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Work 4 Peace,Hold All Life Sacred,Eliminate Violence! I am on my mobile version of the door-to-door, going town-to-town holding readings/gatherings/discussions of my book "But What Can I Do?" This is my often neglected blog mostly about my travels since 9/11 as I engage in dialogue and actions. It is steaming with my opinions, insights, analyses toward that end of holding all life sacred, dismantling the empire and eliminating violence while creating the society we want ALL to thrive in

Friday, October 26, 2012

10 children???

Today I get to take the gas propelled air blower machine and blow out the leaves in the tent camping loop. No one is there but we anticipate some campers for the weekend.

I want to use a rake or broom but that is quickly nixed as each campsite has a gravel surface for parking and putting up tents - a rake or broom would disturb the gravel, I'm told.

So I go as fast as I can, the loud blower machine disturbing the peace but not the gravel. All 8 campsites are done by the time the first camper arrives: a woman who drove about an hour to bring her three youngest children camping here - their first camping trip.

We talk briefly. Brigeet is thrilled that I have "End Violence Against Women and Children" written on my truck and promises she'll stop by later to talk. Her children, maybe 6, 10 and 12 years old, are anxious to blow up the air mattress.

Brigeet tells me she has left her other 7 at home. I look forward to asking her how come she decided to have 10 children. She is white with a generous mane of long, dark hair streaked with grey and looks to be in her 50's. Then she quotes the bible to me, something about knowledge, which now leaves me wondering which religious sect she belongs to.

No other campers arrive, even though it is very hot and beautiful today!

Copperheads and mosquitoes

Well the mosquitoes are really not too bad. They're the kind that come out an hour or two before sunset, easy to avoid.

On the other hand, copperheads seems to be trickier. I've been warned there are lots of snakes here, cotton mouths, rattlers, and then copperheads.

Plaque of the Doves, which I just finished reading, revealed a character who was a 'snake charmer' who had  both rattler and copperhead for her 'pets'.

None of these snakes are lethal, unless of course you happen to be allergic, but copperheads tend to strike more often then others. Not because they are less shy or more lethal, but because they tend to freeze when terrified.

They use camouflage to protect themselves & therefore might be stepped on more then rattlers who let you know they are there & to move out of the way.

Personally, I'd rather face the California Black Bear - but I'm no longer in California!