My Spider is Bigger Than Your Spider

I've been seeing a news story on Facebook and other places about the terror of a New Hampshire family when they found a black widow spider inside a box of organic grapes. The spider caused a big stir in the local and even the national media.

These photos were taken by the Fremont, NH family and published in various places around the Internet

That got me to thinking about how brave we must be to live in New Mexico, where even the plants can grab you and the spiders are not the only creepy-crawlies we must face on a daily basis.

Even the plants can grab you; this one looks pretty
but it wants to hurt you. Trust me. 

For example, I know a lady who knits. She is mild-mannered and kindly, and you would never suspect her of heart-stopping bravery, yet every night when she gets up to go to the bathroom she carries a black light so that she can avoid stepping on the little nocturnal scorpions that scamper across her tile floors.

When we go for walks in the nearby desert, we carry walking sticks to let the rattlesnakes know we are coming. We like to coexist in safety. 

Nobody panics, everyone gets along

Occasionally, we come across a snake who wants as little to do with us as we want to do with him/her. Now, I am a gentle retired librarian and nobody called the press when I met this fellow. We just both went on our way.

Now that I think of it, we live risky lives of constant danger that would send many Eastern folks scurrying right back to the airport. Lots of black widow spiders live on our front porch and in our garage. Those pesky sticky webs of theirs are everywhere. Fox News doesn't seem to care a bit. We just watch where we stick our hands. 

And those bitty old black widows are nothing, compared to our tarantulas. I helped one safely cross the road in front of our house one day. It didn't even make the evening news. 

This tarantula was interfering with traffic on a road near Tucumcari, NM.
That's my sister's shoe he is patting. He chased me across the highway when I took his picture.

Photos from The Pintada Kid

If you've never heard of the Pintada Kid, go to the top of this blog, right under the header photo, and click on "The Pintada Kid" tab. There you will find links to the posts on this blog telling his unique life story, starting with growing up in a sheep camp in central New Mexico; and the tale of his life's work, the investigation of one of New Mexico's unsolved murder mysteries, The Heberer-Lorius Case.

The Pintada Kid is a unique New Mexico character; I can't imagine anyone like him anywhere else. He recently sent me some photos, which I am passing on to you. Descriptions of each photo are in his own words (in italics). 

The Pintada Kid at the Historical Indian Writings. 

Note the Big Snake called a Vivoron by the Old People.

The Area of the Longwalk, [known as] the Pintada Trail, the shortest route from Ft Defiance to Ft Sumner. It is also the Playground of the Pintada Kid. 

(Note from ClairZ: You can read about the Navajo "Long Walk" in this article from the Office of the New Mexico State Historian).

My Lady Friend [Rose Keaton] Holding a Big Rattlesnake that was Guarding the Resting Place of the Heberer Lorius People.

Vaughn City Park after a Blizzard Snowstorm

[You can see that PK takes the road less traveled!]

 The Pintada Kid at a Sacred Indian Ground. 

The Old People called these Rocks Los Paragues; the Pintada Kid named them the Mushroom Rocks. 

I named the one on my right shoulder E.T.  

Meeting the Rattlesnake: What Happened Next

The "park" part makes it sound so tame, doesn't it?

Yesterday I was telling you about my son Ben and his first ever meeting with a rattlesnake. In the wild. On a trail.

Beez and Ben: Ready for anything

When he heard the rattling and saw the coiled snake a couple of feet in front of him, Ben's first reaction was to back away quietly. His second was to trot back down the trail to get Beez and me so we could come and take pictures.

After we took a bunch of photos, we continued carefully past the snake and on up the rocky trail to finish our walk. Thinking about the possibility of that rattlesnake having a few relatives in the vicinity, and realizing now just how hard those well-camouflaged guys are to spot, we walked loudly and clunked our walking sticks ahead of us, every step of the way.

Such a rocky trail. So many possibilities.

And then I remembered that in all the excitement of getting a photo of a for-real wild rattlesnake, I had left my bottle of water behind on the trail.

On the trail on the other side of the rattlesnake.

You must realize that we were out hiking in the desert in the summer. It was early in the morning, but the sun was getting hotter with every step. I needed that water. So, my good son Ben volunteered to go back through the snake's territory for the third time to get my water and meet us back at the beginning of the trail.

Third time's the charm. As Ben told us later, he cautiously approached the spot where the rattlesnake had last been seen resting in the shade of some sage. He was tiptoeing along, hoping to get by without disturbing the heretofore patient snake. Just as he came up to the very spot where the snake had first rattled at him, four things happened simultaneously:

1. His cell phone vibrated in his pocket

2. A disembodied robotic voice said (also from his pocket), "You have now walked three miles"

3. Ben's body rose several feet up into the air, and...

4. He involuntarily shouted out with the shock of all these things happening.

He tells us that while he was still airborne, he realized that the snake might be startled by all these goings-on. Why, that snake might even have lost patience, what with all the recent disturbances in his quiet desert home.

Here's my favorite part: With admirable understatement, Ben said when he landed that "he decided to run a little bit."

We don't know what the snake thought, but here is his picture again.

One of the heroes of this tale
(remember, click any photo twice to enlarge it)

*****

By the way, if you are in the mood for more snake adventures, you just might want to read Mr. Zee Goes Up, which appeared on this blog way back in 2008.

The Intrepid Naturalists Meet a For-Real Rattlesnake

Click to enlarge

We took our son, visiting here from New York City, for an early morning hike at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park the other day. We brought cameras and binoculars and cell phones; lots of water; hats, sunglasses, and sunblock to protect us from the sun, and hiking sticks.

When Ben wondered if he really needed to carry a stick, we just smiled and said, "Snakes." We said snakes in the way that people will who are real desert amateurs and have never seen a rattlesnake outside of a zoo and who wonder to themselves about the efficacy of hiking sticks in snake country.

He believed us and brought the stick along. Good thing, too.

Now he really believes in walking loudly and carrying a big stick. The stick preceded him by a step and startled a rattlesnake, who politely rattled to let Ben know he should stop and look around. Note that the sound was the first indication of the snake--this guy was so well camouflaged that I found it hard to see him, even when I knew he was right in front of me.

Ben came back down the trail to get us and we approached cautiously to take photos. The sun was glaring on the camera screen and I wasn't sure what I was getting, but I snapped away blindly and hoped for the best.

He was such a polite and patient snake.

Tomorrow: What happened next...

The Pintada Kid, Part 3

Photo from an old editorial cartoon (Library of Congress)

Here are some of the Pintada Kid's folk remedies and techniques, in his own words, as always.

I grew up in the Mountains with the Old people and learned lots of the Old ways including Medicinal Plants and Water Dousing etc. Can even tell you how far down the water is right down to the Foot.

My Suggestion to anyone who is afraid of Snakes is to see them at a Snake Roundup or even eat the Meat its good for High Blood Pressure and save that 400 or more Bucks you would pay a Therapist plus you could eat a Rattlsnake Burger and feel BETTER.

im still trying to Go to a Rattlesnake Roundup in Alamogordo and find some Rattlesnake Fat for Arthritis and some Bear Fat to Predict the weather

Rattlesnake meat is good for High Blood Pressure. The Fat is used for Arthritis and Rhemeutism it REALLY Works almost Immediately or for leg or toe Cramps or back pain or growing pains. You can also use Skunk fat but i prefer Rattlesnake Fat.

The Rattlesnake fat takes away the pain from Arthritis for months with one or two Applications. The Bear Fat you put in a Jar and put it on your South facing Window and if its Clear its a nice day and if it breaks up into little pieces its Windy and if it Drift like Snow in a Certain Direction its telling which direction a Snow storm is coming. Somewhere i have a Chart showing about over a half dozen weather patterns for Bear Fat.

You can Tan the [rattlesnake] Hide with Glycerine and Alcohol and the Bones of the Rattlesnakes can be made into necklaces.

Next: Pintada Kid, Part 4--More about his grandparents

The Pintada Kid, Part 2

Pintada means painted. The Pintada Kid tells me that he was given his name by the "original" Pintada Kid. Our P.K. was born near Pintada, NM, located in Guadalupe County. It was given that name for either the petroglyphs or the colored mesas in the area.

The Pintada Kid has a great deal of knowledge about the natural world. He learned from the old people he grew up with and through his own observations and experience. Here is what he has to say about rattlesnakes.

"When you kill a Rattlesnake remember to Cut off the Head and bury it. A Rattlesnake can still Strike Hours after its dead so dont leave the Head on. Also if you bury the head you wont step on it or have an animal or bird pick it up and drop it somewhere else. When it rains the Rattlers on the Rattlesnake get wet and dont rattle so watch out when you go for a walk in the rain. Just because its winter and theres snow on the Ground does not mean all snakes are hibernating. I know places in the center of N.M....when i was out there around March there was snow on the Ground but around the Cliffs it was very warm and i almost stepped on an over 5 foot rattlesnake which i killed with my Ski Pole Walking Stick."

"I spend lots of time out in the Backroads in the center of New Mexico and have been doing this for over 40 years. 30 years ago or more i use to head out to the mountains and kill maybe 2 or 3 good size Rattlersnakes in a Day just on the Road. Today it can take me all Summer to Kill that Many and even then i might not kill 3 some Summers. TIP if you kill a Rattlesnake use a Long handled Shovel Preferably."

"TIP if your worried about snakes and you will probably never get Bit if you Never walk close to bushes or shady spots in the summer without being extra Careful were talking about out in the Country anywhere in N.M. Dont walk close to mounds or holes in the Ground and nests of sticks and if you smell and awful smell like a Dead animal try to get away from that area. Remember any snake can give you an infection if it bites you."

"Ive Killed Big Rattlers all my life or ever since i can Remember. My biggest was over 6 foot long and i was inside my Pickup when i shot it. On My Knees behind the Steering Wheel and the Window half way rolled up the Fricking Rattlesnake was half way up my door i put 4 shots from my Pistol into its head before it dropped. My Suggestion to anyone who is afraid of Snakes is to see them at a Snake Roundup or even eat the Meat its good for High Blood Pressure and save that 400 or more Bucks you would pay a Therapist plus you could eat a Rattlsnake Burger and feel BETTER. I know about being afraid of Snakes especially when your out on a Cliff or Hiking and they Rattle Off and you have no idea where the noise is coming from or what direction you are going to be hit. The Big Rattlesnakes can Drown out a Loud Car Stereo and it seems like theres a Dozen Rattling at once. To Me the Sound of the Rattlesnake is the Most Chilling Sound in the WORLD."

*****

Next: Pintada Kid, Part 3--Some folk remedies