This one first

Karen's request for tantalizing stories from strings camp will have to wait. Today the boys had the scare of their life. I am constantly warning them about snakes OTHER than gardners that they love. You know the kind with rattles on them. I worry that the desire to grab will override safety. Today that was tested. I took the boys to a pond near a friend's house. The pond is at the bottom of a very steep hill and most of it I couldn't see them. They head down shoeless with nets in hand. As they are walking up I hear big fry-in a voice I have never heard (now I know it was sheer panic)-tell small fry to get back and quickly. The tone of his voice causes me to head at break neck speed, because I can't see them. They come up through the grass panting and small fry is almost crying. Big fry tells me he is walking and hears the noise and stops (like Reptile Gardens tells you to do) and sees it in front of him by a rock, coiled up and head up, hissing and rattling. He tells me all he could think about was keeping his brother away.

So see all those nature shows, like SHARK WEEK can be very helpful:)