Ringnecks, Copperheads and Rattlesnakes

Kind of gives you the chills just thinking about them huh?  Me too, except for the ringnecks.  Today my parents and I went to our cabin to see if the power was back on.  There was a storm 2 days ago and we lost power for a day and a half there.  Everything was in working order.  I checked the bathrooms to see if anything needed cleaning and it all looked pretty decent except there was a baby ringneck snake in the bathtub.  No biggie.  I picked it up and put it outdoors.  Dad asked if I was going to flush it down the toilet.  C'mon, it's harmless.  I couldn't do that.

Later we sat on the back porch.  Dad pointed out some trees with dead branches.  I wanted to know if the whole tree was dead so we could mark it to cut this winter for firewood. I walked back into the forest wearing flipflops.  I tread carefully so I wouldn't get poked by a stick or something.  I stepped up onto a rock and was stepping down the other side and saw a copperhead just under my foot.  I very quickly lengthened my step and jumped farther, my blood pressure rising considerably, a much different reaction than to the ringneck.  If they weren't so scary they'd be beautiful.  I wish I had my camera but I wasn't expecting anything to see wildlife today. 

I haven't seen a rattlesnake in years but I thought this was worth mentioning because Adam experienced something I can say I've never done.  He and some friends cooked up rattlesnake for dinner a few weekends ago.  I think they grilled it.   One of the guys had killed it the weekend before, I think.  I'm sure Jeff Foxworthy would have something to say about this.