| I had my usual reaction. My legs turned to water, heart racing and I couldn't move. As soon as I could move I said " O'k daddy, lets get out of here". His answer was "We don't have enough apples yet." I didn't wait for him I started scooting down the hill on my rearend. Needless to say on my next trips to visit mom and dad I did not take daddy up on his invitations to go to the apple orchard. The one way I could feel safe to watch snakes was when I would lay down on the footbridges over the creeks and watch water snakes swim around in the water. These snakes weren't poisonious and I was facinated as long as they couldn't get to me. Daddy was always the snake hunter. He never left the house without a pistol in his pocket. He always said he never knew when he would come upon a snake, whether it was close to our house or in the mountains. Also, when he went to the mountains by himself he never knew when he would run upon a two legged snake that might put his life in danger. The only person I knew that almost died of a poisonious snake bit was my cousin Larry Presley. He went with some members of the holiness church down south to Georgia or one of those states to a big revival. Larry decided he would prove his trust in the Jesus by handling a poisonious snake. Unfortunately he was bitten and had to be driven home by some of the church members. I still don't understnd why he wasn't taken to the hospital where he was bitten. Larry lived through it all but his kidney's were damaged. The holiness religion believed in handling poisionious snakes. They are one of the many sides of life in the Appalatian mountains. I have been to church with a cousin, Velma Cox, who belonged to the Church of God in Dizney. No snakes were out. I particularly enjoyed the music because they played guitars and other instruments besides the normal piano at our church. |