A very small baby Gopher snake (center, looks like a brown cord between Effie’s and Paladin’s paws) fended its way through Effieland yesterday. Effie, a veteran of carrying a full grown Garter snake around in her mouth, and Paladin, treating the Gopher snake as a living toy, took turns carrying the snake in their mouths and playing harmlessly with it on the ground. Eventually they freed the tiny reptile, which slithered its way to the fence. Paladin laid on top of the snake. Somehow the snake made it out of Effieland.
Eel Creek Chronicles 
You must have been a cute kid with your funny little pets!
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I also built amazing cardboard houses for my ladybugs. They also were all named Clarence.🤗
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I don’t hate them, because they don’t have a choice about the way they are. But they do terrify me. Unless I have it on good authority that it’s a harmless species.
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I find that an admirable, well-thought policy, Friend Harini. I don’t despise all reptiles! I think turtles are wonderful!
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Me too!
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I used to name all my turtles Clarence when I was little. I made the tortises houses and kept the little water turtles in large glass bowls, deep enough for their comfort and shallow enough to come up on their island rock. I simply never made pets of, or admired, other reptiles.
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Oh no! WordPress swallowed up my earlier reply. What I was trying to say was, we have seen a cobra or two on our rambles, but in general, snakes stay away from people as long as they hear them coming. The trouble is, the animals don’t have the sense to stay away from snakes, they stick their noses into holes and hedges. Three years ago, we lost one of our dogs to a snake bite. After that, we kept the other one under close supervision. But in a year or so, I noticed poor Topshe had become a nervous wreck. So now our animals enjoy their freedom all day and their curfew is the sunset hour. They are exposed to some risks, but they are much happier. I just pray for their safety, and sometimes I’m a nervous wreck!
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Yugh! I confess to a hatred for snakes. They’re just eerie to me. That baby gopher snake our cats were playing with was enough! I hope it doesn’t decide to move into Effieland when it grows up–or anywhere on our land!
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The first sentence was supposed to be ‘Punk’s snake was not a cobra’! Autocorrect is bonkers!
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WordPress can get a tad bonkers too sometimes. No worries. 🤗
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Our a Jesuit. But there are other venemous smashes in our area. I keep looking up the snakes we see, and the most common seems to be the harmless rat snake. Still, one never knows. I have seen a cobra on one of our walks. In general, they avoid people, and if you stomp a bit as you walk, they’ll stay away. The trouble is, the animals don’t seem to have the sense to avoid snakes, they go sticking their noses in holes and hedges. We lost one dog to a snake bite, and after that we kept the other one very close. After a year of this, I realised this constant helicopter parenting had made poor Topshe into a nervous wreck. So we have relaxed the rules again. Our animals are gloriously free in the daytime, which means they take the risks with the perks.
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Punk’s was not a cobra, those are ready to identify.
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Good! Terrorism by reptile should not be countenanced on one’s own land!
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😀
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Do you have the poisonous variety there? I visit family at Christmas in the country usually taking my inside fur-b y with me. Mum says……”if you go for a walk be careful by the water tanks. We have a snake!” And I disappear back inside! Cheers,H
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We haven’t had a poisinous snake on our property in the eight years we’ve lived here, but they do exist in the area.
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What a coincidence! Punk just found a snake this morning. I didn’t know what kind it was, venemous or not. So I picked up Punk and let the snake escape. Unfortunately, I think Punk is beginning to understand cause and effect, and decided I was the villain of the piece!
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Yikes, Harini! Please pardon the stereotype, but do you have cobras where you are?
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Yes, Lauren, we do. That’s why I’m so scared. But one has to live with courage and hope, right?
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Right. We have rattlesnakes. . .poison is poison. Our hospitals keep a supply of anti-venom.
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I love this.
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Thank you, Heidi! It was sort of the original “And a good time was had by all.”
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That is cute they are playing together 🙂
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Yes, notwithstanding a few complications…
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