in the nearby woods. Others he bought at a pet shop near school. We had a large, stone garage located well away from the house, so he kept his harmless pets there in wooden cages and boxes.

Our nearest neighbors, an elderly couple, had two live-in maids who took care of them. But the maids themselves were getting on in years, and very easily frightened.

One morning as I opened the garage to get the car, two snakes swiftly slithered past me through the door. I had no idea how they had gotten loose, but I knew one had been recently purchased with my son's allowance, and I knew it would be sorely missed. I grabbed my shopping bag and a nearby hockey stick and started chasing them around the yard, hoping to catch them and drop them in the bag.

The maids, although still on their own property, were screaming in fright, and telling me, "You're going to get killed! They'll bite you and you'll be dead!"

Well, luckily I managed to get he snakes into the bag and back in their little homes in the garage. I have to admit that, once I had the snakes on the stick, I held them up higher than necessary to show the maids how brave I was. When both were in the bag, I closed the top with a clothespin. Then I jumped in the car and took off for the market.

Being a mother of boys, one must always be ready to cope, but it's nice to have an audience when you show that you can rise the the occasion. I'm sure if Eve had had a hockey stick, that snake in the Garden would have been in trouble.

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Did you realize that your body is not designed to sit all day? Regular physical activity gets our heart pumping and burns calories. It also helps maintain bone mass, muscles and joint flexibility. Exercise uses energy, but it also boosts the energy you have for the rest of the day. And, the energy you use also helps eliminate negative emotions.

This advice, from the Mayo Clinic, is advice from the best. Get up and get moving!

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Do you remember to fasten your seat belt every time you drive or ride even a short distance? Statistics show that 3 out of 4 crashes resulting in death occur within 25 miles of home.

Do you think it takes too long to fasten the belt? It takes an average of three seconds.

Do you think it is better to be thrown from your car if you are in a serious collision? Wrong. Four out of five people ejected from a vehicle in an accident die.

Add to the above the medical and insurance costs and the points on your driving record if you are stopped for not wearing one, and you will realize that "buckling up" is a must, no matter how short the trip! Remember, Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.

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Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail.

See you next week! *****