Conditioned responses*

I was having a discussion on Facebook today. It started out about spiders and morphed into snakes -- two creatures people (especially women) are afraid of.  Just a glance, a thought, and they're shuddering.

Why?

I understand many spiders and snakes are poisonous, so I imagine we humans have discouraged hanging out with the creatures as a safety issue since Neanderthal days.  Still, we have brains don't we?  Why can't we reason?  "Wolf spiders are harmless and, in fact, are actually beneficial to have around."  Or, "Garter snakes are warm, smooth and harmless and are even kind of pretty."

Why does a photo like this of a Wolf Spider taking good care of her babies make most folks want to run screaming:

When a photo like this, of a duck mama doing exactly the same thing elicit "Awwww... how sweet" responses?

Isn't it a shame that we can't break free from this conditioned response?  Isn't it too bad that so many folks can't see past the outside of something in order to see that they're really not so bad?

It goes further than bugs. 

This animal is frequently feared and vilified:

Whereas we see a dog like my puppy, and everyone assumes she's a sweetheart:

And it's about people, too.  We look and see a kid with a Mohawk and tats and think the worst.  We judge based on size, clothes, race...

For some reason, hearing the folks hating on spiders and snakes really made me sad today.  So I felt the need to share.

Snake and Toad

Life's not always fair. Sometimes you can get a splinter even sliding down a rainbow. ~Terri Guillemets

Can you believe it got down into the 40s last night? It's FREEZING this morning. ::::shivers:::

I swear, the weather this year is totally nuts.

My DH did a good deed yesterday (well, good for the toad, anyway ... I'm pretty sure the snake isn't happy). I was inside when he came in, got these huge BBQ-ing tongs and started out. I knew he wasn't cooking, so asked if he was using them to pick up something dead (eww). He told me to go look outside at the walkway.

I did.

There was a garter snake (not really that big ... maybe a foot long and as big around as my index finger) with a toad in its mouth (the toad was about the size of my palm). DH (who is quite snake phobic, so I give him credit) picked up the snake with the tongs (as an aside, when snakes are threatened they will regurgitate a recent meal to make for a fast getaway, so the moment the snake was touched, he let go of the toad). While DH and the snake headed for the woods, I checked out the toad.

The top of his head was covered in snake spit and he just sat there, crying. Really. He kept making this little high-pitched mewl over and over. Saddest thing I've ever heard (who knew toads could sound like that?). We washed him off and then DD kept watch to make sure he started behaving like a toad again. Once he started acting a little more lively, we put him in our veggie garden.

I wish the snakes would just eat the grasshoppers. We have millions of those.

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You Are a Green Light

You take life at a fast pace. You act quickly and decisively. You have good instincts and trust your gut. You're confident and brave. You are determined and ambitious. You don't allow yourself to waste time. It's no surprise that you get a lot done. You are efficient and productive.

What Color Traffic Light Are You?

Hmmm... yep.

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Fun With Wildlife

“Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake.” - W. C. Fields

Once upon a time, there was an itty bitty garter snake with eyes far bigger than any other part of him. But he was stealthy and he was quick and ... SNAP!! He got himself a meal.

Unfortunately for him, the meal was too big to fit in his itty bitty mouth. So there they lay, in the grass: snake refusing to let go, despite the fact his prey wouldn't slide down his throat (and even if it did, it would kill him), and prey struggling in vain to go free.

Until a savior in pink appeared and called, "MOM! There's a snake out here with a toad far too big for it."

And Mom, who was in the middle of weeding, came to the rescue. She stepped on the snake's tail, causing it to open its mouth. The toad, a bit stunned, only moved away an inch or two. And the snake, being nobody's fool, tried to run... er... slither away.

But he hadn't counted on the speed and fearlessness of Mom who caught both Snake and Toad for a photo op.



Toad was handed off to DD to put in the garden, but Snake got to hang out with us a little while.





Yes, I'm raising a DD who has little fear of anything in the wild -- though she's not too crazy about yellow jackets or other critters in the "crazy stinging" family.

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In other wildlife news, we had another release in Pillar Place: Swallowtail. Ethel hatched! We were actually able to watch her emerge from her pupa and pump up her wings. Unfortunately, she's in the box with Carole, so I couldn't open it up for pictures. I took one through the netting of her fat little behind and crumpled wings because I'm always amazed at how they begin:



We waited and watched and hoped this one would finally be female... and she WAS! Meet Ethel:




You can tell that Ethel is female from how blue the bottom spots on her wings are. Compare her to Daniel:



See how yellow the spots are on his wings?

Also, the females are significantly larger than the males. We think Hannah will hatch today -- her pupa is getting quite dark. We have only Bugsy and Carole left (and maybe Greg and Fiona... but I have a BAD feeling they are going to overwinter).

Still no monarch eggs. Last year, we found our first eggs on July 15th. Not this year.

:-(

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Catching Snakes...

“Look before you leap, for snakes among sweet flowers do creep” - Proverb

Yesterday...

Well, hmmm.

I won't depress you with the details, but suffice it to say that having a snake thrown at me by my DD was NOT the worst thing that happened.

Yes, that's the truth, and yes she really did.

She found three little garter snakes, about the length of a ruler and the width of a pencil, underneath our rotting rhubarb. I guess all the rain really did a number on that plant... it LOOKS perkey enough, but you touch it and it turns to slime in your hands. Blech.

Anyway, I kept reminding her that she wasn't Crocodile Hunter, and that last time she grabbed a snake by the middle or the tail she got bitten. I told her to point it out to me, and I would mush it's little neck with my stick and she could pick it up safely.

**sigh**

Next thing I know she yells, "There's one!" and comes up with a snake wriggling in her hand--that she, yes, caught by it's middle. I said, "Drop it before it bites you."

Did she drop it? Well... sort of. I mean, it did hit the ground, but it made a pitstop on my abdomen, where I automatically started to catch it. Clearly I am reflexes before brains.

We're all concerned about the snakes, and will check them tomorrow and see about relocating them before DH kills them gratuitously, but I needed a short break to settle my nerves...

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What Your These Fireworks Say About You

You are focused, single minded, and intense. You don't let others see your intensity often, and when they do, they are quite surprised. You burn brightly, but you also burn steadily. You have the endurance to get the one thing you desire most.

The Fireworks Test

Okay... I'm good with that.

Um...

Rain! whose soft architectural hands have power to cut stones, and chisel to shapes of grandeur the very mountains. ~Henry Ward Beecher

My guest blogger for today was unable to appear due to an unexpected death in the family, so I'm a bit caught with my pants down...so to speak.

Worse, we had thunderstorms all night (which thankfully cooled it down -- the "real feel" yesterday was 109) and DD couldn't sleep, so I didn't get to sleep, either. My big concern, Dakota (and her first thunderstorm) turned out to be no worry at all, though she did "oof" twice with the thunder was REALLY loud.

Went out this a.m. to put out the bird feeders, and nearly stepped on a snake. Stupid thing...don't know why it was out. The sun wasn't really up, and it was a bit cool for him. He was quite sluggish, and he's lucky I was the one to find him, not DH. He's safely away for now. EDITED TO ADD: Dru asked what kind of snake, and where exactly was "safely away". He was just a little garter snake, about 18" long, and I carried him out to the woods, a ways back. My DH will kill any snake he sees without hesitation, and these little guys are harmless, so I try to encourage them to make their homes away from mine!

Still haven't caught the vole. I'm going to build a trail, of sorts, to the live trap today. He has two main holes, so I'm going to make only one route from both of them: into the trap. I hope it works.

Recorder lessons were okay -- DD loved them! BUT, we were in the second floor room of a local library and THERE WAS NO AIR CONDITIONING. Did I mention it was 109 degrees yesterday? Dear heavens. We go again tomorrow. Thankfully, the weather will be cooler. I thought I was going to melt away...

Someone on my Crea8Buzz page asked me about my summer writing goals. I got to thinking two things. 1. Am I supposed to have summer writing goals? and, 2. Summer for me, the heat aside, is pretty much the same as winter. That's one of the things about homeschooling and not working outside the home.

But, goals. Hmmm... How about just WRITING something.

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What Marianne Means

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way! You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?