This from today's Dallas Morning News, page 11A:
Oklahoma man bitten by 2 snakes in garage
OKLAHOMA CITY--A Tecumseh man was in critical condition Friday after being bitten four times by two snakes. Officials said James Cave, 47, was at a garage Sunday when he felt a pain in his foot. When he reached down, a pygmy rattlesnake bit his hand and his other foot. He stumbled back and fell over a barrel, landing on a copperhead snake that bit him on the right foot, then in the groin, officials said.
Yep. That would be the Oklahoma I remember. Bet James Cave, 47, said, "Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!" Once this James Cave, 47, gets out of the hospital he will go home and tell his buddies to beware of barrels.
We had a copperhead of significant size reclining against the garage wall behind the boys' little red wagon at our second house in Edmond, Oklahoma. Construction of two homes along the creek had probably displaced Our Reptile Friend. I didn't even get very freaked, although I did hack it to pieces with a garden shovel, a technique I had perfected in Omaha on large garter snakes whose worst offense was surprising me by lying under my kitchen doorstep when I got out of the Toyota carrying a baby and bags of groceries. After a couple years in Oklahoma you get used to dangerous varmits and poisonous vermin (not to be confused with yerm-lim) being part of the daily scenery. After the horrendous invasion of the field mice in our first Edmond house, I generally cheered for snakes and other predators.
I was pleased to find a new internet tool, ePodunk.com. Give it a try. It doesn't bite. And I'm glad to report it is raining here in Texas, and that sure smells sweet:
Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain
And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain.
Oklahoma, Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I
Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk
Makin' lazy circles in the sky.
We know we belong to the land
And the land we belong to is grand!
And when we say Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!
We're only sayin' You're doin' fine, Oklahoma! Oklahoma O.K.
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