Whew! God's Protection is to Be Praised!

[Scarlett O.]

This afternoon at the school where I occasionally volunteer - a boy on the baseball team was sitting with his teammates in the gym.

He opened his baseball bag that he had carried from home, ridden with he and his brother/mom in their car to school, went with him - UNzipped throughout his classes all day - and lo and behold when he started to reach in the bag for something - he saw a cotton mouth snake!!

If you are not from my parts - and you don't know cotton mouths, otherwise known as water moccasins - they are [1] very deadly and [2] very, VERY aggressive.

He had the presence of mind to yell for the coach, the coach and assistant grabbed the bag and took it outside, and took down the snake, but NOT without a fight.

Of course, being men, of the the guys took a video and I'm telling you, it was frightening. Those snakes will fight you.

When I think of how many times during the day that snake could have gotten out of the unzipped bag from his mother's car to this afternoon - I shudder.

I believe with all my heart, God's divine protection was the cause for no injury or worse.

 

[kathleenmariekg]

I am so glad that everyone is safe!

 

[Wingman68]

Quite a story! I am thankful that you live in a place that still allows students to be in school, & that you have men being men. I would like to move there, my location is much more dangerous to our citizens. Poisonous snakes don’t pretend to be looking out for us.

 

[Roy]

"Whew!" is right. Thank the lord

 

[KenH]

If you are not from my parts - and you don't know cotton mouths, otherwise known as water moccasins - they are [1] very deadly and [2] very, VERY aggressive.

Thank God everything worked out. If I recall hearing a story correctly from my early childhood, one of my relatives(I think it was one of my mother's brothers) died from a water moccasin bite.

 

[Quantrill]

This afternoon at the school where I occasionally volunteer - a boy on the baseball team was sitting with his teammates in the gym.

He opened his baseball bag that he had carried from home, ridden with he and his brother/mom in their car to school, went with him - UNzipped throughout his classes all day - and lo and behold when he started to reach in the bag for something - he saw a cotton mouth snake!!

If you are not from my parts - and you don't know cotton mouths, otherwise known as water moccasins - they are [1] very deadly and [2] very, VERY aggressive.

He had the presence of mind to yell for the coach, the coach and assistant grabbed the bag and took it outside, and took down the snake, but NOT without a fight.

Of course, being men, of the the guys took a video and I'm telling you, it was frightening. Those snakes will fight you.

When I think of how many times during the day that snake could have gotten out of the unzipped bag from his mother's car to this afternoon - I shudder.

I believe with all my heart, God's divine protection was the cause for no injury or worse.

Yes, God's protection was there. I would be curious, if I were the young man, to find out how the snake got there. It's not uncommon for people in the South to place snakes where they shouldn't be just to scare the devil out of someone.

For example, years ago I knew of some who put a dead snake on top of the sun vizor on the drivers side of a car so that when they pulled it down the snake fell in their lap. Terrible idea. Could have killed a lot of folk.

Snakes look for food. They are not looking for people to bite. If the boys baseball bag had a mouse in it, then it might attract a snake.

Good snake story. The South is full of good and true snake lore. And I will be the first to admit, and I am from Texas, that I fear the cottonmouth much more then the diamond back rattler. As you say, they are aggresive.

Quantrill

 

[Scarlett O.]

Yes, God's protection was there. I would be curious, if I were the young man, to find out how the snake got there. It's not uncommon for people in the South to place snakes where they shouldn't be just to scare the devil out of someone.


Quantrill

They live in the country near a lake and he had left his baseball bag out on the carport the night before. I'm sure that's how it got in.

Around here, you only leave your boots, etc, out just ONCE and you get some creepy varmint hiding there. Spiders and all kinds of things. People just know not to do that. I guarantee you he won't do it again.

And yes - a rattlesnake will make sure you don't see or hear him it he can help it. They are dangerous, but don't pick a fight.

But a cotton mouth will come after you to bite you. I've seen that live and in person.

 

[kathleenmariekg]

I occasionally find a scorpion in my bedroom. Supposedly their venom is not deadly and merely inconvenient to healthy adults. But I have never seen anyone stung, and the unknowns scare me. I cry like a silly child when I try to kill it. They don't squish easy, so I have to face an angry scorpion every time I fail to kill it. I generally start screaming from the first failure and don't stop screaming until it is dead.

 

[xlsdraw]

My numerous encounters with cottonmouth moccasins is that they are fearless and stubborn. They tend to hold their ground rather than flee. Hence they are prone to be stepped on.

I have killed a couple, with golf clubs, that never even attempted to flee, when I was bashing their heads in.

I once was attempted to bash in the head of a huge one with a tree limb on muddy ground in the swamp. The first attempt failed cause the mud was too soft, with his now deformed head he started to slither away only to then turn back towards us. Fortunately, both me and my brother-in-law, had gathered tree limb clubs, and it took both of us to pin him in the mud and finish him off.

I've seen one slither between a friend's legs to get back into the creek when we were hunting his golf ball. And in middle school, I saw a kid grab one by the tail, that was sunning on the green, and sling it into the pond.

 

[xlsdraw]

Most my most harrowing experience with cottonmouths was in a boat. 4 of us teenagers were cast netting for Nile Perch, aka Talapia. We were too poor to own a boat motor so we had to use paddles.

The lake we were on had a power plant on it. My oldest brother worked at the power plant and he told us how the fish tended to be plentiful and grow fast and big around the warm water discharge canal. He also told us how frequently he encountered cottonmouths for likely the same reason.

As we were cast netting, we kept working our way closer to some overhanging willow trees. We cast close to them and as we were pulling the ropes to the nets, we drew right up next to the willows. Then we noticed the limbs close to the water were draped with probably thirty or so cottonmouths, probably 30"-36" long each. Being knucklehead teenagers, we just started swatting them with the paddles.

Then we eventually worked our way probably a couple of football fields distance away up the other shoreline casting our nets.

Then we hear a boat with it's motor barreling across the lake towards the canal. Sure enough, that boater, who was alone, nosed his boat right into the weedy shore right next to the willows where we'd knocked down all those moccasins. He jumped out of his boat to go up into the weeds to go potty.

We were screaming at the top of our lungs and paddling as hard as we could towards him. We just knew for sure that boater was going to get into that nest of cottonmouths and would be a deadman.

But when we'd closed only about half the distance, he emerged out of the weeds, jumped in his boat, and sped away. That man will never know just how close to death he came that day.

 

[Roy]

If you have a small flat bottom boat sitting on the ground next to the water, snakes like to get under the boat. When I was sixteen, I had a really hard hitting co2 bb pistol. It was a Daisey and could actually shoot a hole in a steel can. For some reason I can't find any that are that good anymore. Anyhow, shooting snakes was a favorite hobby of mine back then. I would go out to the lake where boats were rented. The boats were sitting flat on the ground at the lake's edge, and I would lift the boat up to see if a snake was under it. On any day, I would nearly always find at least one. It was always on a hot summer day when I would find snakes.
Oh well, if this appeals to you, happy hunting.

 

[Quantrill]

I occasionally find a scorpion in my bedroom. Supposedly their venom is not deadly and merely inconvenient to healthy adults. But I have never seen anyone stung, and the unknowns scare me. I cry like a silly child when I try to kill it. They don't squish easy, so I have to face an angry scorpion every time I fail to kill it. I generally start screaming from the first failure and don't stop screaming until it is dead.

During spring and summer I get scorpions in the house regularly. And during the night will get at times a scorpion wake up call. The sting is painful, but like any other sting, unless you're allergic to it, it doesn't bother you. The sting itself will go away in a minute or two.

While sleeping once, one ran across my hand and I closed my hand instinctively, and he stung me several times before I realized what was going on. So I got a good doze of his venom. The next morning, my tongue felt like I had scalded it, and my teeth just felt different, somewhat metallic. But that was an unusal doze and still no serious affects.

Quantrill

 

[Quantrill]

I would note that not every water moccasin is a cotton mouth. Some are just water snakes. But of course they all scare the devil out of you when you're in the water with them.

The cottonmouth can be black or brownish in color. His head, like all other venomous snakes in the U.S. except the coral, is V shaped. When a regular water snake is swimming on top of the water, his head is up and his body angling down in the water. When the cotton mouth is swimming on top of the water his whole body is on top.

Quantrill

 

[Quantrill]

If you have a small flat bottom boat sitting on the ground next to the water, snakes like to get under the boat. When I was sixteen, I had a really hard hitting co2 bb pistol. It was a Daisey and could actually shoot a hole in a steel can. For some reason I can't find any that are that good anymore. Anyhow, shooting snakes was a favorite hobby of mine back then. I would go out to the lake where boats were rented. The boats were sitting flat on the ground at the lake's edge, and I would lift the boat up to see if a snake was under it. On any day, I would nearly always find at least one. It was always on a hot summer day when I would find snakes.
Oh well, if this appeals to you, happy hunting.

I still have a flat bottom john-boat tied up on the banks of a river. Indeed, the first thing you check in the morning when you want to use it, is under the seats. One good rule was don't leave your bait in the boat as it attracts snakes too.

We had pistol pellet guns we would use. But we only shot them if we were in danger. We hung limb lines, which means you had to get into the bushes.

Quantrill

 

[canadyjd]

.....

But a cotton mouth will come after you to bite you. I've seen that live and in person.

They are vicious and relentless.

When I was about 7 or 8 the whole family (6 kids 2 adults) were fishing out of a 12 foot boat at a wildlife preserve. A HUGE cotton mouth attacked us. For several minutes (it seemed like; probably 30 secs really) my dad was swatting at this snake with the paddle as it kept trying to get into the boat over and over. You can imagine the chaos. We almost flipped the boat moving to the side away from the snake. My dad finally got a solid hit when it’s head came over the side and it disappeared.

Very lucky young man and the men who took care of the snake.

peace to you

 

[kathleenmariekg]

During spring and summer I get scorpions in the house regularly. And during the night will get at times a scorpion wake up call. The sting is painful, but like any other sting, unless you're allergic to it, it doesn't bother you. The sting itself will go away in a minute or two.

While sleeping once, one ran across my hand and I closed my hand instinctively, and he stung me several times before I realized what was going on. So I got a good doze of his venom. The next morning, my tongue felt like I had scalded it, and my teeth just felt different, somewhat metallic. But that was an unusal doze and still no serious affects.

Quantrill

Thank you!!! I have not had the opportunity to discuss this with anyone that has been stung!!!

In my new neighborhood, either people do not speak English or will not admit that they have bugs in their home. When I first came to this area, I lived with a relative in one of the gated communities, and things are sooooo different behind the gates than they are here in this slum. At the slightest trace of a bug or critter, the community exterminator immediately blasts the home and often the nearby residences, too. The communities are complete ecosystems that are designed NOT to look like the outside world.

There were no scorpions behind the gates. If I try to ask any questions of my relative or his peers, they get sooo uncomfortable and feel sooo guilty that I live in conditions that scare them. They don't have the resources to sustain both themselves and me behind those gates, and I don't want them to try. I am fine with the idea of being out here. I will be forever grateful for their hospitality until I could find housing here, but that doesn't mean they have to take permanent responsibility for me. I have to keep reassuring them of that, and then just stay away from them, because they drip guilt like leaky faucets, and look tortured by it, until I leave their presence and they can forget about me again for a few weeks.

I am struggling to get the INFORMATION that I need to live out here. Thanks!

 

[Quantrill]

Thank you!!! I have not had the opportunity to discuss this with anyone that has been stung!!!

In my new neighborhood, either people do not speak English or will not admit that they have bugs in their home. When I first came to this area, I lived with a relative in one of the gated communities, and things are sooooo different behind the gates than they are here in this slum. At the slightest trace of a bug or critter, the community exterminator immediately blasts the home and often the nearby residences, too. The communities are complete ecosystems that are designed NOT to look like the outside world.

There were no scorpions behind the gates. If I try to ask any questions of my relative or his peers, they get sooo uncomfortable and feel sooo guilty that I live in conditions that scare them. They don't have the resources to sustain both themselves and me behind those gates, and I don't want them to try. I am fine with the idea of being out here. I will be forever grateful for their hospitality until I could find housing here, but that doesn't mean they have to take permanent responsibility for me. I have to keep reassuring them of that, and then just stay away from them, because they drip guilt like leaky faucets, and look tortured by it, until I leave their presence and they can forget about me again for a few weeks.

I am struggling to get the INFORMATION that I need to live out here. Thanks!

You're quite welcome.

You mentioned 'neighborhood'. Do you live in the city or in the country? I'm from Texas and have lived in the country most of my life. So, I am familiar with our snakes and scorpions and what ever. As has been said, everything here either bites, stings, or itches.

If you live in the country, be sure to get you a couple of cats at least. That helps with both snakes and other things. Some free range chickens are good. They will eat a scorpion in a heartbeat.

Quantrill

 

[Yeshua1]

This afternoon at the school where I occasionally volunteer - a boy on the baseball team was sitting with his teammates in the gym.

He opened his baseball bag that he had carried from home, ridden with he and his brother/mom in their car to school, went with him - UNzipped throughout his classes all day - and lo and behold when he started to reach in the bag for something - he saw a cotton mouth snake!!

If you are not from my parts - and you don't know cotton mouths, otherwise known as water moccasins - they are [1] very deadly and [2] very, VERY aggressive.

He had the presence of mind to yell for the coach, the coach and assistant grabbed the bag and took it outside, and took down the snake, but NOT without a fight.

Of course, being men, of the the guys took a video and I'm telling you, it was frightening. Those snakes will fight you.

When I think of how many times during the day that snake could have gotten out of the unzipped bag from his mother's car to this afternoon - I shudder.

I believe with all my heart, God's divine protection was the cause for no injury or worse.

I don't know why, but first thing thought of was those fools who handle rattlesnakes claiming end of Gospel of Mark!

 

[kathleenmariekg]

I am in a slum that is quite large and actually the geographic center of a large city, not at the edge. It is a weird place like no other on earth, I think. I joke that I could write a great science fiction story about a space station or colony, using this place as inspiration.

To mention the name of where I live will just make people assume the opposite of what I face, because this part is not the parts that make the news or are talked about by people that talk to people outside of here. My relative has been here awhile and knows nothing of this place except to fear and shun it, and to speed through the main roads at speeds that kill my neighbors, leaving us with one of the highest pedestrian death rates in the country.

We are over 230 days without rain, this week. We are so far past breaking the record, and it just keeps going on and on. The people behind the gates still have water running down their sidewalks, while we are rationing the water that we pay for by feeding coins into the "water mill", or just doing without.

The wealthiest people here are the Hispanic people. They own all the businesses and everything is catered to and in Spanish. There are other races here, but they are the poorer people and not trusted by the Hispanic people. To be white is to be doubly distrusted. I understand why.

God placed me here. I feel on track. I am growing as a Christian and as a writer, and my PTSD in healing in ways that I never expected. We don't know what we don't know. I am learning all sorts of what I did not know that I was supposed to know.

This place is crumbling and FILTHY and DRY and foreign, and wild in ways that cannot be imagined within the boundaries of what is imagined as "urban American". I barely see my relative, but when I do, I teach him about his city in ways that he would rather never know. With knowledge comes responsibility. I try to leave him alone. God placed ME here, but I do not think I am supposed to mess with what God is doing with him and his peers at all. I feel a strong urge NOT to impact them, even with knowledge of their own city. At least not yet.

 

[kathleenmariekg]

I don't know why, but first thing thought of was those fools who handle rattlesnakes claiming end of Gospel of Mark!

I bristled at "fool". I have loved people who have fallen into messing with that stuff. Maybe the term fool is not always meant as a mocking word.

There are people who lead this stuff with a heart to gain power and to harm, but some of the followers are purest of heart and my childhood heroes.