Where do our fears originate from? Have you ever wondered what frightens you and why? I hate to be frightened and won't even go to a Haunted House at Halloween.
One of my biggest fears are SNAKES. Anyway as early as I can remember, I have never liked snakes. I come from a long line of "snake haters". My grandmother, mom, aunts and I'm sure others never liked snakes and I'm sure that is where it was instilled in me.
I used to visit my Grandma Pierce in Gold Beach a lot. My grandparents had a big yard and it always seemed to have snakes there. If I ever saw a snake I would avoid that area like the plague. Someone told me one time that if you stomp your feet it will frighten them away. So, like a crazy person, I would stand and stomp my feet and then walk through some tall grass. I will do almost anything to keep from being around a snake.
There are some funny stories in my childhood about snakes. One in particular happened in Gold Beach while visiting my grandparents, my grandma and a girl next door, Paula, and myself were out in the yard and grandma was pulling weeds. We were all on our knees and a snake slithers by, us girls jumped back. Grandma started telling us how good snakes were, because they eat bugs, etc. etc. and all the time she was still pulling weeds. Somehow she got hold of that snake in a handful of weeds and pulled it out and saw it and jumped up and screamed and threw the fistful of weeds down and ran for the house with two little girls on her heels. She got inside the house and slammed the door and leaned against it and then I guess she realized what that looked like and just started laughing. I will never forget that story.
OK, where am I going with this story. The other night I was in my big pond cleaning it out. I had lifted out the rocks and put on the side and was scrubbing it all up. I had been in and out of the pond getting things several times. Finally, I got it to a point that I was going to put the rocks I had taken out back in, so I was reaching up and getting them. My pond is a one piece unit that has been dug down and set in, then I have some flat rocks around the edges. I was bending over those flat rocks picking up the round rocks and putting carefully back into the pond on about my third trip for rocks I looked down and there was a little triangle spot between the flat rocks and there was a snake laying in against the pond edge. I freaked and jumped out of the pond and was very mad, because I was so close to being done. I was even crying a little because I let this fear upset me so badly. Now, I can't go near that area, because I don't know where that stupid snake is.
When Craig got home last night I asked him to move some rocks and look for the snake, but the little slithering sob was not there. Ok, so I did what all good snake haters do, I went to the Internet and found a type of "snake catcher" box that the snake will crawl in and supposedly get stuck to the bottom by some glue. You can then release the snake in another area. Right, that is going to happen!!!! I also found some type of powder that is suppose to repel snakes. I told Craig that I bought it in about a 50 lb bag and plan on sprinkling some around the entire perimeter of our property. But, of course, if there are snakes already on the property, they would never leave. This leaves me a dilemna, where to sprinkle?
Will I ever go back to my pond area? That will be hard to say, but I will tell you I am still totally frightened of snakes and probably always will be. I don't know of any fix other than to be blind and then I couldn't see them.
One of my biggest fears are SNAKES. Anyway as early as I can remember, I have never liked snakes. I come from a long line of "snake haters". My grandmother, mom, aunts and I'm sure others never liked snakes and I'm sure that is where it was instilled in me.
I used to visit my Grandma Pierce in Gold Beach a lot. My grandparents had a big yard and it always seemed to have snakes there. If I ever saw a snake I would avoid that area like the plague. Someone told me one time that if you stomp your feet it will frighten them away. So, like a crazy person, I would stand and stomp my feet and then walk through some tall grass. I will do almost anything to keep from being around a snake.
There are some funny stories in my childhood about snakes. One in particular happened in Gold Beach while visiting my grandparents, my grandma and a girl next door, Paula, and myself were out in the yard and grandma was pulling weeds. We were all on our knees and a snake slithers by, us girls jumped back. Grandma started telling us how good snakes were, because they eat bugs, etc. etc. and all the time she was still pulling weeds. Somehow she got hold of that snake in a handful of weeds and pulled it out and saw it and jumped up and screamed and threw the fistful of weeds down and ran for the house with two little girls on her heels. She got inside the house and slammed the door and leaned against it and then I guess she realized what that looked like and just started laughing. I will never forget that story.
OK, where am I going with this story. The other night I was in my big pond cleaning it out. I had lifted out the rocks and put on the side and was scrubbing it all up. I had been in and out of the pond getting things several times. Finally, I got it to a point that I was going to put the rocks I had taken out back in, so I was reaching up and getting them. My pond is a one piece unit that has been dug down and set in, then I have some flat rocks around the edges. I was bending over those flat rocks picking up the round rocks and putting carefully back into the pond on about my third trip for rocks I looked down and there was a little triangle spot between the flat rocks and there was a snake laying in against the pond edge. I freaked and jumped out of the pond and was very mad, because I was so close to being done. I was even crying a little because I let this fear upset me so badly. Now, I can't go near that area, because I don't know where that stupid snake is.
When Craig got home last night I asked him to move some rocks and look for the snake, but the little slithering sob was not there. Ok, so I did what all good snake haters do, I went to the Internet and found a type of "snake catcher" box that the snake will crawl in and supposedly get stuck to the bottom by some glue. You can then release the snake in another area. Right, that is going to happen!!!! I also found some type of powder that is suppose to repel snakes. I told Craig that I bought it in about a 50 lb bag and plan on sprinkling some around the entire perimeter of our property. But, of course, if there are snakes already on the property, they would never leave. This leaves me a dilemna, where to sprinkle?
Will I ever go back to my pond area? That will be hard to say, but I will tell you I am still totally frightened of snakes and probably always will be. I don't know of any fix other than to be blind and then I couldn't see them.
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