My grandma insists that only a certain type of pine needle can be used, so she got some bushels of them from a friend a few days ago, and they were resting near the bushes. I dumped 5 bushels under blueberry bushes, and was reaching into the 6th when I felt something sharp on the back of my hand. I yanked my hands out, and there was a snake in the pine needles in my hands. He jumped right off and under the bushes, and I realized I'd been bitten - two fang marks on the back of my hand. Let me say this, I'm really not scared of much but even garter snakes terrify me! Long story short, I ended up at urgent care, where they were extremely concerned about the fact that I couldn't describe it better than "twenty inches long and brown" -they like to know exactly what got you. What was I supposed to do, stop freaking out and make it pose for a mug shot? ;-) I'm sure the poor thing was more scared than I was! Telling them that my whole arm hurt when the bite is down on my hand didn't go over terribly well. So now I'm balanced out... tetanus shot in the other arm (my last one was 6 years ago), so I can be sore on both sides for a few days.
Let's look at some nice squash blossoms from last summer:
OK, now I'm going to repeat to myself... I will not be freaked out walking around the farm the rest of the summer. I will not be freaked out walking around the farm the rest of the summer. It might work someday. ;-)
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10 comments:
Oh my goodness. That was too scary! Glad you got medical treatment quickly. Love your squash blossom. My grandmother use to wash, batter and fry them for us.
Ouch! Personally, the bite would have been fatal, I'd've just dropped dead of a heart attack right there iin the blueberry bushes. Hope you heal up soon and don't be afraid of the farm, don't be afraid of the farm...
Yikes! Garter snakes don't have fangs.. Hope the soreness goes away soon and you're back to gardening. And sewing, and typing, and everything else! K
I have some great leather-type gloves - but don't let it stop you digging around. Those blueberries will be extra good this year!
The consesus seemed to decide that it was probably a ribbon snake (right color, right length, pretty harmless as I understand it (; ). I hope the poor guy is home having a nice cup of tea!
That is terrifying! Growing up my Mom was a huge gardener but we occassionally had garter snakes in the yard. I called them garden snakes--they freaked me out! I hope you heal soon--so sorry it happened to you. Fang marks sounds so sci-fi...
Hi Wendy. I couldn't respond to your comment via email so I'm leaving you a note related to the comment you left on my blog about the skirt slit. The front panels pattern pieces allowed for the slit. I can take a picture of them and post them over the weekend so you can see how the skirt is finished. It is very clean and I like how it's done.
On another note -GOOD LORD on the snake!!!! I am very afraid of snakes and that would have sent me packing my bags so I could move to a high rise apartment building somewhere..
Horrors! I am not a gardener by any means but that would have turned me off it for life. Hate snakes.
Eeeek! Hope you get over the scared part and the hurt part soon. Gotta thank you, though. You've just written an installment in my tome, Why I Live In NYC. Blueberries in the back yard would be a wonderful luxury.
Wow, that is scary! The only time I've been close to a snake, it was slithering away and that was fine with me. Hope the wound heals soon and you're back to sewing soon.
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