Snakes awake at Oak Point

Haven't spotted one yet, but I know they are there. They aren't after me like the velociraptors in the kitchen. I can count on one hand my actual sightings of snakes at Oak Point.

5/30/2012 near the Oak Point pavilion

I used to meet a fellow with his dog so often on Willow Springs Trail we would chat about flicker nesting locations. Hikers aren't usually looking for conversation. Most often they are enjoying an anonymous, solitary, speechless interaction with nature. The flicker fellow was the one who taught me the mantra, "Snakes awake in April". I never saw him again after that.

Lately I keep running into a nice woman with a funny mud-colored dog named Java. At a certain point it becomes awkward. I visit the park as a meditation, an exercise in mindfulness, a practice of observation, and for a bit of physical fitness. Sometimes I'm collecting litter to rid the park of ugly styrofoam. Other times I'm taking photos to refuel my creative spirit.

 Caddo Trail copperhead 10/28/2011

Now that the brontosaurus has been readmitted to the science club, we can hope for the return of little planet Pluto. Fear of thunder is high on the list of common "issues", but public speaking is much more terrifying than thunder lizards, spiders, snakes, or death. What do we fear?

I fear being unable to pronounce the fear of snakes, ophidiophobia. It reminds me of the song about Lydia the Tattooed Lady. I fear focusing on the skink on the trunk and not noticing the snake in the leaves.

ophidiophobia (n.) 

1914, "excessive fear of snakes or reptiles," from ophidio- apparently extracted from Modern Latin ophidia, a word coined arbitrarily (to provide an -ia form to serve as an order name in taxonomy) from Greek ophis"serpent" (see ophio-) + -phobia.

BDS 3/20/2012

This is a BDS atop some reeds in the lake. Once I saw a BDS on the fishing pier. Big Dang Snakes are interesting from a distance!

Thanks for this opportunity to play with Recs and Parks, Groucho Marx, dogs and barks, 

Snake skin and jelly fungus 10/08/2012

© 2014-2015 Nancy L. Ruder