Garden Grass Snakes also known as Garter Snakes (Thamnophissirtalis) can be dangerous. Yes, grass snakes, not rattlesnakes. Here's why............
A couple in Sweetwater, Texas, had a lot of potted plants. During a recent cold spell, the wife was bringing a lot of them indoors to protect them from a possible freeze.
It turned out that a little green garden grass snake was hidden in one of the plants. When it had warmed up, it slithered out and the wife saw it go under the sofa.
She let out a very loud scream.
The husband (who was taking a shower) ran out into the living room naked to see what the problem was. She told him there was a snake under the sofa. He got down on the floor on his hands and knees to look for it. About that time the family dog came and cold-nosed him on the behind. He thought the snake had bitten him, so he screamed and fell over on the floor.
His wife thought he had had a heart attack, so she covered him up, told him to lie still and called an ambulance. The attendants rushed in, would not listen to his protests, loaded him on the stretcher, and started carrying him out.
About that time, the snake came out from under the sofa and the Emergency Medical Technician saw it and dropped his end of the stretcher. That's when the man broke his leg and why he is still in the hospital.
The wife still had the problem of the snake in the house, so she called on a neighbor who volunteered to capture the snake. He armed himself with a rolled-up newspaper and began poking under the couch. Soon he decided it was gone and told the woman, who sat down on the sofa in relief. But while relaxing, her hand dangled in between the cushions, where she felt the snake wriggling around. She screamed and fainted, the snake rushed back under the sofa.
The neighbor man, seeing her lying there passed out, tried to use CPR to revive her. The neighbor's wife, who had just returned from shopping at the grocery store, saw her husband's mouth on the woman's mouth and slammed her husband in the back of the head with a bag of canned goods, knocking him out and cutting his scalp to a point where it needed stitches.
The noise woke the woman from her dead faint and she saw her neighbor lying on the floor with his wife bending over him, so she assumed that the snake had bitten him. She went to the kitchen and got a small bottle of whiskey, and began pouring it down the man's throat.
By now, the police had arrived. Breathe here......
They saw the unconscious man, smelled the whiskey, and assumed that a drunken fight had occurred. They were about to arrest them all, when the women tried to explain how it all happened over a little green snake.
The police called an ambulance, which took away the neighbor and his sobbing wife.
Now, the little snake again crawled out from under the sofa and one of the policemen drew his gun and fired at it. He missed the snake and hit the leg of the end table. The table fell over, the lamp on it shattered and, as the bulb broke, it started a fire in the drapes.
The other policeman tried to beat out the flames, and fell through the window into the yard on top of the family dog who, startled, jumped out and raced into the street, where an oncoming car swerved to avoid it and smashed into the parked police car.
Meanwhile, neighbors saw the burning drapes and called in the fire department. The firemen had started raising the fire ladder when they were halfway down the street. The rising ladder tore out the overhead wires, put out the power, and disconnected the telephones in a ten-square city block area (but they did get the house fire out).
Time passed! Both men were discharged from the hospital, the house was repaired, the dog came home, the police acquired a new car and all was right with their world.
A while later they were watching TV and the weatherman announced a cold snap for that night. The wife asked her husband if he thought they should bring in their plants for the night.
And that's when he shot her.
Thanks to Gail
The very best brothers a girl could wish for.
Tuesday 11/23/2009 started with this awesome sunrise.
To get started with posts on my New Zealand visit, I decided to begin with a little bit of interesting information. I know readers from New Zealand, would perhaps recognize the little building, those from other countries , probably not.
A guy is driving around the back woods of Montana and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: 'Talking Dog For Sale ' He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard.
Wednesday morning at 11am I will be boarding the Whidbey Seatac shuttle on the first leg of my journey to New Zealand.
The main purpose of my visit to NZ, is for the 40th birthday celebration of my daughter Tina.
I think this person was getting ready to launch, or whatever the term is.
At the other end of the line is this quite large kite. The kites come in different shapes and colors, and it is great to see many of the kite boarders out skimming the waves at one time.
This kite boarder was trying to get the kite under control as the strong, and I might say, cool wind whipped in towards shore. Whenever we see onshore winds from the house, we look for kite boarders, as these are the winds they like.Think about it, if they had offshore winds, they could be blown waaaaay out into Puget Sound, now they wouldn't want that, would they?
A kite boarder coming back in, after an enjoyable ( I am surmising) time.
Hang in there , don't want to lose it *chuckle*
I love to watch as the guys speed across the choppy water having the grandest time.
You can see the stormy weather conditions we are having today.
Ugene, or perhaps it is Eugene ( sorry if I miss-spelled your name ) Was kind enough to pose for a picture. You can see the wet weather gear they wear for protection from the elements, and they sure need those warm suits today.
Yes indeed, it does pay to have a camera with you when you travel the roads, as you go about your daily business. I may have missed this stunning shot if I forgotten to place the camera on the front seat of my car, and waited until next week. You never know when a wind storm will come up and whip all that glorious color from the trees. 
Click on the picture for a better view.
The first thing I would do after greeting my client each week when I went to her home, was to look at her orchid.
A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
During the Gun Blogger Rendezvous held in Reno Nevada, a couple of weeks ago, we had a day at the range to introduce "Steel Challenge" to the folks who were interested. There were two stages set up, so all could shoot the stages and find out for themselves just how much fun it was.
There was the promise of a beautiful day ahead as the fog drifted in over the ocean, obliterating the sun, then fading away to let the warmth of the sun, kiss the sand on the beach.
Piles of driftwood giving protection to wildflowers and grasses 
A couple of birds, probably sandpipers, foraging for food in the tidal pools.
Visitors to the beach have constructed shelters from driftwood, or perhaps they are forts built by children.
The three pots I bought in a garage sale yesterday, (look at the previous post to see how shabby they looked) have been made over using a couple of cans of spray paint, formulated for use on plastic. Next spring I will have fun deciding what plants and the color combinations will grace these pots. Now I am thinking all my older pots are looking kinda' sad and also need a makeover. I will put that task on my to do list.
I found the large flower pots, the book and the fish shaped serving (for lack of a better word) dish, at separate garage sales. The pots will get a good scrubbing, then painted using a can of the special paint made especially for plastics. I have in mind to use some nice bright colors on them so they will be a focal point in my garden. As I glanced briefly through the book before deciding to buy it, I found there was some very useful information on growing vegetables, and for a dollar I couldn't go wrong.
When I saw this fish shaped 'thing' sitting on a piece of plywood with other merchandise for sale, I was immediately intrigued. What on earth is that, I asked myself? The woman who was hosting the yard sale came by, so I asked her about this unusual 'object D' art' I was told that it came from Mexico and it was used in restaurants to hold, and keep food hot. A can of Sterno was placed inside the mouth of the fish and lit to keep the top of the server hot. H'ors deurves were then placed in the center section, while tooth picks filled the sections at either end. I don't know if I will ever use it as intended, which would certainly be a talking point at a party, or if it will end up as garden art. I nearly forgot to tell you, that I also bought a nearly new push lawnmower for $2 I have wanted one to mow the grass in front of the vegetable garden, but did not want to pay around $85 for a new one. Mr C is going to adjust the blades so it will do a better job, and I will be able to keep the grass under control. The rabbits are way too slow in doing their part to help *grin*
As we were driving down a narrow road after perusing yet another yard sale, I had Mr C stop our car, so I could snap a picture of the bird houses adorning the tops of the fence posts surrounding a garden.
Thursday morning Mr C was to compete, and we had to be out at the range very early, so he could register for the match as we arrived too late the night before to do so. As we drove to the range I noticed this finger of fog slowly drifting in over the hills down into the valley we were passing through.
The fog thickened as we drove along, but did not drift in over the road. It was a pretty sight indeed. This is a very dry, hot, dusty place except for the areas which are irrigated for the various crops being grown.I saw chili peppers, tomatoes, oranges, and other crops I could not name, as I saw them from our vehicle, as we drove along.
The day after Mr C Competed, we once again drove to the range to watch more of the competitors shoot. Not far from this orange grove is a fruit stand, where last year we stopped so I could buy some freshly picked oranges. I was sorely disappointed as they were not at all very sweet.
As we made the turn onto a side road which led to the range, this herd of horses came ambling towards us, so we had to stop and wait, until they passed on by.
A section of the range.
The building front you see, are set up for Cowboy action shooting, but was not part of the weeks events.
There was a Steel Challenge stage set up behind the western store fronts.
Last night and into early this morning, we have had a good soaking rain.
The plants and critters seem happy to see this downpour.
