We seem to run into a couple of sidewinders a year. They are smallish and don't have super powerful venom so I'm sure I could take a bite and live. But as a friend says "Sidewinders won't kill you but they'll make sure you wish you were doing something else if they get hold of you."

The Kangaroo rat is extraordinary. They have huge rear legs and can hop over a foot at a time, but they drag that tail and leave a stripe in the sand.

Sam and I have had the "Come to Jesus" talk about Snakes a couple of times. He listens pretty well, but he's curious as a cat and that worries me.