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The Story of Bob the Snake
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We moved to Florida in 1984 and bought a house with a pool. About 3 months after we moved in I was out messing with the pool and sensed something behind me and turned to meet Bob the Snake. Bob was a humongous black snake over 6 feet long with a mighty girth. We just looked at each other and Bob slithered off around the bushes into a hole at the back of the pool deck near the house. It was pretty obvious that Bob was living large eating rats in the orange grove behind the house. I sold Bob’s continued tenancy to the Spousal Unit on keeping rats and mice out of the house. We never saw Bob’s significant other or any little Bobs (nor did we ever see a rat or mouse). We never saw Bob in the pool.

Bob was a social snake at some level - there was always separation but he wanted to be around on his terms and at his distance.
The girl’s were little and most nights ended up with the family in the pool and Bob watching over things from his place on the deck. If you were outside and things were relatively calm, odds were Bob would show up. It was the rare barbeque when Bob was not in attendance. The house was ringed with heavy bushes and it was always a classic when one of us would be by the front door talking to some one and Bob would stick his head out to say hi. We thought it was a lot funnier than our unsuspecting guests.


We didn’t live in the house long and got it painted to sell. I came home to complete bedlam one day because Bob went up the ladder when the painter was doing the highest eve. A quick assessment of the situation revealed that the painter was about to lose it and getting Bob off the ladder was going to be a complete bitch. I finally got another ladder up so the painter could get down and Bob came back down in his own good time. I got the painter’s good will back with a case of beer.

When most people move a prime topic of conversation is not what to do with the snake. We didn’t want anything bad to happen to Bob and his options were not good. There was a road between the orange grove and our house and it had just been paved with the corresponding increase in traffic. Plus with the way construction was going that orange grove was not going to make it for long. The odds of the new owners being entertained by a huge snake were not good. The Spousal Unit wanted to put him in the hot tub/atrium of the new house but it just wasn’t big enough and it wasn’t Bob’s style anyway. So there were two options where some sort of confinement was not involved. Take him to the new house that backed into a couple hundred acres of protected Florida dry lands or relocate him to an orange grove way out in the country. I wanted to do the latter but the Spousal Unit wanted to do the former so I don’t need to tell you which one we did.

Catching Bob is its own story but we finally got him to the new house where I dug a hole by the end of the pool deck by the house. We let him out and he took off for a clump of trees in the middle of the back yard. We never saw him again. But I am pretty sure there was a pretty nice life to be had in all that space and if he didn't like the drylands there were ponds he could get to quickly.

The Chinese have a saying that you aren’t really dead as long as you are remembered. Bob now lives on through Slowtwitch and the Internet.
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Re: The Story of Bob the Snake [cooterbob] [ In reply to ]
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Bob sounds nice. I'm happy to hear he was transferred successfully and that you have fond memories of him.
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Re: The Story of Bob the Snake [cooterbob] [ In reply to ]
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Long Live Bob the Snake!
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Re: The Story of Bob the Snake [cooterbob] [ In reply to ]
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your spousal unit is really cool.
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Re: The Story of Bob the Snake [cooterbob] [ In reply to ]
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What a nice story. I think snakes are pretty cool. We have a lot of rattlers around here, but I've never had a run in with one.
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Re: The Story of Bob the Snake [cooterbob] [ In reply to ]
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That's a great story! Thanks for sharing :D


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I know I'm promiscuous, but in a classy way
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Re: The Story of Bob the Snake [cooterbob] [ In reply to ]
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I don't like snakes (obviously by my post on a different 'snake' thread)....BUT....Bob totally sounds cool and I think I may have even gotten a giggle from him (without any "kill it" thoughts)....

Like QRGirl said, we have LOTS of Rattlers where we live....and I was brought up with the knowledge that all snakes are horrible (as my family has have SEVERAL run-in's with them)....might be changing my tune now that I've read about Bob and have been playing online reading about 'other' types of snakes out there (since the former thread on snakes).....still not crazy about them, BUT I am open to changing my mind about "they all must die"....we'll see.

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Life is Short...Run Long
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Re: The Story of Bob the Snake [cooterbob] [ In reply to ]
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What a great story! Thanks for sharing. That's pretty amusing, Bob sticking his head out of the bushes to see who was showing up at the door. Kind of like the Welcome Wagon. ;-)

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http://thethighmasterroutetokona.blogspot.com
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Re: The Story of Bob the Snake [cooterbob] [ In reply to ]
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I'm terrified of snakes and even I like Bob. Thanks for sharing that story!

M

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The beatings will continue until morale improves
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Re: The Story of Bob the Snake [mdraegernyc] [ In reply to ]
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It makes me really happy to read that you guys are opening up to snakes a bit. Don't get me wrong; if you or your loved is in danger (and rattlers certainly are dangerous!) then you gotta do what you gotta do, but for the most part they are just curious creatures doing their thing in life.


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I know I'm promiscuous, but in a classy way
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Re: The Story of Bob the Snake [cuds] [ In reply to ]
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>>It makes me really happy to read that you guys are opening up to snakes a bit.<<

Hell no. Kill the damned thing.

clm

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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