Ssssserpientes

More intimidating than the sounds of Mother Nature are the warnings we’ve received of critters, more specifically, snakes, culebras, or serpientes, that dominate the region. Though we have yet to find one in our house or see one in the vicinity (except for the 7-foot-long black and yellow rat snake we saw splayed across the road several miles away), neighbors tell us stories of their history here. Before we owned the house it was not secured by screens or windows and the previous owners left the doors open all day. Our friend, neighbor, and local organic gardening guru, Leo, tells us that he has personally removed 25 – yes, twenty-five -- snakes from our house. And our gardener, Venicio, tells us that he used to find three snakes a day curled up beneath the kitchen cupboards. I hesitate to share these stories because I know of at least one friend in particular who will now definitely never visit us because of these tales. But snakes are simply a part of the landscape and part of life here and living with them, or rather without them, is just a matter of consciousness and care.

Locals tell us simply to be aware and to teach Wilder to watch out for them and not touch them (which we vehemently have). And we are careful to keep our doors shut during strong rains or very cold or very hot weather, which is apparently when they are most likely to seek the warm, dry shelter of a house. The good news is that everyone thinks all of the nests that were once on our property have already been found and eradicated. There’s a Serpentarium just outside of town, run by Michael, who takes in all manner of eggs and snakes that people find, and that’s where most of our slithering residents have gone. Most locals will, of course, simply decapitate any snake they find with their trusty machete. Then there are those like the previous owner of our house who will just pick up the snake and set him gently outside, or call Michael to come give it a ride to a new home behind glass. I know most people’s instinct is to just kill the f*@#er, but the reality is that “most” snakes are not poisonous, and they have a tendency to eat their poisonous cousins! The problem is that many of the non-poisonous snakes look like their evil counterparts, so it’s hard to determine whose slippery little life should be saved, especially when yours may be on the line!

We don’t live in too much fear of them (though a healthy dose of fear doesn’t hurt), but we are aware and we do keep our eyes open. Wilder doesn’t get to sit in the shade of any ground-sweeping bush or tree, we always wear our rubber boots outside, we never tromp through tall grass, and we always look inside a cupboard or basket before sticking our hand in it! We are learning to be conscious in so many ways, and are becoming more and more aware of just how far from Kansas we really are . . .