I have a message from a "conssssssssserned party"

[Russianwolf]

As some of you may recall, I had a visitor in my shop a while back. I stepped on his tail (his fault as he didn't let me know he was there).

Well, when I got into my shop last night, I was confronted by him (tail still bandaged) and his buddies that wanted to talk about all the snake skin blanks that have been showing up on IAP lately.

I tried to convince them that there wasn't a conspiracy against them, but then they pulled out the Red Python blanks that I was going to work on this weekend. I started getting a bit worried that they might try something violent. All of a sudden my black lab, Charlie, came down the steps and they disappeared.

Now, I don't want to worry anyone but I think they are on to us.

 

[DocStram]

Whooaaaaa ....... you had another visitor ... more than one??? Pretty exciting. Gulp.

We wanna hear the details.

 

[Hayseedboy]

Yeah, what happened to them after they disappeared?

 

[Russianwolf]

Oh I've known they (pretty sure there are are two or three) were still there. Charlie likes to mouse hunt in the Garage and snake hunt in my Basement shop. They run and hide and he's too dumb to be afraid if it was a poisonous one.

I catch glimpses every once in a while and last night saw the back half of the one I stepped on before he ran for cover. His tail is almost fully healed it looks like.

 

[THarvey]

Are you growing your own pen blanks now?

 

[redfishsc]

If a pen mysteriously shows up on the SOYP forum made from a human finger bone, and you are nowhere to be found, we'll know that they succeeded.....

 

[Gary Max]

I just finished drying three Copperheads that I skinned last week. I hope to get them cast this weekend.

 

[Daniel]

I think that just to be safe we should all start refering to these items as Artificially reproduced Snake Skin. or ARSS. that way I think we can fool them and save everyones ARSS from future threats.

 

[bitshird]

I just finished drying three Copperheads that I skinned last week. I hope to get them cast this weekend.

Usually there are copper heads all over my place, this year I haven't seen a single one.:befuddled:

 

[dntrost]

Yeah I had two last year before my addiction to pen turning I just cut their heads off and threw them away! Now I look for them :mad-tongue:

 

[Daniel]

We have little rattlesnakes around here (Western Diamondback) but I have never gotten to see one. My sister saw one get killed by a scorpion years ago, and some friends killed one in there back yard before the snake skin stuff here started. I've been waiting to have the chance to get more. All the ones I have heard about are pretty small and would make great skins for pens.

 

[TellicoTurning]

This is why my shop is built on stilts.. they can't (at least I HOPE they can't climb steps)

I'm a real wuss when it comes to slithery creatures (I won't even watch them on TV).. it's not that I think they'll necessarily hurt me, it's that I know they'll make me hurt my self.

 

[underdog]

Chuck...

That's a vain hope. Snakes climb trees, and up into rafters, they can certainly climb steps and stilts.

Of course ya'll know that these are just Partnership Collective Attorney Drones? It's always open season on them y'know...

See it all on Schlock Mercenary webcomic. http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20001001.html

 

[DocStram]

Aren't you glad you read Underdog's post?? Now ... when you're walking in the woods, not only will you be looking down at the ground for snakes ... but also up in the trees!

BTW ..... here in the South, water moccasins make night fishing real interesting. They're attracted to light. So, when you leave your lantern on in your fishing boat ... they'll swim right over and crawl right into the boat.

 

[TBone]

Doc,

They make daytime fishing interesting too. We have cypress trees that hang over the riverbank and they will drop out of the tree into your boat or onto your head. ALWAYS check the trees before taking the boat under the overhanging limbs. A lot of folks carry a frog gig on a cane pole. Just gig the snake and throw the whole thing in river. Frog gigs are cheap.

 

[underdog]

Seriously though, most snakes are protected, at least here in Georgia. Be nice to 'em because they are a beneficial part of the ecosystem- and it's illegal to harm them or even keep them in captivity. I do really enjoy the snakes, and have tried to rescue one or two, but have been dismayed when I hit them with the lawnmower, or run over them in a car. Hard to avoid 'em...