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Things That Rattle Me

I was sitting on the deck, listening to my I-pod. I must have been sitting very still or I wouldn't have been visited by the timber rattler.
   I was just about to doze off when I saw the snake gliding to a point about four feet away. It was a sunny spot in the midst of all the shade. The snake looked so innocent in its facial expression, so harmless. I really don't believe it saw me. It was as big as my forearm in girth and probably four feet long. There were three or four rattles.
    I sat very still and thought things over. If I went inside I could get my pistol. I had some 'rat shot' shells which give a shotgun effect and make it easier to hit a small target. They will kill small things and look like they are loaded with chunks of salt. The other options included doing nothing, which I am an expert at, or going to my shop for a hoe. (Not that kind)
   I opted for the pistol and rolled gingerly toward the door and directly away from the rattler. I went quickly to the bedroom and returned with the .38. I was just in time to see the snake gliding into the deep leaves and into the woods. For a moment, I started to pursue him. Then it occurred to me that poking about in deep leaves for a rattler was the height of folly and I returned to my chair and my music. The snake and I were both okay.
    My first year up here in the woods I killed a dozen snakes. All were non-poisonous. The number has gone down every year. Last summer I killed a water moccasin with a hoe and he was really mean. He was biting the ground and the handle of the hoe so I had my wife bring an axe and I chopped him into several pieces and threw him into a laurel thicket.
     Signing off from the woods, CE Wills

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