I saw this amazing snake out by where I work. He was all stretched out sunning himself. I did not have my camera with me, so I went back in the building to get it. By the time I got back he had started heading back to where he came from, folding back on himself. He was quite amazing, I am so glad I got to take photos so that I could see him up close… it is not a good idea to get up close to a rattlesnake.

Western diamondback rattlesnake Crotalus atrox is a venomous pitviper species found in the United States and Mexico. Found in areas ranging from flat coastal plains to steep rocky canyons and hillsides. It is associated with many different vegetation types, including desert, sandy creosote areas, mesquite grassland, desert scrub, and pine-oak forests. Towards the southern edge of its range, this species may be found in thorn forest and tropical deciduous forest.

When threatened they usually coil and rattle to warn aggressors. There is suspicion that rattlesnakes living around human population centers do not rattle as often because it leads to the snake’s discovery and consequent destruction. The young are fully capable of delivering a venomous bite from the moment they are born.

Adults commonly grow to about four feet length, and very rarely up to seven feet. Males become much larger than females. The tail has 2-8  black bands separated by ash white or pale gray bands; this led to the nickname of “coon tail.” They can live up to 20 years. This species is ovoviviparous; the young pierce their thin egg membranes immediately before birth and are born live.

They hibernate in winter in caves or burrows. The adult snakes have no natural predators, though hawks, eagles, coyotes, foxes and other snakes are known to prey on younger snakes.

These snakes can go for up to two years without food in the wild. They are an important predator of many small rodents, rabbits, and birds. It is primarily a nocturnal animal, hunting for its prey on warm summer nights. Rattlesnakes swallow their prey whole, then digest as the food passes though the body. On averge, Rattlesnakes in the wild eat only once every 2 to 3 weeks.

The venom of the diamondback isn’t particularly toxic, the size of the snake allows a larger capacity of venom which is released from its two prominent fangs. All pit vipers have the ability to control the flow of venom through their fangs, allowing the diamondback to release most of its venom in a single strike. If bitten professional medical attention should be sought immediately.

Photo of the entire snake

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crotalus_atrox

http://www.reptilesofaz.org/Snakes-Subpages/h-c-atrox.html

By Kellene Bishop

“I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself and there I take my stand.” Susan B. Anthony

This may be a side of me that my readers wouldn’t expect to read, but here goes. I am officially a hopeless romantic. After 10 years of marriage—the last 7 of which we’ve worked together self-employed—I’m still madly in love with my husband. I still get butterflies when he takes me in his arms and kisses me. I still replay his sweet voicemail messages because I so love the sound of his voice. I still like to fall asleep holding his hand at night. Every morning, after his workout and shower, he actually wakes me with a back rub. He calls me his Princess in a gentle and genuine tone. In short, I’m married to a real life Prince Charming. 

Wesley from the Princess Bride photo c/o costumersguide.com

I always dreamed of marrying my own personal “Rambo” or “Wesley” from “The Princess Bride.” Doesn’t every girl at least entertain such dreams? I was no exception. Even now, with my own independent set of skills, I have to admit I like the fact that I’m married to the real Prince Charming. Sure, he stinks like boys sometimes do, and he teases me mercilessly. He also has a warped sense of humor that is always shared when we’re around new friends. As a clean-up man in the kitchen? Nah, not so great. But then again, when did any Disney movie portray the prince in such a manner? (Can you picture Chuck Norris cleaning out the refrigerator or considering whether or not to wash the whites in hot or cold water?) But when it comes to my Prince Charming—as a protector—no fairy tale could do him justice. He has fast reflexes. Excellent aim. He is expertly adept at using his person for a weapon if need be. He’s strategic. And he’s very observant. So I’m certain that he would indeed “save” me from any fire-breathing dragons that may cross my path. That is, IF he’s around.

Prince Charming contending with an unwelcome rattler at Scout camp

Consider that Prince Charming is usually the first to heed a call for assistance in the neighborhood, frequently accompanies the Scouts on their long-distance hikes and campouts, is the first one to call when someone sees a cougar or a venomous snake, and travels frequently to conduct firearm instruction. Additionally you have the fact that I’m quite an independent and busy woman. I travel all over teaching my classes, drive long distances to see my beloved sister and nieces, and spend hours getting my dose of “retail therapy”—an activity that he loathes. So the likelihood of my Prince Charming being around in the event of a dangerous situation is only about a 50/50 chance.

Now let’s consider one other important aspect of all of this. My husband and I truly do love each other. I waited a long time to find the right guy for me. After watching my mother marry and divorce 5 times, I had all but given up that marriage was to be anything special. Thank goodness my husband restored my faith in marriage. But now that I’ve got him, I really don’t want to lose him. Seriously. If I were to dwell on losing him before I’m dead, I would probably cry like a love-sick girl. On the other hand you have my husband. In spite of his tough exterior, he’s actually a bit of a hopeless romantic. (Think about it. Prince Charming actually has to be, otherwise us women would never fully appreciate the movies, right?) I’m confident in my belief that if something were to ever happen to me, it would nearly destroy him.

Photo c/o Brooks Kraft/Corbis

Why am I sharing all of this “mushy stuff” with you? Because, it was as a result of my genuine love for my husband, as well as other family members that I adore, that I pushed past my fears, preconceived notions and uninformed judgments about guns, and learned how to properly defend myself. Being able to defend myself isn’t about fear, hatred, or prejudices. Rather it’s just one more way that I ensure peace in my life and those that I love. I would much rather live with the responsibility of taking another human beings’ life who posed a threat to my own, than living eternally on “the other side” watching my husband and other loved ones struggle with anger and hatred due to an inconsolable loss. Yup. Learning how to shoot is what I did for love. Love for my husband, my brother and sister, my adorable nieces and nephews, my friends, etc. What are you willing to do for love? Live competently or die unnecessarily?

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.

One vertical,
—-mosaic border
———with abstract
————–and imperfect,
———————progressively
——————————-changing
————————————geometric
————————————patterns begins
——————————————–to frame a
————————————————-myriad of
————————————————–pebbles. The
—————————————————-frame is limited
——————————————————-to several shades
——————————————————-of brown, consistently
—————————————————————-used throughout
————————————————————–the form, contrasting
—————————————————————– ——-each other.

————————————————————————The pebbles create
—————————————————————————a similar overall
—————————————————————————brownish orange
————————————————————————–color, in effect,
————————————————————————–but through the
—————————————————————————–additive color-
—————————————————————————mixing of many
——————————————————————————hues (blues,
—————————————————————————greens yellows—
—————————————————————————all the primary
—————————————————————————and secondary
—————————————————————————-colors), all low
—————————————————————————–in saturation
——————————————————————————-and medium-
—————————————————————————–light in value.
—————————————————————————If studied, they
——————————————————————————-reveal their
——————————————————————————own varying
—————————————————————————-arcs of line and
————————————————————————-pattern through a
————————————————————————-curious alignment
————————————————————————-of stones and
———————————————————————–changes of texture.

————————————————————————-Both the frame
———————————————————————–and a rectangular
————————————————————————–patch of this
———————————————————————–Gravel are caught
————————————————————————–in the shadow
———————————————————————-of an unknown
———————————————————————-object on the right.
————————————————————————The shadow tends
————————————————————————-to create a visual
—————————————————————————-weight on the
————————————————————————-right edge of the
—————————————————————————format. In the
—————————————————————————shadow colors
————————————————————————and textures of
————————————————————————-the stones and
—————————————————————————-the frame are
————————————————————————more comfortably
—————————————————————————close together,
—————————————————————————almost blending.

—————————————————————————-Even in the lit
————————————————————————–areas, the edges
————————————————————————of the frame tends
————————————————————————-to be confounded
———————————————————————-by its own coloration
———————————————————————and pattern with that
——————————————————————of the stones. However,
————————————————————–the frame departs from its
——————————————————————-vertical to create an
———————————————————————–approximate 60/40
———————————————————————degree right-triangle
————————————————————-with the upper right corner
————————————————————————-of the format.

——————————————————————The frame’s departure
——————————————————————–from the rectangular
—————————————————————–format is shocking. The
———————————————————–unfinished framing, together
—————————————————————-with the shadow, create
—————————————————————-an interesting equilibrium
—————————————————————–between the heaviness
———————————————————————-of the framed and
————————————————————-shadowed area on the right
————————————————————–and the open space on the
———————————————————————-left, where only lit
———————————————————–stones, un-bordered stones
————————————————————–reside. The projecting end
—————————————————-of the frame seems cantilevered
———————————————————across the format, creating an
—————————————————————-unexpected and unlikely
————————————————————–tension across the space.

————–The emotional shock of the formally cantilevered, linear
—–frame and the subject matter, a rattlesnake, support each other’s impact. Whether one first recognizes the snake or is –
——-impressed by the odd angle of the frame departing —-
———-from its expected course, one might make a connection —–
————–between the emotional relationship between the ——–
————————–subject matterand the form. ———————-

First of all, a big thank to my Nannie. I used the money she gave me for my 30th birthday to pay for this trip. It was definitely a trip & a birthday present to remember!

I know it is a cliche, but it is so true that photos do not do this place justice. It is AMAZING! Still can’t believe I have been.

We travelled by coach to the canyon. Unfortunately, we had the misfortune of meeting one of the most unpleasant people ever, the coach driver. He was absolutely vile & he did not appreciate it when we told him so. Don’t blame me, I didn’t start it! Ask Emma & Lisa if you don’t believe me!

The rest of the trip was lovely, even though we were not given nearly enough time to explore everything we wanted to. Rode in a helicopter to the canyon floor, where we got on a little boat for a ride on the Colorado River. The helicopter then took us back up, thank goodness as I really didn’t fancy climbing!

We were told to be on the lookout for rattle snakes in the canyon, so Rachel this is definitely not one for you!

They have these very strange looking trees in the area called Joshua trees, they look like a combination of a tree & a cactus.

We briefly stopped at the Hoover Dam on the way to the canyon & then had a longer stop on the way back. It is very impressive. They are also building a new bridge next to the dam. It would be really cool to drive across when it is finished as there will be a great view. It is so high up.

For more photos of my time at the Grand Canyon, & other places in the USA, go to photo albums USA 2009 1 & USA 2009 2

The rattler is the longest and poisonous of quite North America. Some of these serpents can reach up to 2,5 meters of length, and 4,5 kg of weight. Normally they live in the dry forests of pines, in sandy forests, and in coastal zones from the south of Carolina’s north up to Florida and this(this one) of Louisiana. It’s skin has yellow circles marked in the center with black diamonds.  They feed on rats and mice as well as squirrels or birds.

A few days ago my school had this assembly where a real Lenape Indian came in and there was a bunch of ancient tools he expalined and he sung a bunch of songs in Lenape languege wich i couldn’t understand. He taught us one song but I’m trying to think of the lyrics because the Arirang Birthday song is in my head. Anyway, he told us a ledegend that he wanted us to tell one person and I’m telling it to whoever reads this post. Once a Lenape boy reaches the age of 12 he goes up the mountain and finds his spirtial gurdian. Well, this one boy didn’t fibd his gardian. He was on his journy and a rattle snake comes up and says carry me down the mountain or I will dye of the cold. Then, the boy said No for I know what u are and what u do. Then the snake said Please I will not bite for if u dye I dye. Then, I felt bad for the snake and picked him up. But he herad a voice in his head that sounded like his father say Don’t touch the snake he will kill u. SO he put down the snake. The snake said Plz I will consider u a brother I will tell all my snake brothers and sisters not to bite you. Then that feel bad feeling returned. So he picked up the snake. The fathers voice returned agian too. So, he put the snake down. The snake repliedPlz! I already told u i won’t kill you I consider you a brother. You don’t kill brothers. So the boy picked up the snake and walked down the mountain. He put the snake down on the valley ground but as he turned around to walk away the snake bit him. He fell to ther floor andsaid Why u said I wa sur brother! The snake said For u know what I am and what I do but u still picked me up. Unfortanitly, the boy died. Tell this to one person.

I forgot about this post. It’s been gathering pixel dust in my virtual pipeline. Anyhow due to my trusty Cannon G9’s zoom feature I was able to piss off Spike and catch the “money shot” all without the aide of medical intervention. It’s true, don’t believe me? then listen to what the snake has to say. I apologize for the amateur appearence of this older video. As we all know, my video skills have improved immensely.

Spike was not harmed during the making of this video: just exploited. “Don’t Tread on Me” tattoo by Giant Mike

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January is . . . . National Careers in Cosmetology Month, National Eye Health Care Month, National Fiber Focus Month, National Hobby Month, National Soup Month, Hot Tea Month, Oatmeal Month, Prune Breakfast Month

January 1 is . . . . .First Foot Day and Z Day (holiday that can be celebrated by letting all those poor unfortunate people with names that start with Z be first in line)

January 2 is . . . . .Run Up the Flagpole and See if Anybody Salutes It Day

January 3 is . . . . .Festival of Sleep Day

January 4 is . . . . .Trivia Day and Humiliation Day

January 5 is . . . . .Bird Day

January 6 is . . . . .Bean Day

January 7 is . . . . .Old Rock Day

January 8 is . . . . .National JoyGerm Day and Man Watcher’s Day

January 9 is . . . . . Play God Day

January 10 is . . . . Peculiar People Day

January 11 is . . . . National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day

January 12 is . . . . Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day

January 13 is . . . . Make Your Dream Come True Day and Blame Someone Else Day

January 14 is . . . . National Dress Up Your Pet Day

January 15 is . . . . Hat Day

January 16 is . . . . Hot and Spicy Food International Day and National Nothing Day

January 17 is . . . . Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral Day

January 18 is . . . . Winnie the Pooh Day

January 19 is . . . . National Popcorn Day

January 20 is . . . . National Buttercrunch Day

January 21 is . . . . National Hugging Day

January 22 is . . . . National Answer Your Cat’s Question Day and National Blonde Brownie Day

January 23 is . . . . National Handwriting Day, National Pie Day, and Measure Your Feet Day

January 24 is . . . . Eskimo Pie Patent Day

January 25 is . . . . Opposite Day

January 26 is . . . . Australia Day

January 27 is . . . . Punch the Clock Day and Thomas Crapper Day (Thomas Crapper invented the flushing toilet)

January 28 is . . . . National Kazoo Day, Clash Day, Rattle Snake Round-Up Day

January 29 is . . . . National Cornchip Day

January 30 is . . . . Escape Day

January 31 is . . . . National Popcorn Day and Child Labor Day

You have seen the movies and heard the stories. Someone gets bit by a Rattle Snake in the middle of nowhere. Their life is almost at it’s end. That is, until their buddy pulls out his pocket knife, cuts open the wound and sucks out the venom.

Obviously, this scenario is not likely to happen as the majority of snake bites occur within reasonable distance of civilization. Also, people who frequently work or live in these areas carry commercial snake bite kits. The question is, do they really work?

Most snake bite kits come equipped with suction devices, a scalpel, and a tourniquet of some sort. They typically direct you to cut and suction the site and lightly apply the tourniquet to reduce the spread of the venom. The majority of the bite kits that I reviewed recommend that this only be done if the nearest medical help is greater than 30 minutes away.

Every medical textbook that I posses, including “Essentials of Paramedic Care” actually discourage such treatment. The common theme in textbooks includes splinting the affected limb, keeping the limb at a neutral position(at the level of the heart) and rapid transport. Supportive measures include establishing IV access, high-flow oxygen, ECG and sp02 monitoring. Packing the wound with ice, applying tourniquets or cutting the puncture site can actually cause more damage.

The only treatment that is actually going to make a big difference is anti-venom. If you are in an area where snakes are prevalent, then chances are the nearest ER will be equipped with the necessary antidote for your snake bite.

The idea of a snake bite kit sounds good to most, but not to the “experts”. So in conclusion, if you are bit by a snake, your number one priority will be to seek definitive care. Immobilizing the affected limb, keeping it at even level with the heart and keeping the victim calm will all help to slow the process. Obviously the best thing you can do, is to avoid getting bit in the first place.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to e-mail me.

In the mountain

One day my friend and I went to a very far places somewhere in the  mountanous area of Maayon. When we reach  the to p of the mountain, we pick some guava’s and eat some banana’s. As we walk in the middle of the forest , we heard an animal that crawl. To our excitement, we went there and see what kind of animal it was.

3-5 meters away from the said animals we clearly see that it was a rattle snake which is 2-3 meters in length.  We feel shock for what we discover. We shout and ran away from the forest. For we are afraid to be bitten by the snake.

When we reached a native house of my uncle, he ask me if whats going on, we said that we came from a forest to have an exposure but we saw a snake which is crawling, and we ran, out of the danger awaits us. My uncle warn us that next time when we go to a forest we will be aware for the area explore. That’s the reason why I hate my friend because he wants an adventure, but we did not know that it could brought us to danger.

Our house borders the open space of a dry table mountain (mesa) in Golden, Colorado. Last week my wife had quite a shock: bending down to pick some ripe tomatoes she noticed – just barely in time – a rattlesnake coiled up under the tomato bush. We took some pictures, called in the neighbors and their kids so they would learn to recognize one and know to keep their distance, and then shooed it away with a ski pole. The rattle sounded exactly like one of those pop-up lawn sprinklers. Also, the snake turned out to be quite a bit longer than it appeared rolled up, 26 inches as we now know.

Anyway, we thought that encounter should have frightened her more than us and that we’d never see her again. Wrong. Four days later is was me who almost got bitten. I had looked carefully before going near the tomatoes but had seen nothing. But when I turned to the plum tomatoes there it was, 2 feet away, coiled to strike and rattling full throttle. I jumped back instantly, ‘enjoying’ a huge rush of adrenalin, and losing some cherry tomatoes.

It didn’t take me long to decide. We have a five year old girl, a clumsy St. Bernard, the kids across the street are even younger, and this deadly critter seemed undeterred and comfortable under those tomato plants by the brick wall that was radiating back the day’s heat until late at night. I got my camera, took a few last pictures and then hit it with a long shovel. 

Despite its partially severed head the body continued to writhe for another 20 minutes. My daughter was fascinated. I finally sawed the head off (with the shovel), sealed it into an empty can in the trash, and my neighbor moved the body onto a rock where birds of prey could easily spot it. 

Live and let live – sometimes. Still, I felt lousy and shaken.

In hindsight, I probably could have ushered the rattler into a tall garbage bin and let it out on top of the mesa. But it’s amazing how visceral those emotions get, and how they affected me.

Maybe that’s what I’ll do next time. Coincidentally, the authoritative book on rattlesnakes by Laurence M. Klauber “Rattlesnakes: Their Habits, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind, Abridged edition”  had arrived that same afternoon. I had hoped to find more information on how to handle this slithery situation there but hadn’t checked the mail yet.

Near Kingman, Arizona

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The above pictures were taken near a housing subdivision near Kingman, Arizona and sent to me by a friend.

Now that’s Arizona!

Yes, that’s right, it’s yet another edition of….

via Costume Dogs (c/o Pastel Ginger’s Flickr Page)

Congrats to Zoey, a 5-pound Chihuahua, who saved a baby from being bitten from a rattle snake. “The dog required treatment and for a time it appeared she might not survive. Now she prances about.” Prance on you crazy small dog, prance on.

This isn’t small dog specific, but just a few days ago I discovered the wonderful world of canine freestyle. This may be one of the most amazing discoveries of 2007. How is it that this sport escaped my knowledge up until now? At a recent freestyle performance at the Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows, there are claims that a 14-year old Golden Retriever named Rookie, came out of retirement, and wowed the audience, even bringing tears to the eyes of some, “as she playfully went through her crossover steps, placing paw-over-paw in her routine.” Apparently, Rookie’s owner Carolyn Scott “chose the maudlin (Everything I Do) I Do It for You to make it easier for her aging partner [Rookie] to keep up.” If I could be a fly on the wall for Rookie’s practice sessions. You can view a somewhat dated video of Rookie and Carolyn performing to You’re the One That I Want.

The day also “included a tie-wearing dog who carried a pink purse and a Western-clad pooch whose sequined bandana flashed as the dog spun through full-circle turns.” I don’t want to give away too many details, but Buster and I are presently rehearsing a rousing version of Janet Jackson’s Nasty.

Again, not exactly a small dog, but here’s another particularly skilled golden retriever performing to Move It.

If you are heading to New York City, check out this NY Times article for some small dog friendly locations. New York is for lovers, not haters.

I’ll drink to that:

via Pup City

Today’s Small Dog Headlines:
Money-hungry dog
China cracks down on rabid dog menace
Police sued over shooting of dog
Dog ice cream targets Austrian canines
Dogs help out nursing homes
Proud pets on parade at annual Dog-A-Thon