Our home school group's last meeting of the "school" year had Cory Mason of the Texas Department of Parks & Wildlife as a guest speaker. This is the second year he has been our speaker. I am told he brought bones of various animals indigenous to our area of Texas last year. I didn't get to make it to that meeting. This year however he caught some wild animals for us to see.

He brought snakes....

Which actually made our group's second snake lecture because we had a lady from the TDPW speak to us last year. She had allowed the kids to hold a corn snake that they have for educational proposes. The is no way to properly express how I feel about snakes. The words Hate or Ick are not strong enough. Still I appreciate that the have their own purpose designed by God and if you can get past the "ICK" of the whole thing they can be seen as pretty in their own way.... I endured it last year because it is very important here in the country for the children to learn how dangerous snakes are and to identify which ones are poisonous. Needless to say, I was not thrilled to have to be around snakes again...and these were wild snakes NOT the program used to being handled kind of snakes. (Note: no one handled these snakes but Mr. Mason)

However, Mr. Mason was a great speaker and I'm sure the kids could do snake a review and reminder with it coming up on summer.....OK Honestly, the kids could see the snakes yearly again and again and not mind a bit......I have issues.

BUT....What I was really excited about was the other animal he caught for us to see! And I DID pet it! I petted it gingerly and not without jerking my hand back a couple of times and holding my breath a little but I DID pet it.


Isn't it cool!? A little alligator! Now this was a new lecture for us and we really did enjoy learning all about the alligators here in Texas! Gee.... I wish my oldest Heather was here. She Loves Alligators!

This was ribbon snake was the one snake I didn't mind so much. It still gave me the ibby-jibbies but I could also admire it's beauty.