Snakes On Your Shoulder

Let me introduce Jaxter. He’s a large snake that lives right in my neighborhood. This is my friend, Chelsea McKenzie, and her 6 yr old boa.  She is enamored of all animals and has a special rapport with them. I’ve enjoyed knowing about her stories that revolve around having a snake in the house.  Her cat seems to be addicted to going up to the glass of his cage and hanging out late into the night. This is often followed by thumping noises as the snake strikes the glass aiming at her feline.  Curiosity and cats…. go figure. Here is his jungle lair: (And, as usual, clicking the pics will enlarge them.)

Fun stuff and of course, I relate completely to handling the slinky large sidewinder.  On some occasions, she lets him slide through the grass in her yard and he seems most happy.

By the way, if you go to visit her house, this is the welcoming committee peering out through the window to greet you~!

In my 20’s, I thoroughly enjoyed the connection to the heavy bodied constrictors I took with me out into the school systems . My travels out into Greater Houston had a sense of adventurousness about them every day. Entering a classroom or auditorium with the menagerie was like bringing the circus to the school (literally). Introducing myself was a breeze and the room was full of excitement as the children got an eyeful of all of us as we spread out before them. I started the lecture off with Rosie: the 6 foot long boa constrictor donated by a local strip act (so she was used to be handled). Just laid the snake over my shoulders and everyone shut up. Best teaching prop EVER! Loved the job. So fun. I carried Rosie (the snake) in a burlap bag and we were at ease with each other. When she would have enough of being handled by grade schoolers, I’d feel her tense a bit in her belly and slide her back into the sack. Wonderful snake. And superb help from my Junior League women escorts (doctor’s and lawyer’s wives, etc. who volunteered to help me on my trips.) I’ve always enjoyed the company of good looking women. They were as hot to my eyes as a Houston summer was to the body.

Heaven.

I guess playing with snakes has appealed to some of my relatives.  My aunt, JoAnn, had her hands full with this one.  Heh…. it looks like her left hand can’t figure out whether to advance to touch it or head for the next county. Snakes… must run in the family.

I enjoyed all of my experiences with snakes but I also had a healthy respect for them. You just don’t get aggressive with snakes (or any animal, for that matter.) Some beligerent yahoo staffer at the zoo was being a jerk and was rough with the reptiles. Needless to say,  a boa bit him on the hand. Really bad visuals for that one. Rumor has it that they have fierce fangs.  The head of the zoo had been bitten by so many poisonous snakes over his career that the docs told him if he got one more bite, he’d be dead. I figured my job was actually a godsend compared to some of the duties of the keepers at the Zoo. I didn’t know it at the time, but there were changes in the wind that would take me far from this animal paradise.  There would also be moments coming where I’d long for animal behavior as compared to some “human” shenanigans and incivility.

I’ll just leave this last pic as a reminder of previous companions that graced my shoulder.  Thanks for the pics, Chelsea!

Her cover pic seems completely appropriate here and encompasses the deep affection I feel for all living things: