Eat Here & Get Gas

We hear it all the time, those same questions, those stereotypical groupings, those age old but strongly held opinions people who don’t know the south seem to like to believe about us.  For example:   “Does anybody outside of Atlanta wear shoes?”  Or, what about:   “Do all southerners handle snakes in church?”  And here’s a perennial favorite:  “Was anyone really “acting” on Hee-Haw?”

Just to set the record straight, there are lot’s of people who don’t wear shoes who live in the city of Atlanta.  Some can’t help it, some do it on purpose, and some just don’t care, but I would bet there are some there and I would guess there were some in Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Seattle as well!  Come to think of it, we were all barefooted before someone taught us to wear shoes in the first place! Besides, if you haven’t felt cool, damp centipede grass on the bottom of your feet in the spring or summer, why, you could be missing yet another of life’s most wonderful experiences.  Go ahead!  Park the wingtips!  Shed the Hi-Heels!  Scrap the pantyhose and get out there.  You just might be surprised how southern we all are!

Did you know that the southern Diamond Backed Rattlesnakes “Rattle” to make sure You know where THEY are?  It’s one of those marvels of nature.  That Rattle is a warning for you and me that danger exists, it is very close, and you and I should stop, visually locate, and hopefully avoid the danger.

Of course, there are people who “handle” snakes.  Most of them do so for the purpose of extracting their unique venom.  This dangerous process is necessary in producing an antidote for the unfortunate among us who either accidentally or purposefully ignore that deadly warning “alarm” and are in fact “bit” by a Diamondback rattlesnake.  I salute these people.  I have stood in awe watching and learning from some of them as they go about the business of educating and informing their audiences of the inherent dangers.  I will always be amazed to see a man standing in the middle of a dozen or so live rattlesnakes, all of which are just a few feet from him, all arranged in a circle around him.  It’s all the more interesting that these dreaded, deadly creatures sit coiled, rattlers rattling, heads and eyes fixed on the professional following his every move,  tongues sampling the air, and yet, never moving toward him.

Nature is amazing.  These dangerous creatures sit, watch and rattle.  In fact, if the professional takes a metal rod he would normally use to pick the snake up for whatever purpose, he can rub that rod back and forth, left and right, any which way touching the snake’s head--and the snake will not strike at the object.  Instead, he will just continue watching, rattling, and sampling the air with his forked tongue while he constantly keeps his eyes trained on the man.

Now, take a cigarette lighter.  Heat that rod up, and then put it anywhere within the snake’s striking distance of that snake’s “nose” and he’ll strike it again and again with lightening speed and deadly force. (Actually the distance varies with each snake but is generally determined by the length of the curve of his neck). You see, snakes aren’t really “watching” but instead, they are sensing “heat”, like body heat from a rabbit, a squirrel or other prey,  or maybe the 98.6 degree temperature of a most unfortunate human being--and that’s the signal that prompts the snake to strike.

Knowledge is a wonderful thing isn’t it?  You have just learned that southern Diamond Back rattlesnakes will not naturally come toward you.  They will give you every opportunity to stay clear by providing you a “warning” signal, that awful, terrifying, and very dangerous sound of their rattling tail.  You have learned that their venom is necessary to create a medicine that is used to treat people who are struck, for whatever reason.  Plus you have learned that there are people out there who willingly put themselves in grave danger to help create an antidote for rattlesnake victims.