Number of posts : 4334 Registration date : 2008-06-12 Age : 81 Location : Duette, Florida
Subject: The Indigo 500 Sun Mar 06, 2011 6:30 am
DK has asked me if there are any snakes in my stories so I post this one about a snake race.
THE INDIGO 500
When Wooffer leaped off the porch steps that morning, he knew right away that something was very wrong. There was no bird singing his good morning song, no frog saying good night. Everything was silent. Even as he sniffed the air, something did not smell right. He could not put his nose on it right away, but something was definitely wrong! As Wooffer stood very still and listened, a sound came over the wind — a wail of sorrow — not very distinct, not very loud … but there it was all the same. He listened with all his might and sniffed the air in all directions. Just as Wooffer was about to run in the direction he thought he had heard the sound coming from, Cho Lee Yen came limping up as fast as he could. “Come with me, quickly, and don’t stop to ask questions!” he said, and led the way as fast as he could to an area in the yard where the grass grew especially tall and thick. As they weaved their way through the tall grasses and brambles, the wailing became more distinct, although it was still a very quiet sound. At last they came upon a small, trampled area … and there, on the ground, lay Margaret looking very dead.
Reginald was wailing and hiding his head in his wing, then looking at Margaret and starting all over again with the wailing and hiding of his head.
Wooffer went right up to Margaret and sniffed her all over. She was still breathing, but she looked very bad. Every little while she would start to twitch and shake all over and Reginald would begin to wail again and hide his head. Wooffer said, “What has happened to her? Do you know?”
Well, Reginald did not know. He was so worried, he just wanted her to get better. Cho Lee did not know either, but he said she had been fine earlier in the morning.
Wooffer decided that the first thing anyone should do was to go get his mom. He went off at a trot and brought her back to the trampled grass. She picked Margaret up and took her into the house. Wooffer told Reginald to try to be brave and not to worry. He knew that Reginald would worry his beak off anyway, so he asked Cho Lee to stay with Reginald until Margaret was well.
Wooffer’s mom called the doctor. Wooffer vowed then and there, to find out what had happened to Margaret … for the sake of all the animals on the farm. Who knew what terrible things could have happened. Perhaps there was a poisonous snake loose, or a rabid animal, or Brutus, Chipoff, and Blocko might be out again. He did not want to think of anything worse.
Poor, brave, decent Margaret had to get well … she just had to! Reginald waited and Cho Lee kept him company, telling him all the great things Margaret had done — fighting the dogs, saving his life, teaching Basil to kick … on and on he talked, and Reginald began to think that Margaret would be all right. She just had to be!
Wooffer had started his search with a good sniff all around where Margaret had been laying. There was something, but he could not put his nose on it, exactly. It was a strange smell, but he had smelled it before — somewhere — but where?
At one time or another, Margaret had been very rude to many of the animals on the farm, and had actually flown feet first into almost all of their faces. Everyone had a motive to get back at Margaret, but not to really hurt her. Everyone admired and loved Margaret. At least Wooffer hoped this was true.
Wooffer had decided to find out what each animal knew about Margaret’s unfortunate accident. He started with Ho Chi. Ho Chi spent her days looking out at the world from her pen. Very little escaped her notice. It was not that she was a nosey busybody; she just did not have a lot to do except to watch the rest of the farm animals during the day. If anything happened within her area of sight, she noticed it.
“She left early this morning, she crossed the ditch, and that is as far as I could see.” Ho Chi motioned Wooffer to come close to her and whispered, “She was upset with the crows. They always laughed at her for trying to hatch eggs.”
The crows would be Wooffer’s next stop. It was not far because they were in the tree waiting for him to go away so they could eat Ho Chi’s corn. Wooffer looked up at the crows. They were nudging each other and smirking, and pushing until they were about to fall out of the tree.
“Did you see where Margaret went early this morning?” Wooffer asked.
“Look who is asking us!” sneered one old crow. “It’s the tree dog, free dog, one of a kind!” With this remark, one crow actually fell out of the tree on his head, he was laughing so hard. “Why don’t you FLY up here and ask us in person?”
Wooffer could see that he was not getting any information out of these crows today. He knew they knew more than they were willing to tell, but they were such CROWS that they would not give him the time of day. He would remember this.
As Wooffer walked toward the house to see how Margaret was doing, he was trying to remember that smell where Margaret had been lying. He still could not put his nose right on it, but it was coming to him …
When Wooffer reached the back door, he looked back at Ho Chi. She was surrounded by Crows. It seemed to Wooffer that the Crows were still laughing. It did not seem right.
The doctor had been to see Margaret and had looked her over very well. He had told Wooffer’s mom that she seemed to have been bitten by someone. “It could have been a spider, or a vole, or even a snake,” he said, “but she will be alright.” He had given Margaret a dose of medicine that had stopped her shaking and quivering and she was now sitting in a big box with a towel wrapped around her to keep her warm. Her head was tucked far under her wing. Margaret had a terrible, terrible headache, and she still could not talk.
Wooffer ran back to Reginald and Cho Lee to report all that the doctor had said and that Margaret was going to be all right. Reginald was so happy that he cock-a-doodle-dooed and erka-erka-erka-ed all around the yard. The birds began to sing again and the squirrels went back to their chattering. The silence was broken, at last, but Wooffer still wanted to know who had bitten poor Margaret. He asked everyone he knew, but no one knew anything that would help him find the vicious fiend that had bitten Margaret. It seemed that the Crows were the only ones who knew anything, and they were not going to tell him.
It seemed that the only way he would ever know who bit Margaret was if he could remember what the strange smell was that he had noticed when he had sniffed all around her as she was lying close to death on the ground.
Just as he was going to talk to Ho Chi again, he saw a large, black crow standing just outside Ho Chi’s pen. Wooffer ran as fast as the wind and caught the big Crow by the wing just as it was about to fly. He held it down with his big front feet and said, “Now, tell me what you know about who bit Margaret, or else!”
The crow was so surprised that Wooffer had him held down, he blurted out, “She went to the races! The Indigo 500 … you know, the Snake Races. She got in the way and one of the snakes bit her!”
Wooffer let the crow go. What a crazy thing for a chicken to do! Snake Races! Now he knew what the strange smell was. It was an Indigo Snake that he had smelled. He would find this snake and teach him not to go around biting defenseless chickens!
Margaret got completely well in two days and was back with Reginald. Everything was back to normal with the animals on the farm. Wooffer was helping his mom pull weeds at the greenhouse when he smelled the snake hiding under some tall weeds. It was a chilly morning so the snake was not warm yet, and was still mostly asleep. Wooffer crept up so quietly that the snake never knew that he was there. Wooffer grabbed that four foot Indigo Snake by the tail and took off running as fast as he could. The snake’s head just bounced along the ground. Thump … thump … thump … all the way to where Wooffer’s mom was working. Wooffer dropped the Indigo right in front of her! Now, that mean old snake would get what was coming to him!
Wooffer’s mom screeched … “We don’t play with snakes! No! No! No!” She picked up the snake by the tail and threw him across the fence. Wooffer smiled to himself thinking about what a surprise that Snake had gotten. It was worth getting yelled at by his mom!
When Margaret and Reginald and all the other animals heard how Wooffer had dragged the snake by the tail and thumped his head along the ground, they all had a good laugh too! “You are really and truly one of a kind, Wooffer, our true friend,” they all cheered. “Hurrah for Wooffer!”
Love, Betty
joefrank Five Star Member
Number of posts : 8210 Registration date : 2008-11-04 Age : 75 Location : Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Subject: Re: The Indigo 500 Sun Mar 06, 2011 8:31 am
3/6/2011
Betty..
As always I love your stories of Wooffer and his friends, I do believe your ready for a new book.
Cheers..Joe...
alice Five Star Member
Number of posts : 15672 Registration date : 2008-10-22 Age : 76 Location : Redmond, WA
Subject: Re: The Indigo 500 Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:24 pm
Betty, Wonderful story! Thanks!
Betty Fasig Five Star Member
Number of posts : 4334 Registration date : 2008-06-12 Age : 81 Location : Duette, Florida
Subject: Re: The Indigo 500 Sun Mar 06, 2011 2:27 pm
We have an indigo snake that measures 30 feet. She is as big as a small anaconda. I see her once in a while. I know where she lives. She has a large hole in the bank of the ditch. I credit her with our lack of rattlesnakes, coral snakes, many, many rats and a great gob of water eels. Whenever I see her it takes my breath away. I have tried to capture her in a photograph but by the time I go to the house and get the camera, she is long, long gone. I know she is more than 25 years old. We have lived here 28 years. She was a big snake when I first met her and now she would stretch across Highyway 62. Her name is Indigo. I know that is not very original, but it fits her color and her personality and her perserverance. She has a range of hunting that encompasses a square mile or more. She is a constrictor but she can bite if she needs to. Love, Betty
alj Five Star Member
Number of posts : 9633 Registration date : 2008-12-05 Age : 80 Location : San Antonio
Subject: Re: The Indigo 500 Sun Mar 06, 2011 2:53 pm
After working working out this afternoon to my favorite music DVD, I checked in here and caught your Indigo 500 post and story. this was one of the last songs on the disc:
30 Odd Foot of Grunts sing "David" lyrics by: Russell Crowe/Dean Cochran/Garth Adams/ Dave Kelly
How many people have the same name? How many Davids do you know? What's the measurement on thinking the same thing What's the chance they'd ever know What's the chance they'd ever know
Well I know of two men Who carry my name I read about one in a magazine Saw another in a newspaper on a aeroplane
There once was a young boy Who was photographed at 13 For Life magazine As ballroom dancer I have often been asked if that was me I have often wondered if that was me
How many people have the same name? How many Davids do you know? What's the measurement on thinking the same thing What's the chance they'd ever know What's the chance they'd ever know
The other man comes from Florida * He trains snakes for a living He was arrested and fined For being unkind I'd hate to be that reptile when he got home Well I'd hate to be that snake when he got home
How many people have the same name? How many Davids do you know? What's the measurement on thinking the same thing What's the chance they'd ever know What's the chance they'd ever know What's the chance they'd ever, ever know
Synchronicity??
Betty Fasig Five Star Member
Number of posts : 4334 Registration date : 2008-06-12 Age : 81 Location : Duette, Florida
Subject: Re: The Indigo 500 Mon Mar 07, 2011 3:41 pm
Dear Ann, What a nice post! I think a lot of us have a Dave in our lives. God bless the Dave's! I must name a rooster Dave. My Dave would like that. He has begun to name the animals. We have a hummingbird named General Chesty. I love that he is now in the spirit of names.
Toads, lizards. bees and coons Birds, skunks, worms and snake Otters, deer, hoppers and fleas Frogs, snails, bugs and roosters All need names for goodness sake!
Love, Betty
Betty Fasig Five Star Member
Number of posts : 4334 Registration date : 2008-06-12 Age : 81 Location : Duette, Florida
Subject: Re: The Indigo 500 Tue Mar 08, 2011 5:16 pm
The update on Margaret and Reginald, their son Stodghill and Feeney, Sweeney, Herminie and Flo.
Flo and Feeney have laid a clutch of eggs in the corner of the chicken pen. They take turns pushing each other off the nest and claiming all the eggs for their very own.
I have thought of a way to connect with my great grands because we do love them and they do love us. Life is so very busy for a child these days. It is all about busy. There is not time. It is like Alice in Wonderland. They must run twice as fast to get anywhere.
I think I will send them mail....right through the post office and right to their door with their very own name on the envelope. I think I will send a few seeds. I will tell them that all seeds have a magic power. A power to be more than just a seed. I will write that it takes time to see the magic, but it is there.