Maynia -- Day Twenty Nine!!

This is my post for #maynia prompt insulting hosted by @kaelci

As I was writing about the turkeys yesterday the rattlesnakes came to mind. The first one we found was because the turkeys were in a circle making a clicking noise. My husband said they must see something so he walked over to see what they were looking at. He yells for me to get his gun and hurry, he was trying to get the turkeys away but they were determined to surround it. I gave my husband the gun and ran to get turkey food and lured them away with it. The rattlesnake was caught in the mesh of plastic netting I had for a fence.

It was over 5 feet and my husband told me he hated to shoot it because he said they are old warriors but if one of the grandkids got bit by one he would never forgive himself. He asked me to help him skin it. I held onto a piece while he pulled the skin off, he had it half skint, and I was holding the middle of it. This thing had been shot and its head cut off also it was halfway skinned and it started striking me with its headless body, it was hitting me with power and even though I knew it could not hurt me, it still freaked me out.

He had me fry it for him, he always eats the heart first. I have cooked it for him before but I have never had any desire to try it. The first one he brought home was going across the creek and he hit it with his oar and somehow got it, I was not with him. That was the first time I cooked it.

One day I was doing some weeding and our Rottweiler started barking at our north gate. I raised up and what I saw is forever etched in my mind. A rattlesnake was on the outside of the gate with his head raised 6 inches in the air looking the dog in the eyes. We had put small wire on one side of the gate to keep the chickens in, if not for that wire, I am sure the dog would have gotten bit. I called him and he came to me, once I had him by the collar I yelled for my husband to get his gun. we cleaned him but this time my husband asked me to make a roast with it, never ever make rattlesnake roast. That was sickening to look at. The meat fell off of the bones and it looked like a pot of snake bones with potatoes and carrots. He ate it but I am telling you it was gross.

The next one he got was in our neighbors' yard, the neighbor came over and asked my husband if he would shoot it, he had two dogs and was afraid it would get one of them. I went back to frying them.

There was a rabbit acting strange and then we saw the rattlesnake it had bit the rabbit and was waiting on it to die. All of these rattlers were over 5 feet, I asked my husband if the came any smaller. He shrugged and said he did not know why they were all this big. In the first 5 years living here, he killed 7 of them. I think we live on a rattlesnake crossing.

Another time the turkeys made a circle and the clicking noise, you have to picture this. The turkeys were in a circle, in the middle of their circle was a land crab with its pitchers drawn. The chickens were behind the turkeys trying to see what was there. They were jumping in the air trying to look over the turkeys, it was a funny sight to see.

I have been taking my granddaughter's dog on walks to the mailbox. Our driveway is long and has woods on each side. All of a sudden the dog jumps clear across the road and got real close to me. I could see the tall grass moving very fast and hear the rattling sound. Neither of us wasted any time getting out of there. On the way back to the house when we came close to that spot, the dog stayed very close to me. It was nice to see she wanted no part of this snake.

I told my husband what had happened and his reply was somewhat insulting he says black snakes will move the grass like that if they feel threatened. I ask him if blacksnakes also make a rattling sound? He says you heard it? Did you not hear me? I told you I heard it rattle.

I can not stand the sound of a table saw. It turns my stomach. My husband was on his way back from working our clam lease in North Florida. Before he left he told me to make some yardsale signs. we were having plant sales but to get more people to stop we would have yardsales too. My husband called the yardsale chum. I was cutting stakes to go in the ground. The one I was cutting was getting short so I reached for another stick to push it towards the table saw. As soon as I took my eye off of the saw something bad happened and my left hand got thrown into the saw blade.

I came into the house holding my hand and blood running everywhere. My youngest daughter was here, she was washing dishes and turned to look at me and I thought she was going to pass out. I told her to take me to the clinic. The clinic would not touch my hand and wanted to call an ambulance. I told them no, we will go to the hospital ourselves. I did not lose any fingers and the middle finger did not get cut. I have not figured out how it got missed. The three other fingers grew back at an angle, even the fingernails grow at an angle. The thumb is not as fat as the other one. It took it off longways. I will never use that saw ever again. I do not like it when my husband uses it.