It was just a little after midday when Son and I eased our way down the hillside to look over some of the early preparations for the clue hunt that is not until October. He has gotten a start on some of the major props since this year's hunt calls for some pretty laborious building projects. What started out so many years ago as a simple clue hunt with paper clues has evolved into a major undertaking. My oldest son made the remark several years ago that our clue hunt is almost as if LARP (live action role playing) met up with room escape and had a baby. Needless to say, there are very few written clues and an enormous amount of mechanical props that have to be solved. It is interesting but a lot of work on our part. The two of us enjoy the challenge, however, and it seems as if the teams enjoy solving our mysteries. That said, we headed out to check a ship's mast that he installed in the yard.
While admiring his handiwork and discussing the possibilities of other related props, a movement in the grass near us diverted my attention. Not far from us a lovely snake was "lying low" and trying to remain unseen. Too late. I was just itching to get the camera in action! I slipped around in front of the snake and dropped to my knees. I wanted to be sure to capture the beauty of the snake. Well, nice snaky had other ideas! Maybe it was just camera shy but it slowly turned to the left. Ok, so I would have to crawl up a bit closer. Now, I was only maybe two feet from the snake and got my shot! Wow! After a few more photos, it was time to set the camera down and simply admire the snake for what it was. Son and I both were enamored!
This snake is a Eastern Black Kingsnake. It was formerly called a Speckled Kingsnake (for good reason). Taxonomy changed all that recently but it is difficult for me to see the snake as anything other than a speckled! In my opinion, this is one of the most docile snakes on the planet. In a sense, it is one of our protectors as it has a healthy appetite for other snakes including venomous ones. It is noted for consuming copperheads, cottonmouths and even rattlesnakes. A kingsnake of a given area is usually immune to the venom of other snakes in that area but may not be immune to snakes from other areas. That matters not in the case of our lovely visitor since I am in hopes that it will stay put and call the garden its home. It is welcome to slither about to its heart's content!
I guess the above statement could be taken in several ways. From a medical standpoint, it probably would not be a good thing as it could mean a serious problem with eye health. From a local fisherman's viewpoint, seeing specks would be a good thing since "speck" is the colloquial term for speckled sea trout and any fisherman would be thrilled to find a bunch of specks in the boat! Then, there is Darling Daughter's viewpoint. Seeing specks meant she found another snake in her yard and it was a beauty! Elizabeth came across yet another snake that she dubbed as a friend. A Speckled King Snake had found its way into the yard and made itself right at home. She was delighted to have her new friend visit and told me that it was so docile that she got to "pet" it.
In our discussion about her friendly snake, we came to realize that not everyone loves snakes as much as we do. While my folks were ok with snakes on the farm, others are not so fond of them. I recall one time where Pop was doing some repairs on a pipe that crossed a pond on the old home place. As a youngster, I sat at the water's edge and watched. A large snake swam toward Pop who was waist-deep in the water. I screamed at Pop about the snake. His response? "Oh, let the snake watch out for himself. I am not going to hurt him!" That statement made a huge impact on my thoughts about snakes. From that point on, I was not afraid of snakes. They became a curiosity to me. I tried to pass that curiosity and respect along to my own kids. Elizabeth was a wee tot when I sent her to the garden to pick squash. After she was out in the garden for about ten minutes, she came back with her basket of squash. She then informed me that "There was a moccasin under one of the plants but I got the squash!" Sure enough, she learned to recognize the venomous snake and, sure enough, there was one under the plant! When asked about her calmness in facing the snake, she merely replied "You have always told us not to panic over things." Yep, that love for snakes has been passed down to another generation! Pop would be proud!
