Did you know the fear of Halloween is called Samhainophobia? Yes, some folks don't need ghosts, goblins, haunted houses, or horror movies to be frightened of All Hollow's Eve.
We often placed an upside down clay pot in a sheltered spot for toads to hide out in when we had gardens. One scary story, though. I was 13 when we lived in a old farmhouse. The entrance to the basement was from the outside. I opened the door (it was late fall) and curled up next to the door, between the joists was a six foot fat snake. It's colouring resembled a rattler. Needless to say that scared me - a lot. My father got rid of it (sadly in our furnace). We found out later it was likely a milk snake thinking this was a good spot to hibernate.
Thanks, Yvonne! I will use the upside down clay pot shelter for toads from now on. Concerning snakes, I have run across a number of rattlesnakes since I was a kid. My earliest memory was of one rattler being chopped up with a hoe. Even though it was in several hunks, the rattle continued to shake for a while. That sight haunted me for years. I have to admit, I'm still not a big fan of snakes. On my walks, I've run across quite a few, mostly non-poisonous, but they still give me a scare. I leave them alone and pray they'll leave me alone too. So far, that tactic has worked.
We often placed an upside down clay pot in a sheltered spot for toads to hide out in when we had gardens. One scary story, though. I was 13 when we lived in a old farmhouse. The entrance to the basement was from the outside. I opened the door (it was late fall) and curled up next to the door, between the joists was a six foot fat snake. It's colouring resembled a rattler. Needless to say that scared me - a lot. My father got rid of it (sadly in our furnace). We found out later it was likely a milk snake thinking this was a good spot to hibernate.
Thanks, Yvonne! I will use the upside down clay pot shelter for toads from now on. Concerning snakes, I have run across a number of rattlesnakes since I was a kid. My earliest memory was of one rattler being chopped up with a hoe. Even though it was in several hunks, the rattle continued to shake for a while. That sight haunted me for years. I have to admit, I'm still not a big fan of snakes. On my walks, I've run across quite a few, mostly non-poisonous, but they still give me a scare. I leave them alone and pray they'll leave me alone too. So far, that tactic has worked.