VICKY I was scared to death today

[The Walker]

My husband is a dear but sometimes he mixes up his ideas of fun and mine. My idea of fun is a romantic dinner and dancing or a boat on a lake or something like the eclipse flight. His idea of fun usually involves personal danger and lots of goosebumps.

Today he took me out to the local airport and took me sky diving. They strapped me to him (which was nice) and we went a long way up in the air which was sort of nice. Then we jumped out which was not nice at all. I am sorry, HE jumped out I had little choice in the matter as we were strapped together but I bet they find my fingerprints impressed in the side of the airplane. We dropped a long while and I had my heart in my throat all the way. It did not help that he twisted and spun us so he could show me things, as if I cared for the scenery on the way down. I especially did not like him flopping us over on our backs to watch the airplane "fall" away from us.  He did make me take dramamine before so I was not sick. My heart stayed in my throat until he told me to brace myself and then he opened the parachute and my heart dropped down to my feet very fast indeed. Then we glided down very softly until we landed on the airstrip in the grass standing up. I have never been so happy to be on the ground in my life. He was all for going up again but I politely told him I was not well in my stomach. So he went up without me. I watched him come down and he did all sorts of spins and turns and things I am glad he did not do with me or I would have been sick dramamine or no. I suppose it is my fault because I told him I wanted to go with him today to watch him sky dive and I let him talk me into it. Still, I will not go up in the airplane again to sky dive. Once in my life was more than enough for me. If the airplane comes down safely I will be on it. Don is also talking about buying an ultralite powered kite airplane. He wants to get a two seat so I can ride with him. I doubt that. I will not get on one of those things unless my love orders me to and he will not. Nor will I allow him to put the grandson on it either. He can fly it by himself if I cannot talk him out of it. I want a boat instead. Not as dangerous but more fun so I am sure I will have to work on him about it. Unless he has a chance of being maimed or killed he does not consider something to be fun. Well, not counting THAT.

VICKY

[stefang]

... in response to VICKY I was scared to death today, posted by The Walker on Jun 21, 2002

Vicky you did not handle it right. When hubby asks you jump again you need to toss your cookies on him so he will not ask anymore. I think you should take up a better sport like alpine skiing just go around the trees and you will be okay. He he this sounds very funny did hubby get a video of you two he turned you upside down to look at the airplane to make sure your cookies went away from him. I least you don't have a boring life. What about a rattlesnake roundup have you tried that yet?

[The Walker]

... in response to Re: VICKY I was scared to death today, posted by stefang on Jun 21, 2002

Don't give him any ideas! I am afraid to death of snakes especially rattling snakes. And I hate caterpillars too because they are too much like snakes.

VICKY

[stefang]

... in response to VICKY- HUSH!, posted by The Walker on Jun 22, 2002

A native-American afraid of snakes? Aren't you supposed to do a snake dancing ritual to become a warrior or is that a different tribe? Vicky now you have some ammunition get one of those rubber snakes and a rattle and scare him. Put it under the sheets on his side of the bed then shake the rattle. Ha ha ha.

[The Walker]

... in response to Re: VICKY- HUSH!, posted by stefang on Jun 22, 2002

I am not a native American, he is and he is not afraid of snakes or anything else that I have found. I think he takes fear as a challenge that he must overcome. He does not molest the very large rat eating snakes in the barns and grain bins nor will he allow anyone else to do so. He says they are natural rat traps like the little owls that live there. He also says the large unpoisoned snakes will kill and eat rattled snakes and other poison snakes so he will not allow them to be molested in any way. The horses pay no attention to him and stamp on any snakes they see no matter what the kind. I was in the barn and a very large unpoisonous snake of some kind whipped between my feet and between some straw bales. I thought I would die. I was frozen I could not move and it seemed like it took forever it was so long. Don later said it was a 6 foot king snake (two meters?) and for me to be careful not to harm it. Like I would willingly come within 100 meters of it!

VICKY

[Dave H]

... in response to Re: Re: VICKY- HUSH!, posted by The Walker on Jun 22, 2002

Hi Vicky,

I don't think that my wife is afraid of anything...not even my driving. ;o)) I've had a rubber snake hanging in the master shower for several years. I used to scare people with it when I taught rescue scuba diving. Figuring that it liked water, I hung it in the shower when I retired. It became so much a part of the decor, that I forgot to remove it before my wife arrived. She casually mentioned the snake after several days and showers. I apologized profusely for overlooking that one "small" detail. She laughed it off, thinking that I was trying to scare her. :oD

Dave H.

[kevin]

... in response to Here snakey..., posted by Dave H on Jun 23, 2002

Well a fake snake is one thing.  My Aunt Carol, for example, had a snake phobia all of her life.  She really freaked out when she was mowing the lawn and came face-to-face with an agitated copperhead (in northern New Jersey).  I was there.  I was 6 years old.  Why people hate ALL snakes, I'll never quite understand.  Even rubber snakes would freak out my aunt.

Ironically, pretty much the same people that hate ALL snakes so much, just because they're snakes, would readily welcome the approach of a "cute" grizzly bear and try to feed it.  Once the bear tried to maul such people, I guess they'd see things about different animals for what they really were.  I, for example, think its cute when a northern brown snake (a harmless snake about the size of a pencil) curls up in the palm of my hand.  Yet I hope to never, ever, ever come face to face with a grizzly bear.  Even if a camper sees a "cute" little cub, it means the mother is nearby and that spells DANGER.

Well, I suppose some folks might dislike ALL snakes on the premise of how they eat, especially when an overfed garter snake vomits a live frog.

- Kevin

[kevin]

... in response to Re: Re: VICKY- HUSH!, posted by The Walker on Jun 22, 2002

You're very much right.  You're referring to king snakes.  Most king snakes feed exclusively on other snakes including poisonous ones.  They are immune to the venom.

- Kevin

[stefang]

... in response to Re: Re: VICKY- HUSH!, posted by The Walker on Jun 22, 2002

Sorry Vicky I misread the last post and thought it was Don responding saying for you to hush about snakes and stories, hopefully he doesn't try hiding a snake on you.

[kevin]

... in response to Re: VICKY- HUSH!, posted by stefang on Jun 22, 2002

Remember he's been to the Philippines many times.  He can't possibly be afraid of poisonous snakes after becoming accustomed to roaming in Philippine one-eyed spitting cobra country.

- Kevin

[The Walker]

... in response to Re: Re: VICKY- HUSH!, posted by kevin on Jun 22, 2002

Vicky had to ask me what a one-eyed spitting cobra was. Good thing you were not within reach when I told her what is was. She turned sixteen shades of purple at being fooled like that. ;-)

DON

[BrianN]

... in response to VICKY I was scared to death today, posted by The Walker on Jun 21, 2002

Never in my life have I ever had a reason to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

:^)

[Dave H]

... in response to I agree., posted by BrianN on Jun 21, 2002

Hey Brian,

I wonder why it is that skydivers jump out of perfectly good airplanes? While every time I hear about a skydiving plane having problems and crashing...none jump out. If I had a parachute, I'd be the first to jump out of a crashing plane. Hmmm...

Dave H.