garter gathering

[PINJOHN]

thanks Le Ann and yes i have another one in the wings it was prompted by a post about your first or special snake which i suppose most of us have memories of, tucked away in that special place,
because of the form of dyslexia with which i am smitten, things that are done in a sequential manner such as using computers, mobile phones, and such, make me really struggle, even what you might consider basic's like copying and pasting are at times a challenge to me, so when i find one of the kids at home and beg them to give that old pest called dad a few moments of their very precious time i will put it up

[Mommy2many]

I look forward to reading it. I understand that things this special take time. Sometimes that time is hard to come by. Can't wait!

[RedSidedSPR]

Those are awesome both of them. Loved 'em.

[PINJOHN]

Way back in the early sixty's what was known as the second British invasion of America was taking place, led by four boys from my home town JOHN PAUL GEORGE AND RINGO and i had just became a teenager but what perhaps is of more interest to this forum is that America was carrying out a counter invasion.
British pet shops were beginning to obtain garter snakes, a creature exotic [to us] but little known, buying one of these snakes was a chancy undertaking, bringing your snake through hale and healthy was a matter of trial and error,advice from pet shop owners was at best inaccurate at worse lethal for the snake, garter books or manuals did not exist,the sasquatch was easier to locate than a local expert, no such thing as a specialized range of products for reptile keepers, reptile shows were still generations away, and most shocking of all no internet with its instant access to a garter site full of approachable people ready to help you through your latest garter crisis.
Keeping reptiles and amphibians at this time was for most of us done in isolation with few opportunity's to meet like minded souls, other than perhaps an accidental meeting in the pet shop, you could live within a short distance of a fellow enthusiast with even more hard won knowledge than yourself and never even know.
The other problem for snake/rep keepers at this time was the complete bewilderment of friends family and the general public as to why you would want to keep such" strange weird and surely dangerous creatures",i learned to explain that i found them "interesting" and while people accepted this as my answer they could never grasp WHY i found them interesting.
One fact that i kept strictly to my self,it's revelation at that time would perhaps have brought down on me dire consequence's, a visit from the men in white coats, a private hotel room with padded walls, a daily libation of the velvet cosh, and a set of pajama's with sleeves that fasten around the back,
I have after all these years decided to share my secret on the strict understanding that it stays within the four walls of this forum .
the "interest" that i had in my snakes was only part of the truth ,i actually held them in great affection, [SHOCK HORROR] when i look back over the years and relive the happy times spent with long gone friends"Duke my German shepherd Sam my Irish wolfhound and Archie my Airedale terrier i find my self also remembering some special garters all gone now but never to be forgotten Amazingly one of those special snakes was the first garter i ever owned.
His story is told below.

NUMBER ONE


It's an eastern that enchanted me right from the very start
my first sight in that pet shop
and the snake had won my heart
A stranger to my country
from his land the USA
collected with his brethren
and sent so far away
the smallest one among'st the bunch
but he didn't try to hide
a hint perhaps of vanity
for the stripes that cloaked his side
with an overdose of brashness
eye to eye he just stared back
when it came to tugging heart strings
this guy he had the knack
there was no way i could leave him there
i had fallen for that snake
and for me to be his owner
just three shillings it would take
the shop agreed to hold him there
until i should return
i knew little of the garter ways
but determined i would learn
he would need a spacious residence

when to my home he came
a meter long aquarium
would be his new domain
I cleaned it up and made it safe
newspaper as a base
i then rushed back to purchase him
my first of all his race
the seller gave advice to me
which was somewhat off the wall
saying spiders bugs and insects too
you'll find he eats them all
the serpent over several months
he would teach me such a lot
like just what foods he'd Deign to eat
and those foods he would not
so many things i offered him
he found not to his taste
what i needed, were he not to starve
was an answer, found with haste
at last we made agreement
when i one day filled his dish
with the contents of a cat food tin
containing chunks of fish
from that day on he grew apace
with his diet problems beat
and he thrived upon his new regime
with earthworms as a treat
he would watch me through his glassy wall
he was nosy to a fault
when i saw him staring hard at me
all other tasks would halt
as if he were a magnet
no chances would be missed
i would lavish my attention
i'd no power to resist
when it came to trips and visits
and to other friends i'd roam
he seldom left my thoughts for long
he's the reason i rushed home
such grew my fascination
i'll explain it if i can
i'd never had a better friend
be it animal or man
looking back i now can realize
that he gently led me in
to a life of love and reverence
for his thamnophis kin
in those six short years he spent with me
one regret i'v settled on
i never gave that snake a name
HE WAS SIMPLY NUMBER ONE

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[guidofatherof5]

A very good read John. Thanks for posting it.

[Mommy2many]

Aaaww... John, I think we all can relate

One of the first friends that I had
Came not from school but from the land
I found him under a rock one spring
He needed warmth, this little thing

I kept him in my hand all day
My diligence to his care did not sway
He wrapped around my small hand and raised
His head and body to all the praise

A defender of his lady true
My snake, his future I not knew
A short stay would be with me and mine
My snake would seek another kind

An Eastern he was, I'm sure of this
A beautiful brown and yellow thamnophis
A yearling he must have been as I recall
Escape me now, the memories all

A short time was spent; he with me
I dreamt of all the adventures yet to be
They were not to come, for his time
Was not to be as long as mine

He taught me though; in that short span
Of love that's shared within my hand
I care not what the experts know
From my first snake; my love did grow

[PINJOHN]

loved it Le Ann, after reading it i was struck by an odd thought, there must be i suppose lots of people who would find writing a poem about your first or special pet a bit strange, when you take into account that the special pet is a snake,then the numbers of those people would increase dramatically.
luckily for us we are on a site where we are surrounded by like thinking friends who understand completely where we are coming from and have their own memories of those never to be forgotten pets, and who knows its just possible that one or two of them might make an attempt at a little verse in honor of that very special one.

[chris-uk]

There once was a cat called Mort
Who bit and scratched Chris for sport
But one day he did see
That if he wanted to eat
To stop biting the feeding hand was import'

Mortimer is a special cat now, but when I inherited him with Char, he was a right little !£$$£@"#.

[PINJOHN]

great limerick Chris you put some work in to that but was well worth it, as now Mort the maniac moggy is now immortalized

[chris-uk]

great limerick Chris you put some work in to that but was well worth it, as now Mort the maniac moggy is now immortalized

There's a bit of poetic license in it to get it to fit the rhyming pattern. Char will be impressed that I thought enough about the mogg to turn to poetry...