Gary Reeder
back a hundred years or so ago in my more moronic
Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 22:40

youth, a couple of friends and I liked to wade the creeks in Tennessee armed with machetes looking for Cotton Mouths. They would lie on flat rocks in the sun. We would try to sneak up on them and hack them with our machetes.

One fine day I decided that I would wade the creek which was about 10 or 12" deep and look for the moccasins sunning on the rocks. I assumed the rushing water would cover my noise sneaking up on them. As I was doing my stealth walk I noticed a big snake lying on a small tree that was hanging over the creek. I decided I could sneak on on Mr. Water Moccasin and do him in. I eased up on the log as the snake was facing away from me. As I started my swing with the machete the snake sensed me and went for the water. My machete got him but not what I wanted. I chopped about 6" of his tail off. Now he was in the water and the water was coming toward me, so he was somewhere at my feet and highly pissed. I was about 8 or 10 feet out in the creek and my friends said I had a lot in common with Jesus that day, in that I walked on water getting out of that creek. I never met up with that snake again but whenever I was anywhere near a creek fishing, squirrel hunting or whatever I always kept an eye out for him. I figured he was still looking for me about his missing tail.