The Mojave Green

I have a confession: One of my biggest fears is snakes. I am seriously so scared of them. At work, (I work at a preschool) we have a classroom snake that doesn't bite, but I am still scared to even touch it. I am so grateful that I actually wasn't present for the story I'm about to tell. Yesterday after I left work, there was a mojave green rattlesnake in the yard where the kids play. Not only was it in the yard, but it was coiled up under the tire of one of the bikes that the children use all the time. And yes, the kids were outside playing when the snake was discovered. It still gives me the shivers just thinking about it. The playground is fenced off, but it is right next to the open desert so snakes tend to wander in. And btw, the mojave green wasn't the only snake discovered in the yard yesterday...earlier a huge garter snake was found just hanging out by the swings. If you're unfamiliar with the mojave green rattlesnake, here's a little bit of background: I read earlier that it is the most poisonous rattlesnake in North America. If that's not the case, it's still really really poisonous. Rumor has it that if you get bit by one, you have 30 minutes to get some anti-venom stuff (or whatever it is called) or you're pretty much gone. Now I'm assuming that this is for an adult. Who knows what it would be for little 3-5 year olds. However, the good news is that these snakes are fairly mellow, and don't bite unless threatened. I saw of picture of it and it had the most beautiful skin. Maybe eventually I'll get over my fear of snakes. Turns out that the snake was pregnant, so maintenance ended up killing it since it is so poisonous. Hey, If the snakes are coming out, I guess that means that spring is finally here. It hit 90 degrees today!

"In Kentucky WE jump hills..."

On McKay's and my last expedition in Shuh-naynay (more to come about her), we got a flat tire in the middle of the desert. We didn't have a jack, so we thought we were screwed... However, God smiled upon us and sent us two drunk angels from Kentucky. They happened to be out enjoying the scenery in their SUV rental. They stopped and let us search through their car for their jack. After finding a 24-pack of beer and a bottle of whiskey we finally found the jack. After which, we replaced the flat tire with a tire that had already been on a journey of its own (to be explained later). Ready to roll with our "new" tire, they convinced us to do a jump nearby so they could take a picture. So off we went to show them what we do for fun in the desert. After that, the only thing they had to say was, "Is that it? In Kentucky WE jump hills!" So naturally we encouraged them to show us... Let me just say that we have a newfound respect for Kentucky... (Click here)

flogging through the desert

I experienced flogging through the desert for the first time last week, and was pleasantly suprised at how much fun it was. We went driving through the desert fairly fast, and I caught my first bit of air! I guess us desert rats are desperate for fun sometimes. Other than that, nothing very exciting has been happening here. I found out that I will not be finishing school at BYUI so I'm trying to figure something out where I can get a degree online. Finals for Cerro Coso are coming up soon, so that is keeping us busy. Other than that, it's pretty much the same old thing. Hard to believe we've been married for over a month now. Hopefully wedding pictures will be coming soon...

Tangcakes?

Christy and I have been on a neverending "pannekake" spree and I decided today that we should try a variation. Wasn't too bad.