there are no snakes in ireland

Doesn't that just seem odd? But it seems that it's true, well aside from zoos and pets anyway. Avery and I checked out a stack of books on Wednesday and one happened to be about animals. It was pretty interesting, I learned several things while reading it to her. It was a great day to snuggle up on the couch and read. We got stuck on that book for quite some time because I made the mistake of telling her that the snake was going to eat the deer on one page. You know, because I'd already told her it was a deer and then the book said antelope, but whatevs - the point here is that some snakes are large enough to eat an entire ANTELOPE. And yes, the book was about the lifespans of various animals, but included were fun facts like, jellyfish have no brain and hamsters make good pets.

So in the illustration on the left in the snake section is clearly a young antelope reaching up to eat leaves and the illustration on the right and crossing over to the left is of a huge snake hanging from a tree, presumably getting ready to have dinner...or just say a sweet, "Hi! How's it going?" But no, I read the sentence about eating antelopes and I was all, "Avery! Can you even imagine a snake that could eat a deer?!" Because I think antelope=deer. For the next 20 minutes she wouldn't let me turn the page, and believe me, I tried. She threw her head back, hands on her face, and cried real tears for that deer. She held her hands up, told me to make it move, said, "Oh no! Noooo!" at least a dozen times. A bit dramatic, that girl of mine. I think she gets that from her Daddy, I'm very level-headed at all times. Finally I covered up the deer and told her that it was okay, the snake just wanted to be friends but the deer was going away. Then I grabbed a book about what happens when it rains, totally appropriate for the rainy day and also nonviolent.

Parents or guardians of toddlers, learn this lesson: don't be dramatic when discussing the dietary habits of large snakes where cute mammals are also involved because your toddler won't thank you for it. Anyway, lots learning going on today. And while there are no snakes in Ireland (or New Zealand), there are snakes in Texas. We found the copperhead in the picture below all cuddled (or coiled ready to strike!) up in our backyard one night the month before Avery was born. I wish it was a better picture but that would've required me getting closer to the snake.

Beware of snakes this summer, this ain't Ireland y'all!