Stephanie Grenon Ms. Hofheimer ENG 120 September 1, 2008
Table of Contents
Chapbook- “All About Snakes” 3 King Cobra 3-4 Fear and Hollywood 4-7 Choosing a Snake 7-9 Baby vs. Adult 9-11 Caging 12-13 Bedding 13-15 Caging Accessories 16-17 Picking out your snake 17-18 Morph Vs. Normal 18-19 Boa Morphs 20 Python Morphs 20-21 Black Eyed Leucistic 21-22 Blue Eyed Leucistic 22-23 Corn Morphs 24 Sickness and Treatments 24-44 Why Breed Snakes 44-45 More Python Morphs 45-47 Works Cited 48
Stephanie Grenon Ms. Hofheimer Eng 120 1 September 2008 Chapbook: All about Snakes Snakes, the word alone puts fear in the hears of over half of the community, according to Harris Poll (Humphrey, par 4). 71% of people are afraid of snakes. Men make up 22% and the other 49% are the women. I can see why people are afraid of venomous snakes, but I don’t understand why they are afraid of non-venomous snakes. Venomous snakes aren’t scary just the thought of getting bitten by one. They are actually beautiful snakes, all with different features, designs, and patterns. The venomous snakes are colorful and exotic looking (Kisoich). Some of the snakes do look a little out of the ordinary, but that is so they are able to catch their prey and live in their particular environment. This site describes them to a “T” (Ophiophigas). What could be one of the most dangerous snakes is the infamous Cobra.
King Cobra
The King Cobra is the largest, most venomous snake and on top of that can stand straight up to two-thirds their body size. There is a picture is of a man (unnamed) holding a large King Cobra. The King Cobra not only is intimidating but also incredibly smart and very curious. In a zoo in Philadelphia, they are described as one of the most intelligent snakes they can recognize the different people that work there and their habits. They know when their enclosure is going to be opened and would wait by the door in order to escape. Although it would be bad if they escaped they wouldn’t go looking for revenge against the people that put them there, they just want to get out and explore some more. Being stuck in the same place for an extended period of time can get boring even to a snake. There are now three doors leading into the Cobras enclosure, and they do not use the same door twice in a row. They have a secret, random way to figure out which door to use so they aren’t greeted by a King Cobra (Ophiophigas, pg5). Snakes are not killing machines they will avoid people if at all possible. Even the most deadly, and the smartest snake known will avoid human contact if possible, so if the King Cobra will avoid human contact why wouldn’t a non-venomous snake avoid contact? Good news! They will.
Fear and Hollywood
I have found even in owning my snakes that people are scared more of the look and the thought more so than the snakes themselves. People have a twisted misconception about snakes, which plays into why they are scared of them. Most of this comes from Hollywood. Just like they do with sharks, wolves, and tigers they know it sells and they know it sells even better when it puts fear in peoples heart and mind. They take these beautiful animals and make people so afraid of them that they kill them on sight instead of leaving them alone. People seem to think that just because they can kill means that they go out of their way to harm people. This just isn’t true. The carnivorous animals help keep the population down on other creatures that aren’t as “scary looking”. Think of it this way; if there were no snakes to eat the mice, rats and other rodents that crawl around everywhere think of what the population would be in your house. There are already countless numbers of mice and rats in peoples houses, whether they know about them or not, that amount would be doubled if the snakes were not around to eat them. If people would take the time to get educated on these animals they might still have the fear of being bitten, which is a good fear to have, but they wouldn’t be afraid of just the thought of a snake. Which means the thought of owning a snake, as a pet would appeal to many more people, and having a snake as a pet would be more understandable to others. I cannot tell you about the looks I get playing with my babies, it is quite entertaining to me. I will have on a nice evening outfit, with my makeup done and five inch heals on looking all cute and “did up”. I will walk outside and have friends and family ooing and awing over me until they see my Jungle Ball Python crawling around my neck and hair. They automatically jump back the moment they see him, get all scared and their attitude goes from aww how cute to “What in the Hell?!” It amazes his me that so many people are afraid of him even though he is only around two feet long and not close to being full-grown. Even more so that they can be around him for five, six minutes with no problem as long as they don’t see him, but as soon as they see him is when they get scared. If he was so mean and scary then he would have tried to do something while they didn’t recognize him. Snakes like any animal will go for easy prey. What is easier than something that doesn’t even see you? I guess it is like when I played Ice Hockey, I would show up in heels a skirt and a nice “fancy shirt” then look on my shoulder to see a stinky hockey bag, with a stick in my hand. It isn’t exactly the look people are used to be seeing in the hockey rink. I loved those looks too because it made me laugh and it made people think that I was to “girly” to play hockey and I was no good on the ice. Yeah right! I was one of the meanest people on my team. I was one of the enforcers, and depending on who the referee was I could live in the box for a good period or two. Not that I tried to get in there, but I was mean I would run people into the boards, check them to get the puck stuff like that. It was so fun then after the game or practice I would get all “dressed up” again. It amazed people. The same goes for the snakes they look all mean and evil, but in reality are so sweet, and fun. They have their own enchantment to them that is different from any other animal. You may not be able to play fetch or comb their hair as you would a dog, or a cat, but they offer a whole new experience people just have to be willing to be open to it instead of cowering in fear. I have found even in talking to people about my snakes at first they are scared and amazed that someone like me would have a snake. I offer them the chance to hold them or touch them, and most of the time I have to persuade people to and ask them more than once. After I convince them to hold and touch them have I changed their opinion because they can see first hand how the snakes are soft, almost silky smooth, and not really dangerous, but curious animals that really mean no harm to anyone, except maybe a rat or a mouse. When you do decide that a snake is the pet for you then you need to consider everything there is that goes along with owning a snake.
Choosing a snake
When thinking about buying a snake you need to first consider what kind of snake you want. Snakes are like dogs; some get bigger than others and require different specifications. For first time owners I would recommend a Ball Python. They, to me, are the easiest to own. Others would recommend a Corn Snake but I do not like Corn snakes, although they do have bright vibrant colors and stay relatively small. I think they are ugly, and very squirmy. I would suggest a Ball because (not only are they one of my two favorite types of snake) they do not get much bigger than seven feet, depending on the sex, and they are quite tame. If they are afraid they will curl up into a ball and you can literally roll them around on the floor (I don’t recommend this), and, most of the time, will not bite. If they hiss just put them back into the cage and don’t mess with them while they calm down a little bit. The other one of my favorites is my next suggestion. Although they can be more aggressive and are not as timid as a Ball, and they do get bigger than a Ball Python will; they also have a beautiful pattern and have their own unique mystery about them. It is the Boa Constrictor. In specific the Red Tailed Boa Constrictor they have a beautiful red tail (hence the name). The Boas are a lot bolder than a Python is but as long as they are treated well, have food, aren’t scared or feel threatened they are just fine, and are quite nice. Now I wouldn’t suggest getting this as a first time owner because the first timer will probably have some nerves going and snakes, just like any animal, can sense fear which in turn can make them on the defensive side. A boa can get up to ten feet long and over forty pounds. When buying a big snake like this there are several things you need to consider. First they will be around for around 30 years. That is a long-term commitment! You need to make sure that there is someone who will help you to handle it when it gets bigger, and you need to make sure you will be able to handle the feeding. What starts out as a mouse and a rat leads into small mammals, rabbits, gunny pigs, etc. Now after you have chosen the type of snake you need to consider whether or not you want a baby or an adult.
Baby vs. Adult
You think about it and decide you want a baby snake to take care of it and watch it grow. Great! Baby snakes are a lot less intimidating and very cute. They have a bright, vibrant color, and are very soft (like freshly shaved skin with baby oil on it). A baby snake as you can see (depending on the kind) can be smaller than a berry! While the babies are very cute they are also timid and shy. A baby Python (any snake really) is more likely to bite, hiss or strike just because it is a baby and doesn’t know any better. The more you handle it the better it will be and the more “friendly” it will become. It will get used to being handled and it won’t stress the snake out as much. Snakes do have their own personality. I have a few that are moody and others that are the sweetest in the world. Justin, my boyfriend, just bought a Spider Ball Python, a baby only 3 weeks old and only had one meal. Man I swear that snake hates Justin he has bitten, hissed, and struck at Justin ever since he got him. I went and picked the snake up before Justin even had a chance to say anything and the snake didn’t do any of that. He loves to get played with by me. He has never even hissed at me before. One time I had him and he was exploring everything calmly and quietly until right when I handed him to Justin then he went nuts and started hissing as Justin. I thought it was so funny because Justin handed the snake back to me and he was calm again. There is just something that the snake doesn’t like about Justin. He wasn’t too happy about that, but now that the snake is older he knows better and he doesn’t hiss or bite him anymore. Even in the same household the snake can play favorites (maybe not to that extreme) but when the snake is out of the cage and one person is holding it; it may slither to another person in the house because there is something that the snake likes better about that other person. Just like any other animal in your house. Take your dogs, when you get home with the others living in your house that does the dog go to first? That is his favorite right, so why wouldn’t snakes be the same? Full-grown snakes are also available for sale as well as the baby ones. You will pay more for a full-grown snake because of the cost to care for it for years, but you will not have to worry about raising it or feeding it pinkie mice or rats. A full-grown snake is good if you want one that is already fully used to being handled and has a good eating habit. You want to breed it right away or just show off your fully-grown large snake. No matter which type of snake you want or what size you want you will have to have proper caging for it.
Caging Requirements
No matter what snake you have an escape proof cage is required. A glass reptile aquarium is the best way to go, unless you want to breed them. I specify reptile because you cannot just go out and buy any aquarium or use your old fish aquarium because there are differences between the two. For instance a fish aquarium is deep but no to wide and the lid just sits on the top because the fish will not climb up to the top and try to escape, as a snake will. A reptile aquarium is not as deep, but it is wider so the snake can grow and the lid has clips on it so when the snake tries to escape (and it will trust me) it cannot push the top off and get out. Now you can get a cheap 20-gallon aquarium for $50 or go all out, like the picture above, and spend thousands of dollars to spoil your snake (you know if you are a millionaire and have nothing better to spend your money on). If you want to breed snakes than having 20 and 30 glass aquariums can get pretty crowded, so there is a better way to house snakes if you plan on keeping a lot of them. It is called a snake rack. It has plastic containers stacked on top of each other and they slide under either a wood rack or plastic rack. It can look something like this. This is fine for a snake as long as you have bedding and water in there. Plus using these they normally have a good shed. After you figure out which cage you are going to use you then need to figure out which bedding you are going to use, but there are some you HAVE to stay away from.
Bedding
Bedding is an important part of any reptile or any animal for that matter. You will want something that is easy to clean up, but something that hides odors well. You also want to make sure that what you use for your snake is not going to be able to get swallowed by the snake because that could cause problems. Here is a few different types of bedding and benefits of each. First is a few types of bedding you should not use for your snake because it could cause serious harm or even kill your pet. Sand: It is fine for lizards’ ad some geckos but not for a snake because the dust could bother the snake and if they swallow it they could get an internal infection. Pine Bark Chips: Not a bad bedding, but if you are going to use it you will want to find a distributor that can tell you for sure that it isn't treated with any chemicals or pesticides first though! This is good bedding for snakes but makes scooping waste a problem. You can't see it as it is the same color as the chips I wouldn't use it for smaller lizards like Leopard Geckos as it looks like it is hard to walk on. The pieces are too big. Bedding Brick: I don't know the exact name for this stuff. It is either made by Zoo-Med or Tetra Terrafauna, not sure. It comes in a brown brick sized package. It is compressed somehow and when you add water to it takes up a lot of room. One brick did it for my 36x18" breeder tank. It is some sort of small wood/dirt fiber not exactly sure. They claim that it is totally digestible which is a good thing; the particles are quite small and soft so I believe that it is digestible. This stuff gets DUSTY when dried out. I stopped using it for this reason. If you have a humidity loving species and keep it damp it is fine though. Pine Shavings: Toxic! Don’t use Pine. They give off fumes that can be harmful. DO NOT EVER USE CEDAR BEDDING!!! Cedar bedding is very toxic to reptiles and will kill them! Actually it is toxic to the small mammals it is generally used for too. Corncob Litter: No! Don't use it! It is indigestible and too large to pass thru the intestines safely. Not to mention it swells when it hits water. Can cause impaction very quickly. Crushed Walnut Shells: This stuff goes by several brand names. Read the ingredients. I think one of them is "Lizard Litter". This stuff is the worst. Right up there with corncob litter as far as dangerous. Crushed walnut shells are NOT digestible as it states on the package. Worse than that the pieces are shaped so they lock together if ingested and can clump up in the animals system. Beddings that you can use are; Newspaper: Unsightly but easy to clean up and healthy by most standards. Some claim that the ink can be bad for the lizard or snake even though most black ink on newsprint is soy-based. I have never had any problems. If you believe the ink to be a problem most newspapers out there recycle a lot of unprinted newsprint. Call around you area and I'm sure you can find some. I work at a weekly paper and we always have some on hand for a small fee. Paper Towels: Also unsightly but easy to clean. Just throw out the soiled pieces and start all over. Cypress Mulch: It is non-toxic; the pieces are large enough to not get ingested. It holds moisture well and cypress is naturally bug resistant. I use this for a lot of my snakes and all my tortoises. This stuff can be hard to find in some locales. Aspen Bedding: I use this stuff with my snakes and I love it! It has a nice texture and isn't dusty. You can scoop out waste as it kind of clumps around it. Although bedding and proper caging is a big part of owning a snake, but if you do not want your snake to be bored or stressed all day then you will need caging accessories.
Caging Accessories
When the cage is set up with all the bedding you will still need a few more things in order to keep your snake from being stressed. First is obvious you will need a water bowl that is big enough for the cage. This will not only provide water for your snake, but also will provide humidity in the cage, which is necessary for proper shedding and to keep the skin in proper condition. The snake may soak in the water bowl so you will want one that is big enough for it to curl up in. It may also defecate in it so you will want to check it on a regular basis and keep clean fresh water in it. You may also want to put a tree branch or something for the snake to climb on and it also provides a rough surface to assist the snake during the shedding process. You will want to put a “hide box” in the cage that is just big enough for the snake because most snakes will look for a dark secluded place to hide in the wild and feel more comfortable and stress free when they have a dark place to hide in. Now that the inside of the cage is set up you will also want to have either a heat pad, or heat lamp in order to keep the temperature of the cage right; because snakes are cold blooded they depend on their environment to keep warm. Normally a 100-watt light is good for a 20-30 gallon tank it can even be used in a 40-gallon tank but I prefer a 150 watt for my 40 gallon tank. If you prefer a under cage heat pad there are different types of heaters available. The temperature will depend on the type of snake you own. A ball python usually needs a cage that is 80 - 85 F (27 - 29 C) during the day, with a basking spot of around 90 F (32 C). Nighttime temperatures can fall to around 75 F (23 -24 C) as long as an area of 80 F is maintained. A Boa needs a cage that is 82-90 F (28-32 C), with a basking area kept at 90-95 F (32-35 C). At night, the ambient air temperature may be allowed to drop down no lower than 78-85 F (26-30 C). Special reptile heating pads that are manufactured to maintain a temperature about 20o higher than the air temperature may be used inside the enclosure. NEVER EVER use a heat rock! Since snakes are cold blooded they cannot tell that a rock is too hot until their body get warm, and by then they could already have sever burns. The snake will not even know that it is getting burnt because it doesn’t have feelings like humans, or other animals do. Heat rocks are extremely dangerous and can even, under certain circumstances, can start a fire in the bedding inside the cage. In order to make sure the temperature and the humidity are correct inside the cage you will want to invest in a thermostat and a hygrometer will be necessary at the bottom of the cage, where your snake lives, to determine whether or not you will need more or less humidity or heat. It does no good to know the temperature at the top of the cage; the snake doesn’t live up there. Now that you know what kind of snake you want and have set the cage up accordingly it is time to go and buy your snake.
Picking out your snake
When you go to the pet store to pick out your snake (which I recommend unless you know the online breeder or online company breeders history) there are a few things you want to do. You do not ever want to just go in and pick one you think looks good and pay for it; you do not really know what you are getting. Before buying your snake you want to look at it closely. Pick it up look at its eyes and make sure they are clear and not cloudy (unless they are shedding, you should be able to tell, but ask if the eyes aren’t clear). Pay attention to what it does when you pick it up, does it move around actively and flick its tongue continually, or does it not move and keep its tongue in its mouth? You will want to inspect its skin and make sure that it doesn’t have any mites or ticks. Look inside and outside of the cage for signs of dirty, unhygienic surroundings. No matter how good the shop is, inevitably you will find sloughed skins, feces and other dirty materials in the cage. However, look at the consistency of your findings and excessively dirty surroundings. Overcrowding in tanks should be avoided, and if any dead animals are found in nearby enclosures, stay away from purchasing the animal. Make sure you are buying captive bred stock; wild caught snakes can harbor all sorts of problems and should be avoided by beginners. Look at the shape of the snake in its resting position. Never buy a snake that you see resting sideways, with its head tilted on the floor. If its mouth is slightly agape, stay away. The spine of the snake should be visible, but not to an excessive measure. It the snake looks skinny, do not buy it, regardless of its feeding habits. Most snakes are generally very consistent when sloughing their skin, so if you see one with bits of skin stuck all over it, be cautious. Loose folds in the skin are apparent in dehydrated snakes, advise the shop owner if you see this in their stock but do NOT purchase the animal. ‘Never purchase a snake or any other reptile based on your feelings for that animal. Many pet shops have come and gone, the best have always stayed the longest. Another way to buy a snake is from a specific breeder. Justin and I get ours from a man named Rob and he has been breeding for years. That is where we just recently got our baby Spider Ball Python. We got him when he was only a few weeks old, but that is because we know him and he knows us and recognizes that we know how to handle, and raise snakes. He has not only Pythons and Boas but also Corn. His collection of snakes surpasses $10,000 easily. He is a reputable breeder and does not sell the snakes if they haven’t eaten at least twice and shed once (other than when they come out of the egg). You can buy a snake that was imported over from another country but most of the time they are wild caught and can carry all sorts of parasites. They can even have internal problems that you will not even know about until the snake is already dead or you have to pay three times the snakes worth in vet bills. Another thing to look at when buying a snake is if you want a “normal” snake or what is called a morph. Morphs vs. Normal The only difference (between the same species of snake) is the pattern, and the color. Breeders base their price on this, so if you want a show snake than you will want to invest a little more so you can “show off” your snake. First time owners usually do not care what the snake looks like because they do not pay attention to patterns and designs as long as they can say they have a snake as a pet they are happy and there is noting wrong with that. All the snakes will have morphs so it doesn’t matter if you want a Boa, Corn, or a Python they each have their own set of morphs. Boa Morphs Boas have their own unique features and wonders about them. They typically are going to be more expensive because they will get bigger and cost more to care for, especially a full grown one, think of the upkeep for a pet store. Albino Boa-
Carmel Lavender Boa-
Python Morphs Pythons are a whole new set of morphs, which are very common right now. Pythons are one of the most common types of snake to own right now especially the Python morphs. Nothing gives you that sense of satisfaction than having the most rare morph in the snake world. Breeders, especially, pride themselves in owning and selling morphs. Not only do they make a pretty penny selling them, but they can also lead to unknown morphs and it would be awesome to discover a new snake morph. It could be worth a whole lot of money. Pythons have beautiful morphs, some of the most unique, I think. Spider Pythons- Have one stripe down their back with little stripes running down the sides like spider legs. Albino- Are not white snakes but more of a yellow color like the one to the right. Piebalds- Can vary from just a stock white belly to 97% white animals. The white is often bordered by orange and a smearing of pattern. There are so many more morphs but here are just a few that I think are really pretty. There is one Python morph that is more rare than the others. It is called the Leucistic Ball Python. There are two types of Leucistic Pythons. The Black Eyed Leucistic Ball Python is one of them, and the one that I want, the Blue Eyed Leucistic Ball Python. The Black Eyed Leucistic The Black Eyed Leucistic is the homozygous form of the Fire Ball. It is a bright, pied white snake with jet black eyes and bright red pupils. The scales are fine and smooth and there is a really nice aqua blue color above each eye on top of the From what I knew about genetics, there was no doubt that the Super Fire would be this spectacular Leucistic. This is the first Super Fire produced in the US. The long term potential of this project is immense. This is one of the Big traits, like Albino and Pied. Eventually everyone will want to have a White Ball Python in his or her collection. There is no other way to make the Black Eyed Leucistic other than with the Fire. The rarity of this trait along with the control of only the Fire producing them, makes this the most solid white snake investment. The Black Eyed Leucistic Python is an all white snake with a black eye and a red pupil like this picture.
Blue Eyed Leucistic
The Blue-Eyed Leucistic -the one snake I want more than any other- can be made from several different combinations. Thus far, these beautiful white gems have been produced from Lesser Platinum, Mojave, Phantom, and high-yellow animals from the Russo het Leucistic line. Some Blue-Eyed Leucistics have faint yellow dorsal striping, some may have a gray tinge to the head scales, and others have distinct ocular stripes. The most dramatic Blue-Eyed Leucistics are clean, pure white with startling blue eyes and no other pigmentation. Regardless of markings, it's easy to see why these splendid serpents have become a "Holy Grail" of ball python morphs! Unlike the Black Eyed Leucistic Python with the black eye with a red pupil: it has a bright blue eye with a black pupil. There are so many morphs that I could talk about, but first I am going to cover the Corn Snake morphs then I will go back and tell of more of the Python morphs. I a going to focus on the Python morphs because they are my favorite type of snake- I think they are the prettiest snakes and they do not get to big to handle or control- unlike the Boas—not that they get to big to handle, but I would rather have a smaller snake for when I have kids I will not worry so much because they Pythons are more likely to shy away when they see sudden movements unlike the Boas.
Although having a snake is exiting, new, and fun there are many different responsibilities. You cannot expect that a snake doesn’t have its own set of problem and issues. There are some things you need to be on the lookout for such as: ticks, mites, yellowbelly,
Diseases and Sickness There are many different things you need to be on the lookout for in snakes such as: Constipation: Is a common problem among captive snakes. Causes include suboptimal environmental temperature, illness, dehydration, injuries, parasitism, and cloacoliths (see below). Constipated snakes should be allowed to soak in very warm (not scalding hot) water for 20-30 minutes daily for 1-2 days. This often results in defecation and/or urination. It this conservative measure is not successful, veterinary help should be sought at once. Cloacoliths: Dehydration of captive snakes (especially if long standing) may result in drying out of urinary excretions. When this occurs, uric acid "stones" tend to form within the cloaca ('cloacoloths'). Their presence in this location prevents expulsion of urinary waste and feces (constipation), which creates serious illness. Dehydration is a sign of disease and not a disease in itself, so it becomes the veterinarian's task to determine the underlying problem that caused the dehydration. Cloacoliths can usually be manually expelled with patience and the help of mineral oil enemas. Only an experienced veterinarian should attempt this procedure. Prolapses: A prolapse occurs when an organ inverts itself inside out and protrudes through the usual external opening of that organ. Prolapses of the cloaca and reproductive organs are not uncommon among captive snakes. Often the cause cannot be determined. Straining during egg laying can precipitate prolapses or straining related to uric acid stones. Parasitic infections or other intestinal disease may also result in prolapses. Veterinary assistance is essential in these cases to treat the prolapse and determine the underlying cause, if possible. Abnormal shedding: Occurs when the normal sequence of events of the shedding process is somehow interrupted. This usually results in a piece-meal shed and/or retained eye caps. Causes include serious internal disease, inadequate relative humidity, and previous injury (including surgery) to the skin and scales, external parasitism, lack of adequate objects against which to rub at the beginning of the shed, and thyroid gland problems. An abnormal shed indicates a problem that demands immediate attention. In these cases, consider all of the aforementioned causes, most of which demand veterinary assistance. Treatment of a snake with retained skin from an abnormal shed involves first soaking the snake in warm water for several hours. A damp towel can then be used to gently peel off stubborn skin fragments. An alternative to this manual method involves rolling the snake snugly in warm moist, heavy towels and allowing it to crawl out, leaving the stubborn skin fragments behind. This procedure can be repeated if necessary. (Woerpel, 19) Retained eye caps: Are often a manifestation of an abnormal shed. The eye caps represent the outermost cellular layers of the corneas (the transparent portions of the eyes), which are supposed to be shed each time the outermost layers of the skin are shed. The retained caps must first be softened by repeated application of a suitable eye ointment. Next, an experienced veterinarian should attempt to carefully remove the corneal remnants. An inexperienced hobbyist should never attempt this. Cancer: Occurs in snakes, but the number of reports is very limited. Some tumors have been diagnosed on living snakes, but most were diagnosed at the time of autopsy. As with mammals, tumors of snakes can be benign or malignant and originate from any organ or tissue of the body, including blood. Boa constrictors seem to be more often affected by cancer than other snakes commonly kept in captivity. This observation, however, may be the result of the disproportionately large number of boas kept by hobbyists because of their tremendous popularity. It is interesting to note, however, that most life-threatening malignancies that we have diagnosed in snakes have involved boa constrictors. Snake owners must be vigilant and seek prompt veterinary help when a growth or lump is detected on their snake(s) (especially if a boa constrictor is involved). "Mole-like" growths have been especially troublesome in our experience. Wounds that fail to heal despite treatment should make you equally suspicious. Organ Failure: Failure of vital organ function may be the result of advancing age or cancer but is usually a consequence of chronic and unchecked disease among captive snakes. Disease that has gone undetected and/or untreated can have devastating and sometimes, fatal consequences. (Woerpel, 13) Under these circumstances, organ function is greatly compromised and the snake's usually smooth-running metabolism is threatened. Dehydration and uric acid build-up within the kidneys and possibly other vital organs further complicates the picture. Nutritional Deficiencies: As stated earlier, nutritional deficiencies and disease resulting from malnutrition are relatively rare among captive snakes because of their habit of consuming whole prey animals. However, exclusive use of whole but immature prey animals, such as "pinkies" (neonatal mice and rats), juvenile goldfish and invertebrates, can create nutritional problems. Further, certain snakes that receive a monotonous diet (no variety of prey items) are also susceptible to nutritional deficiencies. The hobbyist must find ways to 'supplement' the prey items in these cases before they are offered to the snake. One method involves injecting the prey items with vitamin and/or mineral preparations. Another involves implanting a gelatin capsule filled with a powdered vitamin/mineral/amino acid supplement into the prey animal. (Woerpel,21) Failure to Voluntarily Feed (Anorexia): Lack of appetite and failure to voluntarily feed are common problems among captive snakes. Despite the fact that snakes are uniquely suited to survive prolonged periods without feeding, the hobbyist must make every attempt to discover the reason(s) for the snake's failure to feed. This search must include the possibility of illness, since anorexia is a universal sign of disease in snakes. First consider the circumstances and situations during which snakes normally will not feed: • Recent acquisition of a snake. • Snake in pre-shed condition. • Latter stages of pregnancy. • Older, larger snakes feed less often than younger, smaller ones. • Obese snakes occasionally engage in self-imposed fasts. • Newborn or newly hatched snakes may not feed until after they've first shed 10-14 days after birth. • Hyperactivity associated with the breeding season or the imposition of captivity on newly acquired high-strung species. • Hibernation or attempts to hibernate. • Illness If all of the above have been rejected as causes for anorexia, you must next consider problems with husbandry. The most common cause for failure of a snake to voluntarily feed is inadequate environmental temperatures. Tropical snakes require temperatures between 75 to 85 F for normal activity and optimum digestive capacity. Subnormal temperatures lead to sluggishness and incomplete digestion. The food literally spoils inside the snake, producing serious illness, an early sign of which is vomiting. The next most common cause for captive snakes' refusing to feed is lack of adequate visual security. Many snakes require privacy while they feel. A hiding box or natural bark or rock retreat may be necessary. Sometimes placing the reluctant snake in a room burlap bag along with a dead or incapacitated prey item provides the security the snake requires to feed. Strategic placement of silk artificial plants may also help provide additional visual security. (Woerpel, 25)There may be one particular area of the enclosure in which the snake feels more secure. The food should be consistently placed where to encourage feeding. It is important to note that the presence of spectators often discourages nervous snakes from feeding. The enclosure should be covered in these cases and the snake's activity discreetly monitored. It is extremely important for you to understand the natural history of the anorectic snake being kept in captivity. Reluctance or refusal to feed often is the result of some omission or mistake in husbandry. Burrowing species require sand or fine gravel in which to bury themselves. The snake can often be induced to strike at prey by gently dragging the prey item across the sand. Tree-dwelling species require branches within their enclosure. Some of these snakes may be encouraged to feed by hanging the food in the fork of a branch rather than placing it on the floor of the enclosure. If these specific husbandry requirements are not provided, certain snakes may not feed. Offering incorrect prey items nearly always causes a captive snake to refuse to eat. One should offer the prey items that the snake would feed n in the wild or similar more "domestic" food that is available. Following is a list of additional suggestions to consider when you are challenged with a snake that refuses to feed: • Try feeding at different times of the day. Nocturnal (night-active) species cannot be expected to feed on prey items placed within the enclosure during the daytime. • Try feeding nervous snakes that share an enclosure with other snakes in an environment separate from them. Often, the movement of other snakes in the same enclosure induces anorexia in nervous snakes. • Moving a snake to a new or different enclosure may stimulate feeding. • Reduce handling of especially nervous or newly acquired snakes to encourage feeding. • Rubbing the food item over the sensitive areas of the snake's head (the nostrils and the areas surrounding the mouth) or gently hitting the snake with the prey may antagonize it to strike at the food. • Offer live prey to snakes that have been consistently offered dead or incapacitated prey (with close supervision). Certain aggressive snakes and snakes with an impaired sense of smell may require live prey to successfully feed. • For snakes that ordinarily eat live prey, try feeding dead or incapacitated live prey items. Often, the erratic motions of a rodent running around an enclosure can cause a snake to refuse to feed. • Try feeding a smaller prey item. A snake that has been recently injured by a particularly large and aggressive prey animal may be reluctant to feed. • Cater as much as possible to the individual preferences of an anorectic snake. If a snake refuses mice, try small rats, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits or even chicks. Some snakes can be very finicky. If all of the above have been considered and attempted without success, take your snake to a veterinarian experienced with snakes. The veterinarian will collect a detailed history and conduct a through physical examination. It may be necessary to collect a blood sample to more thoroughly evaluate the patient. Take along a fecal (stool) sample from the snake so the veterinarian can also check for intestinal parasites. (Woerpel, 30) A veterinarian may pass a flexible tube into the stomach and force-feed the anorectic snake at this time. This provides some nutrients while the medical evaluation is in progress. Some anorectic snakes begin to voluntarily feed after such a feeding. This can be easily learned if periodic at-home force-feedings are anticipated. Strained meat baby foods with added nutrients or pureed dog food are recommended and easily pass through most stomach tubes. Larger snakes require relatively larger volumes of food; pureed dog food is a more practical food in these situations. Low-fat dog food is preferable. Regurgitation: of food may result from handling a snake too soon after it is fed. Regurgitated food is undigested and relatively odorless. Another common cause of regurgitation is inadequate and incomplete digestion caused by relatively cool environmental temperatures. In these cases, the regurgitated food appears digested and is malodorous. If it is not possible to raise the temperature of the enclosure, a focal source of heat (hot rock, heating pad or pads) on which the snake can rest is a necessity to ensure adequate and complete digestion. Other causes of regurgitation include stress in easily excitable species, parasitism, intestinal obstruction and serious internal disease. An experienced veterinarian should be consulted if the cause for regurgitation is not readily determined. Trauma: Burns: Snakes commonly sustain serious burns when they contact unprotected or malfunctioning heat lamps or other heat sources (including hot rocks). Interestingly, snakes tend not to move away from the heat source inflicting the injury. This makes the wound considerably more serious. Medical treatment (including injectable antibiotics and periodic wound dressings) is required in these cases. Surgery may be necessary to minimize the disfiguring effects of such injuries. These injuries are easily avoidable. Periodically check all heating appliances to make certain they are functioning properly and that they are "snake proof". Rat/Mouse Attack: Sometimes a live mouse or rat turns the tables on a snake and injures the snake while fighting for its life (the dinner becomes the diner). Veterinary attention should be sought for serious bite wounds. Rostral Abrasions: One of the unfortunate consequences of captivity is injury to the captive animal from repeated attempts to escape. Snakes tend to push and rub their noses against the walls of their enclosure as they move about in search of a means to escape. This constant trauma initially damages the scales and skin of the nose (rostrum). If the trauma continues, deep ulceration of the rostrum with subsequent deformity may result. Rostral abrasions are equally likely with enclosures made of glass or wire mesh. Prevention of this problem is difficult, but adequate visual security (hiding places) and other additions to the enclosure (artificial plants, branches, etc.) help minimize it. Further, a visual barrier of bark paint or plastic film placed on or along the loser 3-4 inches of the enclosure's walls often inhibits pacing and rubbing. Abscesses are a common form of bacterial infection in snakes. They can be external and/or internal in location. External abscesses most often result from bite wounds (usually inflicted by live prey animal) and other injuries (especially puncture wounds) to the skin. Internal abscesses may be located within one or more organs and/or within the body cavity. Snakes rarely produce liquid pus. Instead, their pus is generally cheesy in consistency. This makes treatment with antibiotics difficult because these drugs cannot penetrate this relatively solid material. External abscesses can be surgically opened and flushed by a veterinarian. A specimen of pus can be submitted to a laboratory for bacterial culture and antibiotic sensitivity testing. The snake can be treated with the appropriate antibiotic by injection, and the abscess cavity treated with topical antibiotics. Abscesses within the body are not equally accessible for treatment. A blood workup and/or radiographs (x-rays) may be necessary to confirm their presence. Though surgery may be necessary under certain circumstances, long-term antibiotic therapy by injection and appropriate supportive care are the treatments most likely to be employed by the veterinarian. Parasitic Diseases: Snakes can be hosts to a large number of parasites, representing a bewildering variety of organisms that can cause many problems. A large number of one-celled organisms (protozoa) can cause serious diseases of the digestive, respiratory, reproductive and vascular blood and bloodstream) systems of snakes. Flukes cause illness in the respiratory and urinary systems. Tapeworms parasitize the digestive system. Roundworms and related parasites inhabit the digestive tract, but their juvenile states can cause disease to other organs (especially the lungs) during the course of their migrations. Large numbers of mites and ticks parasitize the skin and scales of snakes, and create disease by feeding on the host's blood. Signs of parasitism depend on the parasite and body tissue involved. External parasites are usually easy to diagnose, though immature stages of mites may lie dormant under scales or just inside the eye cavity. Visual inspection of the skin and scales, with or without a magnifying lens, is usually all that is necessary. Internal parasite problems require examination of various specimens, most often blood, feces, urinary tract products, and washings from the windpipe and lungs. Special laboratory procedures are necessary to process these specimens. Microscopic examination is usually necessary. Most parasites of pet snakes and snakes kept in zoological collections are carried with them into captivity. These snakes were either parasitized before being collected in the wild or became parasitized while being held in the generally crowded wholesale and retail channels. Pet snakes living singly in homes are very unlikely to develop parasite problems in these relatively isolated environments. Exceptions to this generalization include pet snakes exposed to parasitized snakes and their excretions, or to the specific organisms (called "vectors") necessary for parasites to complete their life cycles. In most cases, the vector must bite the uninfected snake for the snake to become parasitized. It is also possible for a captive snake to become parasitized by eating certain prey species that harbor the larval stage of a given parasite. Newly acquired snakes should be thoroughly examined and evaluated by a veterinarian for external and internal parasites as soon as possible after acquisition. All detected parasitism should be treated, if possible. No snake should be introduced into a collection until a veterinarian has examined it, and until it has been quarantined for a minimum of 8 weeks and remains healthy during this period. Strict attention to hygiene and sanitation and a proper diet usually contribute to optimum health, even in the face of mild to moderate parasitism. Because the subject of parasitism is so extensive, only several of the more common parasite problems of captive snakes will be specifically mentioned: Amebiasis is one of the most significant parasite problems of captive snakes. This highly contagious disease is caused by a microscopic, one-celled organism (protozoan) called and ameba. Eating contaminated food and water containing the infective stage of this parasite easily infects snakes. The organisms cause extensive damage to the intestinal lining and liver. Secondary bacterial infections are very common and contribute significantly to the severity of the disease. Signs of amebiasis include listlessness, inappetence, and foul-smelling feces containing mucus and blood. A veterinarian may be able to diagnose this disease by having the laboratory examine specially prepared samples of feces. Sometimes examination of tissue sections of the intestine or scrapings from the lining of the intestine of a deceased snake is the only way the diagnosis can be confirmed. This underscores the importance of performing autopsies on snakes that have died, especially when there are other snakes in the collection whose lives may be threatened. Many snakes native to the American Southwest harbor these organisms but apparently do not suffer from the disease. Crocodiles and certain turtles are similar "carriers." Hobbyists must, therefore, exercise caution when housing snakes with these species to avoid an outbreak of amebiasis. Certain water snakes, as well as boa constrictors and pythons are especially susceptible to this disease. Amebiasis is treatable, requiring the expertise of a veterinarian. Specific antiprotozoal medications and antibiotics are used. Enclosures used to house infected snakes should be steam cleaned and disinfected with a 3% bleach solution. Trichomoniasis: One of the most commonly recognized parasites of snakes is another protozoan, Trichomonas. This organism is often noted in the stools of snakes when routine direct examinations are undertaken. Infection with Trichomonas may result from ingestion of mice and rats, both of which often harbor the parasite without showing signs of illness. Infected snakes may exhibit no signs or those associated with gastrointestinal disease (inappetence, vomiting, and diarrhea). Some infected snakes may also have bacterial disease at the same time. Some experts remain unconvinced that this parasite, by itself, can produce disease in snakes because infected snakes are often suffering from amebiasis at the same time. The most prudent course of action is to treat all snakes harboring the parasite. Fortunately, the treatment for trichomoniasis is usually effective in eliminating the organism that causes amebiasis. A veterinarian should be consulted regarding diagnosis and treatment of this parasitic disease. Snake Mite Infestation: Snake mites are tiny spider-like organisms that reside on and between the scales of snakes and tend to also congregate around their eyes. They are relatively easy to see with the unaided eye but a magnifying lens aids in their identification. Mites are the most common and most dangerous of the external parasites of captive snakes. These mites feed on the blood of their hosts, causing anemia (often sever with heavy infestations). Blood feeding can also transmit viruses, at least one very serious disease-causing bacterium, and blood parasites. The snake mite completes its life cycle on its host. The females, however, lay up to 80 eggs off the snake within the immediate environment. This is one reason why particulate floor coverings (corncob material, pebbles, etc.) are not recommended. These substrates provide too many hiding places for the mites and their eggs. Snakes that are most likely to be seriously compromised by this external parasite are those that have been recently imported and those housed under crowded, unhygienic conditions. Heavily parasitized snakes are also likely to be adversely affected when they are suffering from malnutrition and/or other diseases at the same time. Veterinarians must be consulted when these various circumstances arise. These snakes must be carefully examined and thoroughly evaluated so that underlying disease and problems with husbandry can be identified and corrected. Further, the recommended treatment can often be injurious, especially to snakes suffering from debility and/or disease. The veterinarian must perform a thorough physical examination and may recommend a blood analysis to fully evaluate the patient, the advisability of treatment and the least harmful method of treatment for mites. Several treatments are available for snake mites. One popular method involves suspending a No-Pest Strip (Hot Shot) above or adjacent to the snake's enclosure for 2-5 days. One expert recommends a "dosage" of 0.2 inches of commercial strip per 10 cubic feet of enclosure. An alternative is to place a 1-inch section of a No-Pest Strip within a 35-mm film container with multiple perforations and suspend it inside the enclosure for 2-5 days. These products should be used cautiously, however. They can be especially toxic to severely ill and debilitated snakes. Flea sprays formulated for use on dogs and cats can be applied to a small towel and the chemical can be wiped onto the skin and scales. This should be repeated about 10 days later. During treatment, paper or towels must replace any particulate floor covering (gravel, crushed corncob, wood shavings, etc.) within the enclosure. All water containers should also be removed. The enclosure itself should be thoroughly cleaned and fumigated with 10-15% solution of formalin and hot water. After a thorough rinsing, the enclosure should be allowed to completely dry before it is re-inhabited. Treated snakes should be closely monitored for several months for signs of re-infestation and mite-related disease. Snake Tick Infestation: Ticks resemble oversized mites and occupy many of the same sites on the skin and scales of snakes as mites. They are often found just inside the mouth, nostrils or vent. Even under conditions of captivity, ticks rarely reach the burdensome numbers reached by mites. Recently imported snakes are usually the most heavily parasitized. Like mites, ticks feed on blood of the host snake and can cause severe, life-threatening anemia. Their blood-feeding habit enables them to transmit certain blood-borne diseases to snakes. Manual removal of each individual tick is the most expedient treatment for tick infestations. The hobbyist must exercise great care in performing this task. Simply pulling off the tick leaves the tick's mouth parts embedded in the skin. A small amount of alcohol applied to the exposed parts of the tick causes it to relax and facilitates removal. The treatment methods recommended for mites are also effective. Parasitized snakes usually require a minimum of 4 days exposure to No-Pest Strips to kill ticks. Enlist the services of an experienced veterinarian for a thorough pretreatment evaluation of the snake, especially if the use of a No-Pest Strip is anticipated. Mouth Rot (Infectious or Ulcerative Stomatitis): Is a progressive bacterial infection involving the oral lining. It may begin with increased salivation. Often saliva bubbles from the mouth. Close inspection of the oral lining reveals tiny pinpoint areas of bleeding. The oral lining becomes increasingly inflamed and pus begins to accumulate within the mouth, especially among the rows of teeth. As the disease progresses, the underlying bone becomes infected and the teeth fall out. This infection must be recognized in the early stages to successfully reverse it. The hobbyist must seek veterinary help when mouth rot is first evident. The veterinarian may want to collect a saliva/pus specimen for bacterial culture and subsequent antibiotic sensitivity testing to determine the appropriate antibiotic(s) to use. A blood sample can also be collected to accurately assess the internal and overall status of the patient. Mouth rot often is an external manifestation of more serious internal problems. Initial treatment involves injections of vitamins A, C and B complex, as well as a "best guess" antibiotic (one that the veterinarian believes has the best chance of fighting the infection until the results of antibiotic sensitivity tests are available). Supportive care involves daily or twice-daily cleansing of the mouth, application of topical antibiotics, administration of fluids to combat dehydration and the possible detrimental effects of certain antibiotics, and periodic forced-feedings (using a stomach tube). Generally, snakes with heavy accumulations of pus and infected bones of the jaw are unlikely to be saved, even with aggressive veterinary efforts. You must be alert to the early stages of the disease and periodically inspect the mouth for signs of mouth rot. Blister disease: Is common in many captive reptiles. It is most often associated with the maintenance of these animals in damp, filthy environments. The first sign is usually a pink to red appearance of the bottom-most scales. Later, these scales become swollen and infected by bacteria and fungi. At the first suspicion of this disease, you must seek veterinary help. Treatment involves use of topical and injectable antibiotics. Further, the underlying sanitation and hygiene problems must be corrected. Blister disease is preventable if you are aware of it and if the enclosure in which captive snakes are housed is kept dry and scrupulously clean. Septicemia: A wide variety of bacteria can cause generalized internal infections (septicemia). These bacteria may invade the body by way of wounds and abscesses or as a consequence of serious illness originally localized in the respiratory, gastrointestinal and reproductive tracts. Signs may be subtle or obvious and may include lethargy, anorexia, dehydration, and regurgitation of incompletely digested food, redness to the skin and scales, or bleeding from the skin. The help of an experienced veterinarian is essential n these cases. The outlook for these patients is always guarded to poor. The attending veterinarian may collect a specimen for bacterial culture and antibiotic sensitivity testing, as well as one or more blood samples to more accurately determine the extent of the disease, whether or not various internal organs are involved, and as a means of monitoring the patient's progress. Treatment involves use of injectable antibiotics and appropriate supportive care (fluid therapy, force-feeding, injectable vitamins, etc.). Treatment must usually be relatively long-term and periodic monitoring of the patient's status is essential to a favorable outcome. Respiratory infections: Are common in snakes. They may be associated with septicemia (body-wide illness, viral infections and mouth rot. Some respiratory illness may be the consequence of stress from poor or inadequate husbandry. Signs include loud respiration, discharge and/or bubbling from the nostrils and/or mouth, coughing and open-mouth breathing. Treatment must be aggressive and at the direction of a veterinarian. A bacterial culture of the windpipe and subsequent antibiotic sensitivity testing should be undertaken to identify the offending bacteria and the appropriate antibiotic(s) to use. The veterinarian may also recommend collecting a blood sample to determine the extent of the disease and to see if there has been serious compromise to internal organs. Antibiotic therapy should be by injection and may need to be long-term, especially in severe and long-standing cases. Inhalation therapy (vaporization or nebulization) is frequently employed as part of treatment. Eye Infections: Captive snakes occasionally suffer eye infections. Infections may be superficial or more extensive, involving the entire eye. Superficial infections may result from mild injury to the eye. Superficial infections may also become established below a retained eye cap. Infections of this type must be recognized promptly and treated aggressively to prevent involvement of the entire eye. The retained eye cap must first be removed if at all possible. Infections involving the entire eye may result from trauma to the eye or from septicemia (body-wide) infection. In the latter case, the bacteria enter the eye by way of the bloodstream. Veterinary help is essential with these cases. Treatment involves use of topical and/or injectable antibiotics. Sometimes, drugs that help to exercises the iris (the colored portion inside the eye) are used to help prevent adhesions inside the eye. Viral infections in snakes, as a whole, are generally poorly understood. This is because viruses are extremely difficult to detect and identify. They are equally difficult or impossible to treat. Viral infections result in tumorous skin growths in many native snake species. Other viruses can cause digestive, respiratory and nervous system disease among snakes. An example is a recently recognized viral encephalitis affecting pythons and boa constrictors. Afflicted constrictor species exhibit a very gradual deterioration of the brain and eventually die. Most viruses are highly contagious. Hobbyists must be aware of this and quarantine all newly acquired snakes for at least 6-8 weeks. This involves complete isolation of new snakes and careful scrutiny of them during this period for any signs of illness. All newly acquired snakes should be thoroughly examined and evaluated by a veterinarian experienced with snakes. Blood tests may offer clues as to viral infections. Fungal Infections: A number of fungal organisms can cause superficial and deeper infections of snakes. Most of these infections involve the skin and respiratory system. Fungal infections of the eyes are most likely to occur in snakes housed in damp, contaminated environments. Ringworm fungi that usually infect people, pets and livestock have also caused skin infections of snakes. Snakes must be housed in scrupulously clean and dry enclosures. The flooring must be easy to clean and should not be of a material that encourages fungal (mold) growth (see section on Housing). A veterinarian must examine Snakes exhibiting problems with their skin and/or eyes as soon as possible. A microbial culture and a skin biopsy may be necessary to obtain a diagnosis. Treatment of fungal diseases involves use of topical and systemic (oral and/or injectable) antifungal agents. (Woerpel, 40) Prevention of fungal disease involves correcting underlying problems with husbandry. It is, however, unlikely that your snake will undergo all, if any granted they are taken care of properly, of these problems. After reading about all these different types of snakes and the upkeep for each one you might be asking yourselves why breed snakes? What is the point? Do you actually make money, or do you do it for fun—like running? Well that is what this part of the book is for to answer all these questions and put into perspective how much a snake is actually worth.
Why Breed Snakes
People breed snakes for any number of reasons. It could be for fun, it could be for bragging rights, it could be a job and just do it for extra money. I think that most people breed snakes for the money—yeah you do have to have a certain love of the snakes in order to breed them properly and it does take time to get the collection that you want, but most people like the extra money they get. Personally breeding snakes is fun for Justin, my boyfriend and me, the money is nice, but that isn’t why we started because like any business it does take money (more than you make at first) to get started just like anything else. You have to buy the racks, feed, bedding, and heating elements not to mention the snakes there kind of important in breeding snakes. Plus to add onto that in order to get a certain snake you have to have certain genes which means you will either have to buy a specific snake or find someone who has that certain snake and will let you breed it. It is fun breeding snakes you get to add to your collection and watch it grow and then show it off to your friends (who have snakes) and see the look on their faces when they see a snake you have that they want. Plus if they want something you have all you have to do is sell it to them. Them having snakes they will understand that just giving a snake away isn’t an option, and if you like them, you can give them a good deal and they will realize that and be very grateful. After that yall can just help each other out. They money isn’t bad either—where do you think you bought your first snake from? Where do you think the pet store get their snakes? Breeders. Which makes the pet store the middleman so if you can find a breeder (a reputable breeder and one that you trust) than you can get your snakes cheaper. Just to give you an idea of how much certain snakes are worth here are some more of the morphs to see what they look like, why breeders strive for them, and how much they can sell for. I am going to focus on the Pythons like I mentioned before. You will be surprised on some of them.
More Python Morphs
Pythons, there is so much to say about them and so many different morphs. I have already mentioned three of them the Spider, the Albino, and the Piebald, so here are how much these three sell for plus more morphs and what they go for {prices depend on who you know, the sex (females, typically, are more expensive than the males), where you go, and who the breeder is}. The Spider can be worth anywhere from $400-$650, the Albino anywhere from $350-$600, and the Piebald is anywhere from $1500-$2500 (depending on how much white is in the snake). The Black Eyed Leucistic is $15,000- $25,000, and the Blue Eyed Leucistic is $ 25,000- $30,000. Now for some more morphs Jungle-Males $175 Females $200 Albino Spider- $ 5000 Albino Piebald- $ 2500- $3500 Fireball- $1000 Yellowbelly- $550-$700 Pinstripe- $ 1000 Axanthics-$ 4000 Carmel-$ 1000 Cinnamon-$2300 Clowns-$ 5000 Enchis-$1000- $1500 Fires-$ 2500 Ghosts- Males- $1000 Females- $1500 Ivory- Male $3500 Females $2500 Lesser Platinum-$ 1500 Mojave-$ 600 Lemon Pastels-Males $250 Females $350 Pastels-$ 1500 Womas-$ 20,000
As you can see some of these snakes can be pricey, but they are beautiful, and any of them can be a valuable and unique part of your collection. Prices vary, as I said before, with the breeder, sex, size, age, color, and pattern. The prices shown above are on the “high end” the best looking snakes from N.E.R.D. (New England Reptile Distributors).
Works Cited
Kostich, Mark, . (2007). Venomous Snakes. Retrieved 17 August 2008, from Website:http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.kostich.com/Venomous_Snakes.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.kostich.com/venomous_snakes.htm&h=384&w=576&sz=249&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=Zv5B3mcDSv8L3M:&tbnh=89&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvenomous%2Bsnakes%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DN. J Worlds, (2000). JWORLDS CUSTOM STYLE DESIGNS. Retrieved 19 August 2008, from Website:http://www.jworlds.net/units.html. Ophiophagus, Hannah, . (2008). . Retrieved 16 August 2008, from Website:http://www2.philadelphiazoo.org/zoo/Meet-Our-Animals/Reptiles/Lizards-and-Snakes/King-Cobra.htm. Humphrey, Taylor, . (1999). WHAT WE ARE AFRAID OF. Retrieved 16 August 2008, from Website:http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=281. Ophiophagus , Hannah, . (2008). King Cobra. Retrieved 16 August 2008, from Website:http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/king-cobra.html. Woerpel, R. W., and W. J. Rosskopf, Avian-Exotic Animal Care Guides, New Your: American Veterinary Publications, Incorporated, 1991.
The Title Page Written and Experienced by Jenna Prendergast
Table of Contents Chapter 1……………………………………………………In the Beginning Chapter 2…………………………………………………A New Adventure Chapter 3……………………………………………New Town Same Girl Chapter 4………………………………………………………What a Feeling Chapter 5……………………………………………………………Blurred Out Chapter 6………………………………………………………The Blind Step Chapter 7…………………………………………………………..……………Home Chapter 8…………………………………………………………………The Plan Chapter 9…………………………………………………………….A fresh face
Chapter 1 In the Beginning I am a firm believer that certain events in ones’ life define who they are. Some say perseverance and practice creates champions, while others believe champions are born. Some people spend their life in search of greatness, while others give up before they start. Who decides who becomes great and whose left sitting on the bench? You often hear stories of “everyday people” doing something great and are considered heroes for a while. Who decides if that is the only great thing that person has or will ever do? Have we given society the right to define us and create our heroes for us? Why are we only “great” when someone else says we are? I do not consider myself great, mediocre at best, but I have had great things happen in my life and I have had the opportunity to know great people; none famous, instead the unlikeliest of heroes. After all aren’t heroes what we make of them? In my life, I’ll admit it; I’ve done a lot of unintelligent things. I could make a list, and I am certain if you called my parents they could add a few hundred more things to that list. It seems though, for all the trouble there was always someone there for me. Someone was always saving me, mostly from myself. For the last few years I have felt misplaced and have stumbled through life one mistake at a time. But after assessing my life and its many transgressions I have come to realize that after every mistake I have learned to pick myself up and try again and only recently have I had to do this on my own. When I was a child I was considered rambunctious to say that lease, now a day I would probably be diagnosed with A.D.D along with the better have of society. My parents were patient, but slowly going crazy. I was the second of two children. My older brother was a kind and loving. He was always the cautious one, often protecting me from everything like good big brothers do. However, instead of heeding his words of wisdom and age I developed an invincibility complex. Because I knew my brother would always protect me, I tried things like climbing on the roof, jumping out of trees, oh and did I mention trying to fly? I was my own death wish. I lived with no fear, instead doing stunts to test my limits and my parents. My parents, knowing their little girl was a hazard to herself came up with a solution. Their solution, enroll me in soccer. This single act helped set me up for the rest of my life, as well as teach me focus, determination, and teamwork. I spent all my time practicing and preparing for the game, I wanted to be the best; slowly my A.D.D went out the window. I straightened up and began to get noticed for it. My teams were good, really good. We played tournaments in Boston, New York, and New Jersey, always bringing home the trophies. I felt a part of something, something bigger than myself and I thrived on it. My soccer team was more than just a team. We became best friends. We had sleepovers and birthday parties and everything in between. We were united and it felt great. I could not imagine my life any better. I was going to be like this forever, grow up and play soccer and have all these best friends. Boy was I in for a huge surprise. A year after my transformation my parents broke me the news, we were moving. Not to a different suburb or town but to Bunker, Missouri, the exact middle of nowhere! Worst of all no soccer! To say the least, this was the worst thing to happen in my 10 year old existence. I was going to run away, live on my own and play soccer. Against my will my parents drug me along to the middle of the Midwest. Bunker Missouri is where all five of my mothers’ brothers and sisters lived. My parents wanted to retire and live near family and have a farm. Only recently have I realized why, but to a 10 year old city girl, this was a nightmare. I had decided to not like Bunker or anyone in it. What was I supposed to do now that soccer, the only thing that I understood, was gone? So I sulked, all day, every day. At least until school started. This is the second event in which my life was turned upside down and now looking back I am better for it!
Chapter 2 A New Adventure I walked into my new fifth grade class ready to hate everyone. I found my assigned seat next to a few girls who looked nice enough. Suddenly they turned to me, “hey, your Jenna right? Yeah, your cousins told us all about you, we heard you play soccer, do you play basketball? Want to hang out at recess?” Who were these girls? What did they want with me? I agreed, reluctantly to the play date and remained quiet. But that recess changed my life. I met the friends that would stick with me all my life thus far. They didn’t care who or what I was, instead just wanted to be friends and hear stories of living in the big city of Boston. We then became inseparable. When I say inseparable I mean spending all day at school together then coming home and talking on the phone all night. Every weekend was a sleepover or lunch at someone’s house. We used any excuse to hang out and talk. These girls had let me into their group, their lives, and their hearts, and although it took me a little longer to do so, I eventually came around and returned the favor. When basketball season came around that year I was scared to sign up. What if I sucked, what if I kicked the ball instead? The first day of practice came and went and I was considered a “natural”. I loved it! Like soccer, basketball became my life, alongside my friends. I began to get noticed for playing basketball and was asked to start playing volleyball also, in junior high. Again, I was a natural. I felt a part of something, a part of the community and the town. Older people were recognizing me and my family would show up to watch me play. In high school, as a freshman, I started varsity for both teams. In basketball I was team captain and scored the most points that season. In volleyball I played with the seniors, the big girls. I loved it. Sophomore year I was captain of both teams and proud to be. Again like soccer the team was more, it was a friendship, a sisterhood, we were a unit. I felt needed and carried a responsibility to win for the school. These could have been the best days of my life, then. I was unstoppable. The more responsibility they gave the more I took. I received city, district, and even state awards. It seemed everyone knew my name. I was cocky, to an extent, but more, I was thankful. I had learned how to become a leader, to except responsibility, and most of all I learned to have fun. I firmly believe those years taught me a lot about myself. They also taught me not only what I can accomplish but what I am capable of, with a little help. My senior year of high school I received several scholarships to play volleyball and basketball at junior colleges. But I had had several injuries along the way and was scared of more permanent damage, along with the idea that as a college athlete, I would have to adhere to curfews, tutoring, weekend practices, and other such things I considered torture back then. So I chocked, decided against sports and instead attended a huge college a couple hours away. Looking back, my feelings are mixed; do I wish I would have played in college? Yes. I would have stayed in shape, felt the feeling of a team, felt commitment and need, and my life might have skipped a few bumps along the way. But still, I would have missed out on some of the greatest moments of my life. I would not have met the friends in college that I now consider to be sisters.
Chapter 3 New Town Same Girl Entering college I knew no one. I was one of a million; I knew I was alone and only considered a number to the university. I was scared and felt inferior. Half the people I had met in my dorm were there on academic scholarship. I was just a ball player. I was friendly and waved, made small talk, and even chatted about teachers, but I secretly wanted to be anywhere else. I had been under the impression that college was supposed to be the best years of your life. I felt like mine were all behind me. That was all until the second week in, when sitting at my desk pretending to read, I heard giggling, uncontrollable, and loud. I cautiously poked my head out to see five girls on my floor sitting in the hall having the time of their life. I remember wishing and hoping to join them, to sit in the hard floor, lean on those ugly grey walls, and talk with these girls. I made my way to the water fountain, wondering what, if anything, could I say, that would make these girls want to hang out with me. Just then Beth, a girl who had always been friendly, yelled, “Hey, Jenna, right?” I replied, “Uh, yeah” (like I didn’t even know my own name) Beth replied, “Did you see the skater guy try to skate down the stairwell handle? We think he’s stoned, were gonna call him High Mike.” I was thrilled, no, I had not seen him, but it didn’t matter, that was an “in”. I stood there asking all the details, prolonging my visit. Finally in silence I turned to go, when the rest of the girls started asking me to sit and stay. I was nervous, what do I say, can I be me? But as it turned out two of the girls played basketball, one even tried out to play in Colorado. Two were dancers, who missed it like crazy, and the other, although considered a brainiac, was madly in love with Brad Pitt, to the point of obsession. We sat there all night talking, laughing, judging, and reflecting back on what we all considered “the good ole days”. From that moment on I felt safe; we ate together, shopped together, and even had most classes together. We could tell each other everything, regardless of the fact that we had only known each other for weeks. We staged water fights in the dorm and went to midnight movies downtown. We each had our own routines and lives, but we shared them with each other. My freshman year of college was a dream, maybe not academically, but I made up for it in memories. We laughed, we cried, and we talked about things we could never had with our high school friends. These girls had saved me from myself. I have never quit anything in my life; I don’t consider it an option, but college and being alone had me toying with the idea. I was scared, it was a situation that I could not control, it wasn’t a basketball court where I knew the rules and I knew what it took to win, I was out of my element.
Chapter 4 What a Feeling With these girls by my side I felt the confidence to venture out to the social side of college. We attended comedy clubs, went out dancing, and frequented the movies at least once a week. We attended student government sessions and joined the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program. I learned that no matter how different we all were, we shared a dream of helping others. I actually graduated with a minor in leadership and public service, thanks to the strong will of my friends. Because I had gained confidence in myself outside of sports, I felt it was time to instill that in others. I volunteered as mentor with a local elementary school. I was assigned to a little girl, in whom I saw a lot of myself in. She was into sports and had a sort of “tomboy” mentality. We would hang out at the arcade or play basketball at school with her friends. She was really cool and fun, but I quickly learned she was dyslexic and flunking out of school. I asked her about school and she hated it. No wonder. So what to do? Stay her “cool, older, friend” or turn into a teacher? Against all my insecurities I began to focus our time more on school. I could tell she was not thrilled, but I wanted to help her, not just be her friend, but be her mentor; to make her life a little easier, at least for the time being. I started to take her to the public library at first to show her that other children her age also had homework to complete. But it seemed that she always felt uneasy being there, I think a little embarrassed. I then began to take her to my college library, she was speechless. I gave her the tour of all six levels stuffed full of books, magazines, and sleep-deprived students just trying to get by. She saw that spending time on school work wasn’t for those with “problems”, but a way of life for the normal college student. She did some of her best work there, really buckling down and concentrating. I would check her work and could see the improvement. This became our weekly routine for a while, until one day I arrived at her school to pick her up for our annual library cram session and her teacher pulled me aside. At first she praised me for the change she’d seen in our girls’ math and science grades. I took no credit, just explained our move to the college library. But there was bad news… Our girl had been missing a lot of school and was in jeopardy of failing. How could this be? I asked. She was beginning to love school. The teacher explained that before I came along our girls’ mother would keep her home from school when she had tests or projects due. To make matters worse, when the school contacted the girl’s mother to talk about their options the mother took it the wrong way and pulled her daughter out of school all together to be home schooled. But the ultimate disappointment was that because our girl was no longer affiliated with the school I was not allowed to mentor her anymore. I was crushed, to say the least. What was I supposed to do? This girl had become a huge part of my life for the last few months. I debated, consulted my friends, and even the director of the program. Finally I decided I needed to say goodbye in person. Her mother allowed me to take her to the park one last time. I didn’t know what to say or what to do. I asked her how she felt about being homeschooled. And to my surprise she wasn’t that thrilled. She said she’d miss her friends and playing ball. I told her that I could not mentor her anymore and she was upset, so was I. The rest of the visit was very subdued, we absently talked about sports and movies until it was time to take her home, we hugged and then I drove away. I felt helpless. I never heard from the girl again. And I can only hope that she was reinstated into school and received the help she so desperately deserved. The one good thing that came out of that whole terrible situation was my new found interest in children, their learning abilities and especially their rights. I researched and wrote a compelling paper on children and homeschooling and its negative social implications in rural areas. I had never given thought to working with children, but after that semester in college I learned that I wanted to protect and give justice to those who cannot ask for it themselves. For the first time I had a glimpse into my future and knew I was supposed to help others, in what capacity I wasn’t sure, but I knew I was supposed to help. I then proceeded to volunteer for Rainbow House, a home for abused and neglected children. I dedicated my time and love to those who were not receiving either. My heart broke every time I left that building, but it flourished every time I walked in. I had learned something about myself that semester. I cared about the well-being of others. I wanted justice for all, especially children. I learned how to be compassionate and how to love without limits. And to this day I am a better person for it. I will never forget the emotions I felt that entire semester. For once, it seemed, I was thinking about someone other than me, a pretty big feet for a 20 year old.
Chapter 5 Blurred Out The rest of college continued on this path, volunteering my time, and trying to find myself. I made new friends, developed new interests, and had a blast. When my senior year rolled around I was at a loss. What was I going to do with my life? I had never really thought about it. Sure, I always wanted to be in the FBI and be a secret agent, but that wasn’t practical. So what reality did I face? I wanted to have a rewarding career, wanted to help people, and wanted to be part of greatness. So, with a little help from a career fair I signed up for the Missouri State Highway. A few weeks later I received a letter. The Highway Patrol wanted me to come down and take the entrance and fitness test. I was so excited, but at the same time nervous. I spent the next few weeks trying to get in shape, I was so nervous. The night before I couldn’t sleep, so my friends, being as great as they were, stayed up with me, watching movies, and pigging out on popcorn, anything to take my mind off of the following days’ events. The next morning I arrived in Jefferson City at seven a.m. I was joined by a mismatched group of people, all as nervous as me. The test was administered at exactly eight a.m. It took almost two hours to complete. I checked and even rechecked my answers a couple times, before resigning, Knowing I gave it my best. An hour later the results were posted. I scored the second highest out of the group! I was thrilled to hear it. It definitely took some of the pressure off. However, that meant that I had to complete the physical fitness part of the exam in only one hour. Talk about butterflies. But physical activity was the one thing I could always do well. Being a crazy, hyper, child had helped that. I teamed up with one of the other girls in the group to help each other out. We were required to do sit-ups, vertical jumps, shuttle runs, loading and unloading a gun, and finally a mile run. I was so crazy with nerves and adrenaline that I completed every event above and beyond what was asked. My competitiveness had taken over and I had to be the best. Finally, it was over. I drove home drained but content. I had given my all. A couple weeks later I received a notice in the mail, I had made it into the next round. I was to come back and complete a polygraph test, the next phase in the test. I was thrilled my hard work had paid off. I had my reservations about the job itself, could I really pull people over, could I arrive on crash scenes, could I walk up to a mother and tell her that her child had just been killed on the highway? Was I ready for that? My biggest concern, was the most superficial, how would I look in the uniform, and the hat…, really? I finished out my senior year in a blur, until that is, the last day of class. I was going out to celebrate, I mean big time. I was a college graduate with a future ahead of me. My friends and I got dressed up and went out like rock stars. We hit the downtown to live it up with the rest of my fellow good timers. We had set no limits on the night, which I later came to regret for the rest of my life. We decided to call it a night around 2 a.m., so trying to be responsible drunkards called a cab. Since it was not only my last day of class but about 2,000 others the cab companies, to say the least were backed up. They gave a two hour wait time. Hell, we only lived a mile away. My friend had drove us downtown and was insistent on driving us home, she however, could not even form complete sentences, let alone fully open her eyes. I, however, was walking and talking and fully functioning. In my inebriated state decided that I should drive, I could still see the road. Like all tragedies, the heroine has to go through adversity and anguish before she can overcome. So, as you can imagine. I was pulled over, arrested, and spent three hours in the campus “drunk tank” before I was allowed to bail myself out. It was all over, my life, my career, what now, why had I thought I wouldn’t get caught? How was I supposed to face my parents and tell them that I had been arrested when they were coming to see their little girl accomplish their dreams for her? What a disappointment. In one stupid moment I had crushed my own dreams. How could I work in the criminal justice field having been a criminal myself? My graduation was bittersweet, to say the least. Instead of enjoying the moment, I had to find a lawyer for my case and had to apply for a temporary license, just to drive home. Previous to my irresponsible act of stupidity, I had elected to spend the summer in New Hampshire with my aunt, to work and live on the beach. I needed to get away, looking back I was running, just as I had ran away to the farthest college. I saw this summer as a new start. Nobody knew me and I could be whoever I wanted. My summer had looked like a dream. She lived right on the beach and was friends with everybody, it had promised to be a fun filled few months. Now, as reality set in I was screwed. How was I supposed to get a job without a car? I now had huge lawyer fees, court costs and to boot I had to attend 21 hours of Alcoholics Anonymous classes in a neighboring town. What a fun filled summer…. My parents never really expressed disappoint in me when I broke the news. They didn’t have I felt it enough for the three of us. My parents rarely, if ever, had shown disappointment in me. But, because they had raised me so well, I felt that when I made bad decisions, which I had a habit of doing…a lot, I wondered why they kept me around. They knew I knew better, I knew I knew better, yet, it seemed I disregarded my conscience regularly for a good time. I never cared about consequences, instead always opting for the immediate pleasure. That was, until the DWI. Those consequences are still haunting me to this day. To my advantage my aunt lived less than a mile from the “boardwalk” a local hot-spot filled with bars and restaurants, and always packed with tourists. I applied to over ten different places, and again thanking God for my aunts’ social abilities I received a job in a restaurant where she knew the bartender and night manager. As excited as I was that my life wasn’t a complete failure, I was again in the situation of having to meet new people. But this time I had no other option. I had to make some money and this was my only hope. I began work, it seemed the staff was all a team, a very close team, “great I thought, they don’t want outsiders” and to my dismay a few of them didn’t. But since most of the girls that worked there were foreign, from places like Poland or Bulgaria, they were friendly and willing to teach me the ropes. We soon became friends and started hanging out after work and since we were forced to spend ten hours a day or more together we became very close. I did return to Missouri to take the polygraph test in the middle of June. I walked in with a defeatist attitude, seeing as how I had no license, instead a piece of paper with my charge and a temporary permit. To say the least they weren’t impressed. When my turn came around I was nervous, I felt little, insignificant, and a failure. How was I supposed to impress them with my knowledge and commitment to justice when I, myself, couldn’t even follow the rules? The instructor was nice enough; he tried to set my mind at ease as best he could, considering I was hooked up to a machine five different ways. He explained the procedure stating that he was going to ask me the same questions once with the machine off, then with it on. He made a statement that at the time seemed like meaningless jargon, but now means the world to me. He said that the purpose of the polygraph test was not to help the Highway Patrol hire those who are perfect, instead to hire those who take responsibility for their actions. What good was a trooper who was perfect? They wouldn’t be able to show compassion or understanding, instead they wanted those who knew the difference between right and wrong, acted in the right, but could understand the wrong. Not until a year later did I truly understand this statement. Needless to say later that month I received a letter stating that I had not been chosen to be a state trooper. I was crushed, now what I thought, if they didn’t want me who would. I had no life plan and no purpose.
Chapter 6 The Blind Step Looking back at my time in New Hampshire I was able, in the midst of all the events, to have a great summer. I developed a relationship with my aunt that I had never had the opportunity to do before. We became best friends; we went out together and more often just stayed in and hung out. We cooked together and worked together. I know that we both learned a lot from each other that summer. I would not trade it for a single thing. She helped me to see that life happens and that there are always other options. She encouraged me to go back to school, education she said, was always a good investment. Seeing as she was a teacher, I was inclined to take her advice. Suddenly I felt like I had a plan, go back to school, screw the Highway Patrol, I’ll get so much education they’ll be begging me to work for them. I searched and researched schools, programs, and locations. I wanted a hands-on school that could teach me the physical part of criminal justice and help me to gain certifications in the process. Again, I wanted to be the best. With every find, my aunt and I discussed its pros, cons, and success rate. She helped to see that limiting my search to Missouri was not the best idea; I needed a good education, not one out of convenience, broaden my horizons. My best friend had married her high school sweetheart who was enlisted in the United States Navy and moved to Virginia Beach, she told me about a school down there that was always advertising its criminal justice program and its certificates. She picked up and mailed a few brochures to me to look over. After a few phone calls I decided to give it a look. I viewed the school and was immediately pulled in by its curriculum and one of the teachers, who had previously been a profiler for the police, the exact job I wanted. I made up my mind, but still I was a little hesitant. Another issue I had been struggling with in New Hampshire was that for the first time in my adult life I was home sick. It is important to mention at this point that I had been blessed with a very culturally sound background. For family vacations my grandparents often took us on cruises on their yacht to private islands. We took other cruises to Alaska, Panama City, Aruba, Columbia, etc. I was a very lucky kid. I traveled to New Mexico with family, Texas, a couple times, with friends, Ireland once and pretty much everywhere else in the continental United States. In most cases my parents were lucky to get a phone call stating I arrived safe. I always felt if they were okay then why worry? I could take care of myself as well. But this time it was different, my dad had suffered a broken back and several surgeries, and my mom was hormonal. It seemed I was missing the rest of my family, especially my grandmother, my biggest fan. We had just found out she had lung cancer and I felt guilty moving even further away when I knew she needed me. But after talking to both my parents and my grandmother they encouraged me to go back to school. And Here I am. Right before I was to move to Virginia Beach I was involved in an accident. I was hit by a drunk motorcyclist crossing the street in a cross walk. I was thrown about 20 feet landing on my side, in turn dislocating my left knee along with severe contusions and several cuts and bruises. I have the worst luck! The accident was a nightmare and I am not even talking about the level of pain. I could hardly walk and therefore could not return to being a waitress. I went to the doctor and had tests run to be told that surgery was my best option. Great, here I was in a new town, at a new school, without parents or family about to have knee surgery. Thank God for my friend Stacey, without her, I know I would not be here. So I had surgery, fully aware of the irony that my life was. Even if I had gotten in the Highway Patrol I would not be able to go now with a bum knee. Double Whammy. I continued with school, started rehab for the knee, but again began to feel the sweep of disappoint wave over me. I was 23, wasn’t I supposed to have a steady job by now with a daily routine and a paycheck? Why didn’t I just except the fact that I was going to have to settle for less? I was defeated. I needed a break, I needed home. So that’s what I did. I went home for a weekend. I let it all go and just enjoyed myself. I had a blast, I visited family, friends, and had coffee with my dad, something I had always taken for granted. But when I arrived back in Virginia, instead of clearing my head the trip had only clouded it more. Why was I living 18 hours away? Why was I still running away from the things I loved the most?
Chapter 7 Home It had never been my intent to move back to Missouri and live there. I wanted adventure, danger, and excitement. But something changed that. No longer did I want that crazy lifestyle. I wanted to see my family and friends and be safe. Don’t get me wrong I still wanted that exciting career, but I wanted it alongside everything else. Why couldn’t I have both? But I was Jenna, the kid who skydives on weekends and flies planes. I was destined for bigger and better, that is what my family used to say. And I believed them I didn’t need to stick around and be like the rest. People in my home town seldom left. They married young, had babies young, and lived a life opposite of the one I wanted for myself. I did not want that life, but I also didn’t want the city life I kept running back too. When I went home for that weekend to clear my head I fell in love. I fell in love with my family, with my surroundings and my friends all over again. I had missed that feeling for so many years, in fact I often ran away from it, scared it would hold me back. But something happened. One night sitting on my parents’ porch with my mom under the stars, the real stars, not pole lights or bar signs, or police cruisers, but star the way God intended them to be seen. My mother had been one of those who wanted better for me. She had gotten out and away from the small town and was damn sure I would too. But that night we did not argue about my life or my plans instead. She simply said, “This is home”. I had been fighting myself for months on that notion. Where was I going to end up? Could I really consider anywhere else home? I didn’t want to. Suddenly it all made sense. I could move closer to home. I could have both an exciting career, and a close family life. I have begun to crave the slower way of life that Missouri holds for me, the river, camping, my friends, my family, and especially that feeling I get every time I get close to home. It is peaceful and serene, calming and safe. It is home. I found out recently that my grandmothers cancer had came back. Talk about a blow to the heart. This woman had grown up on the river, raised five children through good times and bad and had a hand in raising all 15 of her grandchildren. She, herself was a childlike in many ways. She held the ability to love and forgive in an instant. She was sincere and honest, except when she cheated at cards, and had the biggest heart I’d ever seen. I credit her with the crazy streak all us grandkids inherited. She also taught me that I was invincible, as she often that she was. She was 65 and still jumping off of creek bluffs, she was sledding on car hoods, and in the floor wrestling her grown grandkids. She had no fear and taught all of us the same. She was always our biggest fan and was never afraid to speak her mind, whether you wanted to hear it or not. She was our escape from both reality and our parents. Her house was a safe haven to run to, and I often frequented it for advice. She wanted everything for us. She wanted adventure, and excitement and she was always the first one I called after I had done something irrational and crazy. But most of all she wanted us to be happy. That was her only wish. She wanted us to live our dreams, even if it took us to New Hampshire, Virginia, or Memphis. She instilled in us the importance of family. Something as you have read that has finally set in for me. But through her sickness my cousins and I have become closer. We talk, recount memories, and joke constantly, most often about our grandmother. She is the glue that holds us together, we know that and it scares us to death. But for being there for us, me especially, she has shown us what love is, and what it can overcome. Honestly she is a huge part of my decision to move home. I may have grown up around her but I cannot imagine my life without her. It is selfish, but I am not ready. I have finally realized my life goal and direction and here my safety net is about to be pulled out from under me.
Chapter 8 The Plan I am sure you are wondering what my “life goal” has now become. Well, I finally have a plan, even a backup plan. Talk about being overly prepared. I will be done in Virginia Beach in October, I then plan to move to Springfield Missouri, a rural, but growing city where a few of my cousins and friends live. I am going to once again try out for the highway patrol, but this time I am ready to take full responsibility for my actions and transgressions, no excuses, no regrets. I am ready once again to be a part of a team, especially a team that shares the common goal of saving others. It is about time I start returning the favor. And as for the uniform and hat, why not, I look good in blue. I know now that I am capable of performing the duties of a trooper, with both honor and commitment. I know it takes work but I am ready to commit myself to the cause. The first time around I was scared, unsure of what I could contribute, now I know, compassion, understanding, and knowledge, both hands on and life lessons. I strive on activities that involve both body and mind to succeed. Let’s just hope they are ready for me. My backup plan takes a different step in direction. If the highway patrol does not pan out for my future I would like to give working with children a chance. Probably not permanently due to the amount of mental strain it can create, but to give back to children who were dealt an unfair hand in life. Outside of the job realm I want to get back to the basics of life. I want to see my family more; I want ride horses with my dad and brother and watch old musicals with my mom. I want to make every moment count with my family and I want to have no regrets about it. I want to become an example of hard work and perseverance. I want others who knew me then to know me now and to be able to see the difference. I want to work hard and be rewarded and most of all I want to be happy. It seems that I want for a lot, but in reality if I given a chance to prove myself these things will come automatically.
Chapter 9 A fresh face So here we are at the end for you, however, it’s a new beginning for me. I am full of anxiousness and worry. What stands in my future? How will I fare? Do I have it in me to make a new, fresh start? Can I be who I want to be? I’d have to say it is. It has been said that your past holds the key to your future. If that is true I should be good to go. I have learned my share of life lessons over the years. By participating in teamwork, I have learned leadership. By helping others I have learned to understand myself. Because of my many mistakes I have learned first off the feeling of humility, but also how to take responsibility for my actions. I have learned to love the simple things and have even more to appreciate the finer things in life. I have felt fear and love without boundaries and have overcome both. I guess I am okay, I know that I will make it. It is not how, but when. If my life doesn’t follow my life plan, then I find a new one. All that matters is that I find happiness in what I do. After all what is the point?
My life started on a small island in the Pacific. My father was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I was born in a big pink hospital that sits on the side of a small mountain. Mom said I came out with the cord wrapped around my face. Dad said I looked like an alien and that once they unwound it, I had funny creases on my face. I wish I had pictures, because it just sounds like a sight to see. Nothing all that special happened for the first few years. I lived on an island but was terrified of the ocean. I had an insatiable love for all things chocolate, especially Junior Mints. I formed a friendship with a sailor who supported that addiction, much to the chagrin of my folks. Apparently, chocolate mints did not agree with me and the outcome was not pretty. That’s the joy of other peoples’ children; you can fill them up with explosive sweets and give them back before the fuse reaches the payload. I had an unconditional trust in everyone. I would leap from high places and trust in the fact that the closest person would catch me. Thankfully, there was always someone there; at least that’s what they tell me anyway. Most of my early birthdays were gathered around a character shaped cake that my mother skillfully baked and decorated. These I actually do have pictures of. I’ll try to get a hold of the albums and scan some in for this chapbook. That should be interesting and embarrassing. Everything up to this point is what I have been told by family or showed in pictures. I believe them.
The next place we lived was New York. I formed some of my first memories there. We lived in a split level house; a raised ranch as my mother just corrected me. We had a Siamese cat named Saimin. I let him out the front door one day and we never saw him again. We did receive word that he was fine and decided that he would be better off with his new family. He wasn’t really all that nice anyway. We also had two Dalmatian puppies, Heidi and Topper. We lost Topper early, but I remember that he could jump really high. Mom kept a garden in the back yard. I liked to help her pick the veggies. I would make a pouch out of my shirt and fill it will beans and carrots and radishes. I never quite made it back to the house with many though. I ate them on the way. Hey, it was a long walk from the garden for my short little legs and all that picking sure works up a hunger. Mom knew that she couldn’t count my pickings in with the rest, but I think she didn’t mind cause she was happy that I was eating veggies. I started kindergarten while we lived there. I don’t remember my teacher’s name, but I do remember sitting around her singing songs while she played a piano. I followed my older brother around a lot. He didn’t seem to mind it, yet. Eventually, he would. I learned to read earlier than most because my big brother would teach me his homework. I really should thank him for that. We moved into a rental before the next transfer. I really don’t remember much about that house, except that it had a pool table. Figures, I was five or so and couldn’t really play.
Back to Hawaii we went. This time I can recall things from my own memories. I got a baby brother while we were there. He was born in the same pink hospital I was, just a few rooms down the hall. We lived in the same housing complex, but that’s not unusual when you are a military brat. I went to Iroquoi Point Elementary School. I could walk there from my house. It sure felt like a long walk one I was that small. I went back as an adult and found out it wasn’t so far. It’s amazing the perspective change that takes place as you grow. I mean, it really felt like it took forever to get there. You had to walk all the way to the end of the street (a couple of houses down). Then you had to cross a long grass/dirt field (maybe one sports field). Again I remember singing songs in class. This time, some of them were in Hawaiian. There were kids who came to school without shoes, and that was okay. I had my first boyfriend there. A little cutie named Gregory. He used to get so protective of me when I’d spin around it my twirly skirt (you could see my undies, oops!). Our neighbor Jenny was more of an adopted cousin. She spent more time at our house than hers. Thinking back on things now, I’m glad that we were there for her. She didn’t have it so great, but that’s not my story to tell. Our car was a lemon yellow Mazda 626. Her name was Gerty. I remember that sitting in the back got tight when my little brother came along. The carseat went in the middle and my older brother and I sat on either side, kinda squished. I guess that’s why my parents decided to buy the minivan. Man, I thought that thing was cool. All that space. No more crowding. Folks got a great deal on it. Another sailor transferring had to unload it, and fast. One of my favorite pastimes was pouring salt on slugs. That is as far as my childhood torture story goes. I think that’s more of a ‘boy’ thing to do. I was still following my brother around, but he didn’t care for it much anymore. I got the hand-me-down things he didn’t want anymore; the hot wheels trike that had a rock stuck in one wheel. It went ca-chunk ca-chunk as I rode it down the street. I learned to ride a two wheeler without training wheels on that street. Dad wiped out on a skateboard while eating a bowl of chilli. That was too funny to watch. Dad has always been a silly one. We made a lot of great friends there. Amber was my favorite. She had almost white hair, bleached by the sun. I had the best tan while we lived there. I don’t remember spending a whole lot of time indoors. Ah, the good ole days. I liked the beach a lot better this time around. We would cut through the school to get there, and we’d stop by Baskin Robins on the way back. I don’t remember wearing shoes much either, now that I think about it. We had a great going away party when we left this time, but I’ll save that story for later. I may even try to get the video converted so I can share. Grade School
Let’s rewind a bit from where I left off last. In 1985, my baby brother was born, on Mothers’ Day no less. I don’t remember a whole lot about that event. What I do remember is that my grandmother came to stay with us for a while and that mom had to stay in the hospital for some extra time. Having a new baby in the house probably changed a lot, but I just remember being stoked that I was a big sister. I think I would have preferred the bouncing bundle had been pink instead of blue, but what little girl doesn’t? I tried to help out as much as I could, but I’m not sure how much assistance I actually was. After all, I was only six years old. Mostly I just went and got things for mom; blankets, burp rags, pacifiers. As a mom now myself, I know that she appreciated even the smallest effort.
Fast forward a couple of years. It’s now time to leave Hawaii for the second time. Like I said before, the party was pretty cool. Let’s just say that wet slip-n-slide plus inebriated sailors equals one hell of a muddy good time. The only real downer for me was my pool. While being used as the rinse area, it became a casualty. Ah well, we were moving anyway.
We flew from Hawaii to California, where we met our cars and then drove the rest of the way to Florida. I have to say, I think that is still the most memorable road trips I’ve ever taken. Dad and my older brother took the two door car while mom, my younger brother, and myself were in the caravan. I thought that thing was awesome. Three rows of seats and one of them was all mine, when I wanted it. Mostly, I sat up front and played navigator. We stopped at the Grand Canyon. Wow! What a sight. Of course, the mood was ruined by my prankster big brother pretending he would shove me over the edge. Good thing he wasn’t riding in the van, otherwise that could have made the trip a lot more intense. We didn’t have cell phones back then, but we always managed to stop at the same places. I thought it was pretty magical. I learned later that the magic was a cool thing call triple A trip-tiks. Mom and Dad planned ahead where they wanted to stop. Most of the time, we stayed close enough to see the other car. The two door Mazda was canary yellow, so its not like it was that hard to see. One morning we got McDonalds breakfast. I can’t remember if we got it to go or if Mom just saved some of hers for the ride. Anyway, While she was enjoying her hashbrown later in the car, a bee flew into the car and landed on it. She screamed and threw it out the window, all the while trying very hard to stay on the road. She pulled over to get her wits about her. One night during our trip, we kids were killing time in the hotel room jumping from bed to bed. At some point in the fun, my little brother’s training pants ended up on his head. I’m pretty sure they were clean, at least I hope so. He ran around screaming and we were all laughing like crazy. I wrote a poem about it for school later on and won a prize. That’s really about all I can remember from that trip. I’m sure my Mom will read this and remind me of something later on, which I’ll be sure to add later.
So, we made it Florida. I think it took us about ten days. We moved in to this tiny, two bedroom apartment. In all of my nine years, I never had to share a room with anyone. Now, I was sharing with BOTH of my brothers. Yuck! We spent several months there while we waited for our new house to be built. It was pretty cool. I was in elementary school and my older brother was in middles school. The schools had different schedules and Mom drove us in each day, since we lived outside of the zoning for the school. The staggered schedules turned out to be a pretty cool thing. Mom would drop one of us off at school and then take the other to the house site to check the builders’ progress. Then, on the pick-up trip, the other sibling got to visit the site. Mom video taped most of the construction. It was pretty cool to see. It started out as an empty lot. Then there was a foundation, walls, roof, and everything else. It was actually quite fortunate that we made daily visits, because the builders messed up one the changes my parents had made to the floor plan. I almost had to share a room again, or sleep in the dining room. Good eye, Mom.
The neighborhood we moved into was brand new. We were one of the few houses on the block and there were no houses on the lots behind us. Not yet, anyway. I had my own room again, ah. I still love that house. Maybe it’s because I have to most childhood memories there. I almost cried when my parents finally sold it. So, now that we were in the new house, I could take a bus to school. The community was growing though and, within no time, there was a new school going up just down the street. I loved being able to walk or ride my bike to school. It wasn’t all that far and I never had to worry about missing the bus. Rainy days were a bummer though.
The fifth grade is when I started having vision issues. I blame it on poor development planning on the school’s part. Who installs brick read chalk boards and then supplies the teachers with yellow chalk? My last name was at the end of the alphabet then, so I say in the back of the classroom. After days and days of having to move to the front just to take my notes, someone sent word home to my folks that maybe I should have my eyes checked. Enter the awkard four-eyed stage of my life, which lasted well into high school. Somewhere during that year I fell and broke my wrist. Running around with my next door neighbor, I tripped and landed on the concrete with a snap. Mom didn’t believe it was as bad as it was and she didn’t take me to the doctor right away. I still like to bring that little stinger up every now and then. Mom knows I’ve really let it go though.
Sixth grade brought a new school and new experiences. I had to get used to changing classes all the time. Suddenly, I had some say in what electives I got to take. I sat through one or two art classes before I realized that it just wasn’t for me. I decided I might like to try the band on for size. And size had a lot to do with my instrument choice. Dad wanted me to play the French horn, but I just didn’t feel like I could hold it for long periods of time. The flute was an alternate choice, but holding it up the way you have to seemed it might me too tiring. I decided on the clarinet, and I loved it. I have to agree with the studies that show music enhances learning. I’m not sure exactly how it works, but I know that school subjects seemed even easier once I started playing an instrument. This was also the year I discovered a great love of math. During a regular class, the teacher gave us a test of some things we had not worked on before. It was a pre-algebra placement test. I had a natural talent for it, and was assigned to pre-algebra the next year with several of my other classmates. Man, math was my best subject. Still is. I love the problem solving. I even love when I get things wrong because I get to go back and figure out where I made the mistake. Very few subjects in school, or in life, are that cut and dry.
Seventh and eighth grade kind of blended together. I don’t remember a whole lot of things about that time. I do remember standing outside in the courtyard to watch shuttle launches. I also remember my science teacher, Mr. Hall, taking me aside and telling me how much he knew I was capable of and pushing me to do better. I will admit it, I was a lazy student. I hated to do homework (except math, of course) and I really never studied for tests. He must have made an impact, maybe not immediately, but he is one of the few teachers whose name I still remember. Eighth grade was also when I met my best friend, Jen. She and I stayed close through high school, even after my family moved away from Florida. This year I was taking Algebra and Spanish I, both counted for high school credit. The Spanish class was actually at the high school. I would ride the high school bus to the high school in the morning and they would bus us from there to the middle school. It was a long school day for me, but I enjoyed it. I think I did a summer school semester for gym class, but I could be wrong. Like I said before, my memory is a little sketchy sometimes.
High School
Next came high school. I went to three of them. I started my freshman year in Florida. Dad got orders to transfer again, and we were set to move to Pittsburgh, PA. Dad went ahead of us. Mom stayed back with my little brother and me while we tried to sell the house. Now a teenager, I had a lot of angst about the situation. Eventually, as a geographically single mother, Mom decided I may be better off going on to meet my dad. Around April, Dad flew down to pick up our old car and I drove back to Pittsburgh with him. I finished off my freshman year at a high school near my dad’s new work. Mom and my little brother followed around the beginning of summer. I flew back to visit that summer. It was a strange visit, being a guest where I used to live. I had planned to stay with one friend, but things didn’t go as planned. Ah well. Unexpected changes tend to make things more interesting. Some time in here we moved into an apartment close to where my parents wanted to buy a house. I changed schools, again, but for the last time. Looking back I think I did a pretty good job adjusting. I made friends, but not easily. It was hard to be the ‘outsider’. Most of the people at the new school had lived there all their lives. In fact, most of their families had lived there for at least three generations. Here I was, a well-travelled teen. I made friends with other fellow outcasts; vo-tech kids mostly. While in the apartments we decided we wanted a dog. Well, there were guidelines on size, so we had to choose a breed that was kind of small. Mom did a lot of research and found a breeder for Miniature Pinschers. We took a road trip to go see them. I remember that day pretty well. It seemed like it took us forever to get there. Mom could probably tell me how long it really was. So, we get there and there are two litters to choose from. These dogs are small fully grown, so the puppies were tiny. I just sat on the floor and played with them. My dog ended up choosing me. She just came over, looked up at me with those sappy gray eyes, and sat down in my lap. I was hooked. This was the one I was taking home. My parents agreed and paid for her and we headed home. I remember that we had brought a brown towel with us, just in case she got carsick. I honestly can’t remember if she did though. We spent the trip trying to come up with a creative name. She was a reddish brown color, with a pale belly. We finally came up with Pale Brandy Sue, but we just called her Brandy. She was a great dog. While she was still fairly small, she would sleep across my neck at night. Eventually she became too heavy for that though, so she moved down to the crook of my knees. I loved that dog. I had a blast teaching her to sit and speak and shake. We bred her once, which produced three puppies. They were all different colors. One red, one black, and one sandy colored with a peppering a black. There were two girls and a boy, if I remember right. Mom decided to keep the black male. We named him Winston. Not sure if he has a proper full name. Brandy lived a long and happy life. We lost her recently, last year or the year before. It was a sad day for me, especially since I hadn’t seen her in a while. Winston still lives with my folks. He’s a sweet old dog. Let’s see, back to school. High school wasn’t all that exciting. I got decent grades, but I could have done a lot better. I got lazy. I didn’t participate in the band any longer. I wasn’t fond of the marching and playing. At my school in Florida I was on the flag corps during games and they didn’t offer that in the Pennsylvania school. I wasn’t athletic enough to be a cheerleader either, or at least I didn’t have the desire to be one. I did discover photography at that school though. I just adored that class. I spent a lot of free time there; became a bit of a teacher’s pet. I still love photography. I would take pictures more often, but life always seems to get in the way.
I got my first job while in high school, as most kids do. Fast food, of course; Wendy’s. I loved that job. My manager was awesome. He would always give me the schedule I asked for so I could earn the most money I could. And I was always the one he would call if they were short handed and I wasn’t already there. I worked there for around two years. By the time I left, I knew every job but manager. It’s not like it was that hard, but you’d be surprised how many people just can’t work in food service. I took my learner’s permit test shortly after my fifteenth birthday. Failed it. It was an electronic touch test. As soon as you missed the maximum number of questions, it cut you off. How embarrassing. Had to go back to take it a second time. Same thing happened with my actual driver’s test. Failed the first time up. I couldn’t even drive home from the testing center I was so upset. We bought my first car from a friend of my mother’s. A 1987 brown Nissan Sentra. Small and easy to drive. Mom and Dad split the cost with me. I had that car until 1997. It saw a lot of miles, a few states, and a lot of good times. Graduation came and went. Nothing special there. The previous November I had signed up to join the Navy, much to the chagrin of my folks. I waited out the time after graduation working and spending time with friends. I quit my job about a month before heading to basic training just to relax. I was almost an adult, and I couldn’t wait.
The Navy Life
As I mentioned before, I joined the Navy after high school. My parents were not too happy with it. They would have preferred I continue my education. I actually forfeited tuition, since my father had offered to pay for college as long as I did well and kept my grades up. I wasn’t interested in any more school at that time. I sort of knew that I would be lazy and not apply myself fully, so I didn’t want to waste time or money. So, from Pittsburgh, I shipped off to basic training at good ole Great Lakes, Illinois. It was August, so it was still warm. Some days were very warm. I never thought somewhere so far north could be so hot and humid. The first few days were rough. We didn’t get much sleep and we were constantly on the move. Inprocessing required a lot of paperwork. Did I mention all the shots? Vaccinations were interesting. Most of them were in combined air-gun syringes, but the penicillin shot was a bear. It goes in your bottom and it’s the consistency of tooth paste. To add insult to injury, they made us sit on the ground and rock back and forth to “work it in”. I think they really just enjoyed seeing us follow whatever orders they threw at us.
The first few days were extra tough on me. I’d never been away from home for more than a week or so, and I was always able to get in touch with my folks if I wanted to. Not being allowed contact with the outside world was rough. I got really homesick and cried myself to sleep a few nights. Once we really got going though, I was too tired to be sad. By the end of the day, all I wanted to do was close my eyes and sleep. Once we started getting mail, it made things a lot easier. I spent my eighteenth birthday in boot camp. That was a tough day. The division had mail call and I didn’t get a single thing. The day got better though, because they scheduled us for a trip to the “ship’s store” and that meant a phone call. I felt like the luckiest person in the world.
I put on fifteen pounds during boot camp. Some of it was muscle, developed during the many hours of forced exercise. The rest was from the food. I swear the food they fed us was the fattiest food I have ever eaten. And I ate a lot of it! We got three meals a day but only ten to fifteen minutes to eat. I was determined to eat as much as I possibly could. I could always tell the days when I didn’t eat enough because I would be even more exhausted than normal by the end of the day. Breakfast was always the best meal for me. I could shovel down pancakes, eggs, bacon, toast, some type of fruit, a glass of juice, a glass of milk, and one or two of those single serve cereal boxes. By the end of the two months, all of my uniforms were a lot tighter than when I was originally fitted for them.
My first pair of boots were the wrong size. Of course, I found this out the hard way. A couple of days marching around in them and I had blisters worse than I could have ever imagined. They tried to tell me that blisters were normal for breaking in new leather boots. Yeah, right! I went to sick call because I couldn’t even get them on one day. Turned out I had pretty bad cellulites on one foot and ended up SIQ (sick in quarters) for a day or two, and then I spent the following few days wearing sneakers. They did order me the right size boots and, after I healed completely, they fit fine.
Looking back on the experience, I think boot camp was a blast. Dad said it was a lot harder than when he went through. Thank you political correctness, not. I’ve heard its gotten a lot easier since I was there. I really don’t understand the military wanting to have weak people in service. I mean, why make basic training easier? It used to help to weed out the people who just weren’t cut out for the job. Now the Navy has a higher rate of people leaving in the first two to four years, even before their enlistments were up. I have friends among that crowd. Its sad, really.
After boot camp I headed on to the next step in my training. I chose the rate (job class) of Aviation Electronics Technician (AT). I travelled down to Millington, Tennessee, for my A school. For the first few weeks there you can only wear your uniforms, no civilian clothes at all. We had to be inspected regularly and passed by a superior before we could graduate to real clothes. I remember bugging my Barracks Petty Officer to do all of my inspections at once. I was “promoted” to wearing civies sooner than my peers that had arrived at the same time. What can I say, I wanted to wear MY clothes.
The school was simple enough for me. I don’t recall most of the material, but I was able to apply it later to my job. I met a lot of interesting people. Most of them just passed through my life, ut a select few I still keep in contact with. Shortly after arriving there in October, I convinced my Dad to bring me my car. Thanks Dad! I was so hung up on my own life that I really didn’t spend any time with him. I’m kind of ashamed to admit that now, but I know that he understood what it was like for me. Besides, I see him a lot now. Now I was everyone’s friend cause I had wheels! It was a freedom that most of the other students didn’t have yet. Either they had no car to be brought, or no one would make the trip just to bring them a car. I rarely paid for gas or fast food because I could cart people around. There were a few times where we probably packed too many people in the car, but I always tried to only take as many people as there were seatbelts. I said I tried, but I wasn’t always successful. When I wasn’t busy shuttling people around, I would go to the stables on base; just the other side of the main road. I have always loved horses, and having easy access to them as awesome. I tried to save some of my measley pay so that I could afford an hours ride. The stable didn’t really have strict rules either. They would give you a horse already tacked for riding and away you went. I ran most of the time. It was heavenly. I sure miss that. I really hope I can get back into horseback riding again soon.
Halfway through my training, they shut down the base; part of the BRAC movement. The Base Realignment And Closure was intended to save the military money. They kept some areas of the base open and functioning, but all the training moved down to Pensacola, Florida. So, I packed up the trusty ole Nissan and headed south. Growing up, I always thought road trips were the coolest. But, as an adult, I found that doing it alone was the pits. Sure, you got to pick which route and how often and where to stop, but there was NO ONE to talk to. I can only listen to music or the sound of the road for so long.
Florida was gorgeous! I was further from my folks but back in familiar territory. Pensacola is a bit further north then where I lived before, but I was accustomed to the weather and the people. The beaches were a welcome sight, even if it was Christmas time. I wasn’t at school long before the holiday break came, and then I was off for family time. My folks flew down to Saint Petersberg to be with my mother’s family. I decided to drive down to join them. What should have taken a few long hours ended up taking half a dang day. I got my very first speeding ticket on that trip. My car was acting up and I just wanted to get to my family already. I was driving as fast as I could and got snagged by a highway patrolman. Who gives a kid a ticket three days to Christmas anyway? I’ll never forget it. That officer was the meanest cop I’ve ever met. I sat on the side of the road and cried for a while. Then I drove to the nearest gas station where I called my dad, and cried some more. He said just to get there safely and slowly; he has such a calming effect on me when I’m in crisis. Part of my travel extension came in the way of massive traffic. Apparently there was a water stain on some building (a church maybe) and it was in the shape of the silhouette of the Virgin Mary. At least that is how I remember it. Mom will probably correct me by sending me a link to the newspaper story. I remember for sure that it was nuts. There were people crossing four lane highways in gaggles. Also during this trip, I drove back to my old stomping grounds to visit friends. Nothing too special about the trip, but it was cool to be “home” on my own terms. No rules, just fun.
I made it back to Pensacola on time and out of trouble; and back to school I went. I made my first real purchase on my own shortly after. I traded in the Nissan and a shiny red 1989 Chevy Beretta. In hindsight, dumb idea; but it was the start of building good credit and I needed something that wasn’t so wishy-washy. I had to have some adjustments made to it though. It was a manual transmission, which I knew how to drive, but the darn thing would stall on me from a standstill. I remember one time, I was headed to the pool hall off base to meet some friends. I got into the “suicide” turn lane to get into the parking lot. The car stalled. I restarted it; it stalled, again. I did this a few more times and then I couldn’t take it anymore. I was so frustrated with it that I was shaking, which made easing off the clutch in the necessary manner impossible. My buddy had to run out from the parking lot and drive it in for me. How embarrassing. That was what made me take it back to the dealer and say fix it. They did and things were fine after that.
After A school came FRAMP school. I couldn’t tell you what that stands for, but it’s a secondary school for more specialized training. I was going to learn the equipment I would ultimately be working on. Since I had a car, I opted to drive the cross country excursion. From Florida to Whidbey Island, Washington state. That was a LONG trip to do all alone. I made a rule for myself; I only drove during daylight hours. I tend to get sleepy after dusk and didn’t want to risk an accident. I tried to make the trip as interesting as possible, stopping at some major tourist attractions along the way. I saw the Saint Louis Arch. Got some shots of that with a disposable camera from the road. I chose not to actually GO there. I did however stop at Mount Rushmore. That was pretty cool. I’m not a big history buff but it’s an amazing sight to see up close. I got a second speeding ticket somewhere in South Dakota. Nice cop. Younger guy, came from a military family. I was going way faster than for the one in Florida, but I guess it wasn’t as big a deal in South Dakota. I stopped in Missoula, Montana. BEAUTIFUL country, in the summer anyway. Rolling green hills and mountains as far as the eye can see. And everyone there was so nice. Onward to Washington, where I received my third and final speeding ticket. What can I say, I was young; had a bit of a lead foot. Got myself checked into my room and spent the next month learning more electronics. After graduation, I packed up my things and sent them, and my car, to meet me at my next station.
My first real command was Patrol Squadron Four, stationed out of Barber’s Point in Hawaii. After leaving Washington, I was to meet the squadron where it was currently deployed; Diego Garcia. It’s a tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. No one there but military and DOD employees. Before I headed that way though, I took some leave to go visit Andrew in California. I met him in Lemoore, a tiny air base in the middle of nowhere in California. Spent almost a week there, and then we drove down to San Diego, where he was going to be stationed. Spent another week there and then I was on my long journey to Diego Garcia. It took me forever to get there. From San Diego, I flew to Las Vegas. From Vegas, I headed to Philadelphia. When I got to Philly, I was a little delayed and the Air Force crew had filled my seat with someone else. I was pretty upset. Here I was, a brand new sailor, stranded in an airport with no commercial option to get where I was going. I found out later that I could have had their butts in big trouble, but I was too fresh to know better at the time. I called my folks, who now lived in Baltimore, and they came and picked me up. I spent almost a week with them. It was kind of nice to have an unexpected extension of my leave. I had contacted the necessary people in my command, so they knew that I was on my way, but the flight I needed to take only ran so often, so I didn’t have a lot of options. Its finally time to continue around the world, so we head back to Philapelphia and I’m off. First, we stopped down here in Norfolk, Virginia, to pick up some more military folks. Then we headed across the Atlantic to our first stop in the Azores; a set of tiny islands somewhere off the coast of Portugal. That was a long flight. And when we got there, we weren’t really allowed to wander too far from the air terminal. Well, at least we newbies weren’t anyway. Next stop was Sigonella, Sicily; another small island. Lots of islands on this trip, now that I think about it. Let’s see, after that, it was Bahrain. Wow, was it HOT there. We landed well after nightfall but the air was super humid and it didn’t move at all. It was actually kind of hard to breathe. We spent a few hours in the terminal there. Most of the other passengers were upset because all the duty free shops were closed. Finally, the last leg of the trip came. Diego Garcia, here I come. I can’t remember for sure, but I may have been the only person who got off there. The person who was sent to pick me up was a little confused. I guess no one bothered to read my paperwork; they were all expecting a male. I think it has something to do with my name. Diego Garcia was a lot of fun. There wasn’t anything like a normal town had, but we had plenty of things to keep us occupied. The gym was open twenty-four hours. There was a pool. They had a couple of bars and restaurants. There was a night club that was only open Friday and Saturday nights. There was a small store. There was a little take out shop that served up simple foods, and some of the best lumpia I’ve ever had. And, of course, there was the beach. It was an island, after all. There were rules for the beach though, which was a big bummer for someone who grew up on them. You could only swim in the lagoon because the ocean side currents were too strong. The beach out there just sort of dropped off not far out. It seemed like it went down for miles deep. It rains a lot in Diego Garcia, and I mean a LOT. It reminded me of the movie Forrest Gump where he writes Jenny about all the rain in Vietnam. The rain here came in all sorts too. There was plain old rain, hard rain, rain that came out of nowhere, sideways rain, and rain so hard that it seemed to bounce off the ground and come back up at you. I had a lot of fun there. Not a whole lot of responsibilities other than work. It was here that I met Chuck, who would later become my first husband. I arrived there in July and we were headed home to Hawaii in December. The time went by pretty fast.
Hawaii was what I had been waiting for. I had put it at the top of my wishlist back in A school and was surprised and elated that I actually got it. Most of the squadron took leave directly after arriving back in the states, and I was no exception. It was Christmas time, after all. I didn’t go home though. I headed to Georgia to spend the holidays with Andrew and his family. It was a fun trip and I had a wonderful time. Then it was back to Hawaii and back to the grindstone. Work was close enough to the barracks that I could walk but sometimes I drove anyway, usually on really hot days. The distance soon was too much for Andrew and I to overcome, so we ended things. We parted on good terms and still keep in touch. This is when Chuck and I got together. Long story short, we shouldn’t have gotten married. I call it my practice marriage. It barely lasted a year and taught me many things you need to know about someone BEFORE you commit your life to them. I’m just thankful we didn’t have any kids.
A year goes by and its off on another six month deployment. Back to Diego Garcia. Chuck and I were still married at this time. In fact, we had no idea it wasn’t going to work, yet. The command separated us because married couples weren’t allowed on Diego Garcia. He went to Misawa, Japan instead. When the rest of us arrived in Diego Garcia, we waited at the terminal for baggage and such. While we were waiting, they came around to announce the advancements (promotions). I found out that I had made it to the next pay grade. It wasn’t really a major accomplishment but I was still thrilled, it meant more money. Another six months came and went without anything really exciting. I made some new friends and got closer with some older friends. This trip is where I met Ray, who would become my second husband. Do you see a pattern here? I know, pathetic, but that’s just the way things have turned out for me. This time I was determined to do things right. I was divorced by mail, which took forever due to the super slow postal system in Diego Garcia. When we got back to Hawaii, I move in with Ray. This time I thought things would be different and they were, for a while anyway. We lived together for about two and a half years before we got married. I thought that was long enough to get to know someone. We went on yet another deployment, this time to Misawa, Japan. That place was a blast. Ray and I got along great and we always had a good time. For those of you out there who have never been married, believe your family and friends when they tell you money and kids can change you forever. I think the first thing that started to break down our marriage was me quitting work. I got out of the Navy a few weeks before the wedding, with the plans to follow him and work wherever he went. After Hawaii, we were stationed in San Diego, California. I had trouble finding work there and shortly thereafter it didn’t matter anyway. In March of 2002 I found out I was pregnant. It wasn’t an accident either. We had decided to go ahead and try. Nine fairly uneventful months later, in November, we welcome Kylie to our family. She was everything I imagined and more. My entire world revolved around this tiny little person. Ray was not a natural father. Back then, he didn’t have a clue and I resented him for it. I was exhausted and all I wanted was a little help and support and it was like pulling teeth to get him to do anything. I gave up after a while. I thought maybe men just didn’t have the parent gene and that it was something he would learn over time. I give him some credit now; he has grown into a better one since. I didn’t have a lot of friends in California, which is probably why I hate the place. I was fairly miserable for the three years we were there.
We did get both our dogs while in San Diego. Two miniature pinschers, imagine that. Kona was the first. We got her while I was pregnant with Kylie. She was my baby, up until the actual baby came anyway. She is still MY dog, through and through. The second dog we got was Ruby. She is Kona’s sister, two litters later. We actually got her by default. Our friend, Paul, had wanted a dog he could keep in his apartment so I took him to the breeder we knew. He brought her home and then the chaos began. He decided that it wasn’t going to work out at the apartment. It was too hard to take care of a puppy. He wanted to give her back to the breeder so she could find a good home, but that wasn’t going to happen. The breeder didn’t want to give him his money back ($500) so he wasn’t going to go through with it. He mentioned the word “pound” and that was enough for me. I said we’d keep her. There was no way I was going to risk her not finding a good home when I already had a perfectly good one right there.
Transfer time came around, again. This time it was back to the east coast. I insisted! I was not going to spend his first real sea tour alone with no friends. I was already expecting our second child and I refused to be a single parent of two, without help, when he went away. I wanted to be close to some family for the times that he would be gone on deployments. He got orders to Oceana, Virginia, and I was okay with that. Its only four hours from both our families and there are still beaches. I thought this would be a good place for us to get things back on track. Maura joined our ranks in June of 2005. This time around Ray was better with the baby things, but still could have been more hands on. He loves the girls, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not sure he really wanted to be a dad. I think he may have just been trying to make me happy. We bought our first house here. It’s a small rancher in a fairly quiet neighborhood and it’s got a huge yard. I’ve tried to make it as much a home as possible, but I really just don’t “feel” it anymore. That probably has to do with the way things have gone over the past few years.
Firsts
My first boyfriend was Gregory. I’m not sure exactly of the timing, but it was between first and third grade. He was very protective of me and I just loved the attention. Mom loved him too. He was such a little gentleman, walking me home and carrying my books.
My first pet I guess would be Heidi. She was one of the dalmation puppies we got in New York. I remember missing her terribly when we moved to Hawaii. Transferring in, you have to quaranteen your pets for like ninety days. It seemed like forever. She was a joy to have and was with us for around eleven years. She passed while we were living in Florida. I remember Dad leaving with her and coming back without her. My older brother was completely heartbroken. It was a sad day.
My first crush was Alex. He was an older boy that I knew from school. I spent a lot of time at our local pool hall hanging out with him. He was always nice to me and we had a lot of fun. Nothing ever came of it though, since he already had a girlfriend.
My first car was a 1987 brown Nissan Central. We bought it from a lady that worked with my mother. She had a hard time parting with it, as it was her first car and her father had bought it for her. Mom and Dad split the cost with me. Well, they paid for it and then I paid them back half the price. It wasn’t a bad car. It got me where I needed to go, was good on gas, and was easy to drive. I remember taking it to the park one time and trying to get to a certain area off a dirt road. I bottomed out and ripped open my muffler. Boy, was that a loud day. A cop followed me home from work one night and tried to give me a ticket for the noise. Then he gave me trouble about having out-of-state plates.It was almost midnight, so I asked him if he wanted to wake my active-duty officer of a father to ask him that question. He said to get my muffler fixed and went on his way.
My first job was at Wendy’s. I loved it there. My main manager, Tom, was awesome. If I could work with him again, I would totally go back to fast food. I had some issues with a couple of people, but I realized that I was bigger than them, so nothing ever came from it.
My first love would probably be Andrew. We met in A school and connected from the very start. It was a complicated relationship, which ultimately ended on good terms. We still keep in touch to this day. He is such a great person; so much love to give and so sweet.
My first marriage was a joke. It barely lasted a year. Mostly I did it so I could move off base into an apartment. In the Navy, the lower ranked people pretty much have to live in the barracks. Sharing a room with someone who I couldn’t stand just didn’t cut it for me. The guy’s name was Chuck, and he was a riot. He was not husband material though. We parted on fairly good terms and I wish him well.
My first child is Kylie. The pregnancy was fairly plain. I felt sick for the first few months, but only ever got sick once. Her birth was easier than expected. I woke up at 5:50 am with my first contraction and she was out at before 5 pm. I didn’t have an epidural, but I did get a couple of doses of IV pain meds. I really wanted to go completely drug free, but that just wasn’t in the cards that day. No major issues following the birth either. Recovery went well. She and I quickly adjusted to a decent schedule. I had a moment or two where I doubted nursing her, but my mother and my midwife helped me overcome the problem and things went swimmingly after that.
THE LIFE OF WILLIAM DOCKERY On April 6, 1972, during the many showers of April, a baby named William Terrell Dockery was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. My parents are William Dockery and Merland Dockery both out of North Carolina. My mother was raised by her father because her mother passed away when she was just a child. She would tell me some stories about her mother. She would tell me how my grandmother was a mean person with a very short temper. I really don’t know that much about my father’s side. All I know is his parents passed away while he was young. While my mother gave birth to me, I was born with pneumonia because she had the flu at the time of giving birth. I was a very fortunate and blessed baby because while I was sleeping in my crib one night, a bullet came through the window of the very room I was in. Lets just say, the Lord was watching over me even then. When I was old enough to walk, I would take my diaper off outside and run around naked. Our next-door neighbor would always let my mother know what I was doing at all times. There was a dog in the neighborhood that would lie around and sleep by people’s cars. So one day, I took it upon myself to lie next to the dog and we both were asleep under someone’s car. The driver was about to start the car and put it in gear to drive when he noticed the dog and I under the car. So he immediately informed my mother and she gave me spanking and to this day, we would laugh about it. Growing up in a house and being the youngest of seven children had its good points and bad ones. Especially, if your older siblings are all girls, that is definitely something to deal with. There was never a dull moment in my household. There was always someone in the bathroom. We had only one bathroom and to share it with six sisters was very hectic. Now the upside to having older sisters, I always had a place to go because they would take me with them. I had to walk to school everyday, but the good thing was my school was located behind my neighborhood. So it didn’t take long to get to school. Once I started kindergarten, it was a very fun place to be. I truly enjoyed snack time and playtime. We would have learning games or songs that our teacher would go over with us. The would allow us arts and crafts time to make necklaces, cup holders, and do drawings. Every child had their own cubby with his or her belongings in the cubby. After lunch, we would have or nap time, which was for about an hour or so. Then our teacher would wake us and continue with the rest of the school day. Then the bell would ring to release the students for the day. My mother is in an abusive marriage also. My father would leave for work and come home drunk to my mom on a regular basis. He would start by asking where’s his food and why it wasn’t prepared a certain way. The two of them would start arguing and then it would get physical at times. There were a lot of times where my father would hit my mom and she would fight back. Also, my sisters would join in to help my mother by picking up whatever they can to hit my father with. They mainly used pots and pans to hit my father to keep him away from my mother. All of these events took place while I was still a baby. Some of my older sisters were at the age where they could move out on their own if they liked. A few of them were married at a young age also. They really didn’t have the proper role model in their lives at the time, so they made a lot of mistakes in the process. My mother was a strong person to go through the struggles she had to endure. She had distanced herself from my father because she didn’t want me to continue to grow up in that type of environment any longer. So at age six, my mother, my youngest sister, and me moved into a low income neighborhood or public housing if you will. Being new to any environment is something to get used to, but in the projects is where your survival begins. I literally had to go through fights almost everyday to prove myself worthy of being in this particular neighborhood. Survival of the fittest truly kicked in because now I finally understood what it meant to be poor. I grew up getting food stamps and government cheese every month. I also didn’t have many opportunities to enjoy some of the cereals and milks that we have today. Instead of eating Frosted Flakes, Honey Smacks, Fruit Loops, etc., I would have puffed wheat in a bag and corn flakes on a white box in bold black letters that would be the only thing on the box. A lot of times we used powdered milk or the carnation milk to put in the cereal. For sugar, we would use sweet and low or equal. All this would take place after our food stamps were done for the month. Then we would have to wait until the first of the next month. Now months have gone by and I was starting to make more friends. It didn’t seem so bad because everyone was in the same situation as I was in. The majority of neighborhood consisted of single mothers with children or the elderly. My mother had me at the age of thirty-seven, so by the time I was ten or eleven, the other kids mothers were in their late twenties or early thirties. My mother was in her late forties and some kids at school would think she was my grandmother. My mother and father stopped going to school at very early ages; therefore, they didn’t graduate from high school like most. A few years later, mother started taking night classes where she received her GED. That was one of the proudest days of my life because before then she could not really help me with my work. I had always wondered why I had many wrong answers on my work. That’s when I found out she didn’t complete high school, but she did the best she could with what she knew. As a child, I was in church constantly. When I say I had to go all the time, I mean all the time. It was to the point where I didn’t like going anymore. My summers would be spent going to summer camp at Fayetteville State University. There would be an activity bus that would come and pick us up in our neighborhood. I always looked forward to it because we would swim, play basketball, tennis, and play softball. I liked swimming the best though because it was all about getting in the pool. I didn’t do much traveling when I was young so going to summer camp was the highlight of the summer. During my elementary school years, I have encountered some interesting things. I had some good teachers, but there was an area where I struggled. It was my comprehension. I was a great speller and that was the only thing I had going for me. I grew up in a household where proper grammar was not used at all. So, I adopted the bad habits of improper grammar and it caused me to struggle once it came to take standardized tests. As I would read the passages, my mind would wander because the passages were so boring. Then a section of the test, I would have to either make grammatical corrections to the paragraphs or no corrections would be needed. I couldn’t decide which corrections to make at that time. It was confusing because I was on the A-B honor roll throughout elementary school. I didn’t like to give oral reports because of stage fright and I was a very shy person. I grew up in a time where discipline was highly enforced. I had a math teacher who was known for paddling students when their behavior was out of control. He would walk them out of the classroom and go around the corner. He would have the person to lean forward against the wall and spank him or her with the paddle. See, it was acceptable by parents back then. You would have to run laps around the track too. I had to run some laps myself because I would always be the one laughing in class. I didn’t get into trouble for talking, just laughing. My school was located across the street from my neighborhood, although we had to walk about a mile and a half to and from everyday. Like I said before, the guys in my neighborhood were pretty close. We would walk together in packs as if we were wolves. There would be moments where fights would break out, but other than that everyone got along with one another. I looked forward to report cards coming home because my father would give me five dollars if my grades were very good. The teacher would give me my report card and I would look it over with a big smile on my face because I would have A’s, B’s, and a few C’s on there. I would smile all the way home, and I would show my parents the grades and wait for my reward. I was a well-behaved student and my report card would always reflect it. My mother would go to the parent-teacher conferences, and the teacher would tell her how much he or she loved me in their classroom. My mom would joke and say, “Are you talking about my child?” If there was no homework to be done, I would either watch cartoons on television or go outside and play with my friends. My father was a diabetic, and I would watch him take his insulin early in the morning. Saturdays were special days for my father and me because we would watch wrestling on television. He introduced it to me and I have been watching it ever since. It would also come on at eleven o’ clock at night. Well, I would be sleeping at that time, where he would wake me to watch it with him. Sometimes I would watch it and other times, I would remain asleep. I recalled a time when my mom, sister, and I were with my father and he had a stroke to where he was temporarily blinded. This had surprised me because I had never seen anything like this before. We had to call the ambulance to pick my father up and take him to the hospital. My sister cried her eyes out as the ambulance drove away. His vision was restored and he was released from the hospital. I was so happy because he was home again. I loved my mother to death, but there was one thing she would do that I could not stand. If she was lying down on the couch and her purse was next to her on the floor, she would call me from across the room just to pick it up and give it to her. I would think there would be more, and she would say, “That’s it.” Now I would have to go back across the other side of the room. Afterwards, I would go outside before she would call me to do anything else. I would run to the park to get away, although that would not work at times. My mom still yelled for me to come home for whatever reason. That occurred every-time I was having a good time with my friends. Mostly, it would be a good game of basketball and the score would be tied and we needed one basket to win. She would call and I had to get someone to replace me before I left. I would run all the way home and complain at the same time. My mom had worked out an agreement with the office manager in our neighborhood about selling icy cups for extra money. Of course, the office had to receive a percentage of the earnings. That experience was kind of fun because all the kids in the neighborhood found out and they were coming by for icy cups. They called my mom the “icy lady” and we would charge fifty cents per icy cup. You would have a lot of kids coming by as early as eight o’ clock in the morning for icy cups. I thought we were doing pretty good, but after you subtract for sugar, cool-aid, cups, and giving the office their cut, we were left with just a little bit. I understand that each little bit helps, yet I didn’t see any progression. Our business experience lasted for a couple of months and kids were asking if we were going to sell the icy cups again. My mother and father had reconciled their differences and we were a family again. One Sunday, I pretended to be sick just so I can stay home and be with my dad. I had succeeded by lying to my mother and she let me stay home. As soon as she left for church, I suddenly started feeling better and my father let me go outside and play with my friends. I was ten years old at the time when all this happened. My friends and I were playing basketball at the basketball court. We played until we got bored of playing and someone suggested we go throw rocks at cars. There was some woods located near the basketball court. My friends and I gathered some rocks and waited in the woods for cars to drive by. As the cars would go by, we would throw rocks at them and hide. After about twenty minutes of doing that, we walked by this house that had rabbits in it. Just behind that house was a couple of mobile homes and beside the mobile homes was an air conditioning company. The company had a lot of marble cut rocks in front of it. There was a barbed-wire fence between the air conditioning company and the woods we were hiding in earlier. We gathered those rocks and started throwing them at the mobile homes. We broke a lot of windows and also caused hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of damage to the different properties. There were cars driving by as we were throwing the rocks and one car pulled over yelling. The driver said, “Hey you kids, what are you doing?” So I immediately dropped the rest of my rocks and ran. All of us were able to jump the fence except one and he was caught. The rest of us were hiding out in the woods as the police showed up. The boy rode with the police taking them to everyone’s house and telling their parents. By this time, my mother was home from church and she was very upset with me. My mother suddenly yelled at the top of her lungs for me to come home. Once I got home, she told me to go straight up to my room and wait for her. I knew what was coming next. She went and got a switch and brought it up to me. I was stretched out across the bed where my shorts kind of raised up a little exposing the back of my thighs. I tried to psych myself up by being tough and take the spanking. As my mother was hitting me with the switch, it felt like my skin had split open from all of those licks. I immediately started crying because I thought my legs were bleeding. Lets just say, I never thought about throwing a rock ever again. My mother has always been the disciplinarian in our family and my father has been the laid back one. One afternoon, my father and I were riding in the back seat of a car and I kept sitting up from my seat while the car was moving. In other words, I was being nosy and trying to see everything. My father said, “Son, sit down.” He was just as calm when he said it, so he said it again. I was still not listening to what he was saying. Now this time, my father took his hand and he popped me right on the legs. I was so shocked he hit me that I didn’t say a word or move the rest of the car ride. That was the only time my father ever spanked me, and I was glad. The difference between my mother and father is this, my mother is definitely a yeller. She would yell if you did something you had no business doing. Sometimes that would be worse than getting a spanking. Depending on what was done, she would combine the two and you really would be hating life at that moment. My father was the calm one of the two. He would talk to you and not at you about what it was you did wrong. I received both styles and both styles were very effective. When I moved on to junior high, I was this short and skinny boy, trying to fit in a new environment. Most of the kids were taller than me, so I had to try a little harder when came down to doing competitive events. I went out for the boy’s basketball team, but was cut from the team because of my height. That didn’t keep me from working on my skills though. So in the meantime, I wrestled on the school team. I shocked myself because I was a pretty good wrestler, but basketball was my passion. I even ran track through junior high, which was a very interesting experience. Just about every guy in my neighborhood fantasized about being in the NBA when they get older. I watched a game as soon as the game was over, I would be out there practicing some of the moves from the game. Then afterwards, the guys and I would talk about the game that was on. We analyzed every move, shot, and call that was made throughout the game. For every kid, Michael Jordan was a player everyone wanted to pattern their game after. He would do things in a basketball game that no one would ever think of doing. The thing is, not too many people could do the things he did in basketball. Even on the playground, I always wanted to be the one to take the last shot because Michael Jordan did it each and every game. That’s when my dreams of becoming a professional basketball player became even more intense. I still had my height to consider, but it didn’t stop my desire. I remember the summer before my sophomore year, we were playing a game of basketball. One of my teammates shot the ball and me and this guy went up for the rebound and the guy had elbowed me in the mouth. He caused my two front teeth to go half-way back into my mouth. The were actually knocked out of place. I began spitting up blood and the game stopped. Some of my teammates came to see if I was all right. Now the guy that elbowed me in the mouth was in a state of shock. He just stood there not saying anything. I immediately noticed and saw he wasn’t trying to apologize, so I got upset and started to hit the guy. They stopped me from hitting the guy, and I was given a towel to stop the bleeding. I went home and my mother took me to the emergency room, where the doctors popped my two front teeth back in place. Then the doctor had wrapped some wiring around them and told me I had to eat soft foods for about two weeks. My teeth and gums finally healed and I was ready to start my sophomore year. I honestly thought I would have to get false teeth, but it’s a good thing everything worked out for the better. I had some interesting summer jobs during those times, where I would never ever think lightly of again. I remember picking blueberries. This bus picked us up and we rode through two counties to get there. The temperature was between 95 degrees to 100 degrees easily. You were paid three dollars for every crate of blueberries you have. I figured that would be a piece of cake, but no one told me that within each crate were twelve cartons that needed to be filled and then you fill up the crate. The fields were very long and the sun was scorching hot. I was quite embarrassed because there were elderly women out there outdoing all the youngsters there. They had a special technique they were using, which made things a lot easier for them. The elderly women would be out in the heat all day long and would make hundreds of dollars a day doing this. I only ended up doing two crates and walked away with six dollars. The other job was picking watermelons. A couple of guys tried to pick watermelons with me one summer. Our ride came about 5:30 in the morning and took us in the country to pick watermelons. The guy lived on a farm, where he had watermelon fields for miles. I remember getting out there and grabbing them and picking up the melons to see if they were ripe enough to eat. I quickly learned how to thump the melons to check for a hollow sound. If you heard that sound then you knew you had a good melon. I didn’t realize how exhausting that would be ,so when I got home, I immediately jumped in the shower. Shortly afterwards, I took a nap to relax. Then later on I would get up and play with my friends. Now while in high school, my father became very sick. He was in and out the rest homes or the hospital. By this time, the strokes that he had took over his body. It was to the point where he need assistance to do a lot of things. I would go visit him from time to time, but as a child I didn’t like it because I didn’t like to see my father in a helpless state. Sometimes, I didn’t go see him on purpose because it was too hard for me. I had an aunt who would try to make me feel guilty because I wouldn’t go see him. I tried to tell her how that situation made me feel, but she was not trying to hear what I had to say. I went to my mom and explained the situation to her. She totally understood where I was coming from and did not pressure me to go if I didn’t want to. At one point in my sophomore year, my grades had plummeted big time. My mom had informed my teachers about what I was enduring at that time, so the teachers were quite patient with me. Once I started growing a little more and being on the basketball team, my popularity sky-rocketed and I was having the time of my life. Just about everyone in my high school of 1500 students knew who I was. During those days, that experience was like a child in a candy store. I was so excited and my confidence increased as time went on. The females started noticing me and I thought I was the man because I would hear how cute and intelligent I was. Now I have them wanting to become closer than friends, which was a good thing for me. I started loving high school then because it gave me something to look forward to. Going to the proms and school dances was a blast and I sometimes wish I could go back in time and relive those moments. When I graduated high school, a major milestone was accomplished, but I was very scared also. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life. I ended up being accepted to Mount Olive College, which was located in Mount Olive, North Carolina. It was a quiet little community and there were about 600 students that attended the school. I also went to Army basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina five days after graduation. While I was doing my training, some of the students who were in my class had received orders to go to Iraq for “Operation Desert Shield, Desert Storm”. That kind of shook me up some because that was when I realized that this is the real deal. A lot of those students I never heard of again. You know how life has a way of your paths crossing with someone or some people. Well lets just say, I never saw them again. My unit had deployed over there and I just knew they were going to send for me, but they didn’t. I did my training there and I entered college during the spring semester. College was an overwhelming experience because it took me away from home. So I had all kinds of freedom and I became very excited, but there was a down side to that. I would have to do a lot of things on my own where I had depended on my mother for a lot of things. That’s when I knew I was being introduced to life and all the things it brings. With me being the new kid on the block, many of the students had to feel me out to see where I was coming from. So, now I was an Army Reservist and college student. I would do my reserve training one weekend a month and two weeks during the summer. Being in college, I didn’t realize how important it was to have money. After your money ran out from buying food for your room, you had to wait until your parents either send you money, or your next payday. I was annoyed with a lot of the students because all they would do is play cards the whole weekend. That is why I made it my business to go home to visit my mom every weekend. With the town being as small as it was, there was not much to do there as far as entertainment. I used to look forward to going home and seeing my girlfriend just to have some fun. All the girls at my college were either dating someone or they just wasn’t attractive enough to approach. My college tenure came to an end when my financial aid ran out. So I had to drop out and get a job to make ends meat. Although I was still in the reserves, I wasn’t making the money I would like to. So after about another year of working in factory-type jobs, I decided to join the navy where I could travel and see the world. I was very anxious to leave the state of North Carolina because if I had stayed, I probably would not have left. This was a great decision for me, and all I had to do was transfer my army information to navy. The next thing I knew, I was on my way to Great Lakes, Illinois. When I left the state of North Carolina, it was 85 degrees. I had shorts on and living it up. By the time the plane landed in Chicago, it was 55 degrees. I’m used to a warm climate, so you can imagine what I was going through. I noticed people staring at me once I got off the plane. I guess they were like, look at this fool for wearing shorts in Chicago. This was basically my first time out of North Carolina. I figured since it was hot where I was it would be hot everywhere else. Boy, was I wrong! There was a bus waiting to take us the navy base, and it was cold on the bus also. I froze the whole trip there, which took almost forty-five minutes to get there. It was in the middle of May when all this took place, I didn’t realize the weather would be cold in one state and hot in the others. Then when June 1st came, it’s like someone just turned on the heat. It stayed hot until I finished my training. Then from there, I had to go to Orlando, Florida to learn my job in the navy. They closed that base down some years later. I received my orders to the USS PORTLAND (LSD-37), which was here in Norfolk, Virginia. I was onboard that ship for a total of 5 years. I had some good times and bad, while being onboard. We have traveled and seen many different countries and learned about that country’s cultures. A lot of the places I visited, I only read about or saw on television. Two of my most memorable places were Haifa, Israel and Dakar, Senegal. In Israel, I went on a tour to Jerusalem and visited the “Wailing Wall”. That was a place where the Israelis would go to pray, but they would also write down their prayer and stick it in the wall. In Senegal, I was able to experience the African cultures and admire some of the great craftsmanship there. I also saw the women carrying bundles of laundry on their heads. That was something I always saw on television and to actually see it up close was amazing. I met my wife when she was attending Norfolk State University. This was back in October 1993. I was in Norfolk for only a month and then we met. I had intentions to date many women, and I wanted to have one in every city in Virginia. That was my initial plan, but it didn’t work out that way. My wife and I dated, and I had proposed to her once I had returned from my first deployment. She said yes and we were married in 1994 in New York. Shortly afterwards, my oldest daughter, Bria was born. Then two years later, my son came. I was on top of the world at that time because I was a family man and I was having fun in the military. The bad part about all this was it took me away from my family. That was the hardest thing for me because I hated saying goodbye to my wife and kids. My wife understood I had a job to do, but my kids could not. It would tear me up inside each time they shed any tears. Finally in September 1998, my time was up on the PORTLAND and it was time for me to work closer to my family. Before that could happen, I had to leave and go to school in San Antonio, Texas for law enforcement training. My training was six weeks long; however, I had the time of my life. I recall when it had rained for two days straight , which caused a flood in San Antonio. The sun came out all of a sudden, and the water had evaporated. It looked as if it never rained at all. Once my time was up there, I received orders to work at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. I had to commute from Virginia Beach to Washington, D.C. a lot. I was doing security for the Chief of Naval Operations, who was the top four star admiral in the navy. The work schedule was set up for me to work only fifteen days a month. I loved that schedule, even though it required a lot of hours. With having fifteen days off a month, it was great because we had plenty of time to plan our different activities or functions. The down side to it was taking leave because you had so much time off to handle a lot of your affairs. Well, I had to commute from Virginia Beach when I had to handle my affairs. Most of the others lived in the Northern Virginia or Maryland area. I had a blast in Washington, D.C. because of the different sites that are there. I learned a little more about some of the history that took place in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The Pentagon alone was a site for sore eyes. The building is huge, and it has over 26,000 military and civilian employees working there. Being in the security department I met some very important people there. We had the first African-American Master Chief in the Navy who would visit from time-to-time. His name was Carl Brashear and Cuba Gooding, Jr. did a movie about his life called Men of Honor. It felt good rubbing elbows with the head honchos that help keep our country safe. I was enjoying life at the Pentagon the three and a half years I was there. I even tried to get duty extended for an extra six months, but my request was denied. I managed to meet many people whom I would call pretty good friends. One day they were there and the next they were not. What I mean is this, during 9/11, the Pentagon was hit by a plane and it killed thousands of military and civilian personnel. This is not including the passengers on the plane. It kind of freaked me out because I was at work the day before and it happened the next day. My wife was crying because she was wondering if it had happened the day before. There were people I spoke to the day before and now I will never speak to them again. It was my day off and I was home watching the news when the Twin Towers were hit by those two planes. When all that happened, I couldn’t believe what just took place. Now at that time, I had no knowledge of the Pentagon being hit also. My friend from Atlanta called me to see if I was alright, and I told him I was fine and that it was the Twin Towers that was hit. He said, “No, the Pentagon was hit too!” I immediately changed the channel to see what had taken place. Then I got on the phone and tried to call my job, but the lines were busy. Communication was lost for most of the day and they immediately locked Washington, D.C. down. No one could enter of leave the area unless it was emergency medical staff. You had the following law enforcement there: FBI, CIA, Secret Service, Pentagon Police, State Police, Arlington Police, and John Walsh from the show America’s Most Wanted. He was actually a down to earth guy. All this began just after nine o’ clock in the morning, and I didn’t talk to anyone from my job until eleven o’ clock that night. My supervisor called me asking could I come on in to work now. I told him I have to get some sleep before I get there because I was up all day trying to get through to them. So, I went to sleep and got a few winks then I got dressed and drove to Northern Virginia. It was total chaos when I arrived there. You could see some of the plane sticking out from the side of the building. My supervisor was trying to have us set up posts somewhere, but security was covered with all those law enforcement agencies on hand. My supervisor tried to talk to different agencies to see if we could assist them in any way, but they just told us no. You would have thought he would have gotten the hint. He kept trying, so we ended up going to a building nearby to set up. It turned out to be a waste of time because our security manager wanted us to go home and not stay. My supervisor and security manager would bump heads quite often, which became annoying after a while. It impacted many of our security staff because they were at work when it happened. Their adrenaline had kicked in, and they helped evacuate the personnel from the fire that took place in the Pentagon. Then after it was over, it set in what they just went through. It caused some of the guys to lose it, and we had to relieve them of their weapons. That was a very intense time for everyone. I was taken out of that stressful environment because it was starting to affect me and I was in charge of the junior personnel. So, my security manager had me work with the locksmith division. We had to go back into the Pentagon and assess the damages in many different offices. We immediately started enhancing security measures for all the personnel at the Pentagon. My mind was a little more at ease because I had the other locksmiths to keep my mind off of what just happened. They have a very large bulletin board displayed by the medical clinic with all the names and pictures of the brave men and women who lost their lives. Many people died where they were sitting when the plane crashed into the building. Some tried to cover themselves up and all were left were their bones. The walls and floors were covered in black tar-like substances. A cleaning company was hired to clean the Pentagon; however, considering the time frame they had to work with, they did a great job. Later, I moved on to another ship called the USS ARTHUR W. RADFORD (DD-968). No sooner than I reported in, the ship was getting ready to deploy over seas for six months. Now, I had to go through this all over again with my family. My family was hurt once again, but we had to set sail anyway. We left during the summer of 2002, and I was able to come back two weeks early. I arrived early January 2003 and was picked up by my wife and children. I was so glad to see them. Two weeks later, my ship pulled in ,and I had to meet them there. I had to work the duty while the others got the chance to be with their loved ones. After everyone took some time off, the ship was preparing itself for decommissioning. There were some things that had to be accomplished in order for this to happen. We did it and the ship was ready. Everyone put on his or her dress uniforms for the special ceremony. The ship was decommissioned in March 2003, and everyone parted ways on to his or her next destination. My final destination landed me on the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN-73). I’m not going to lie, it was totally different from any other ship I have ever been on. There were only certain hallways you can walk in because it maybe either enlisted or officers only. That created a problem because many times it would be easier to take an officer’s hallway to get to your workstation or office, but you would have to take the long way around to get to your office. I have worked with many sailors in my time, but the sailors I had working for me took the cake. They were definitely a different breed because they were the laziest bunch of people I have ever seen. They didn’t want to work, but they were always ready to go home. At one time, I had 40 sailors working for me. I have never seen young men and women complain as much as they did. I had a supervisor who was retiring, so his mind was on one thing and that was retiring. After he retired, another guy became my supervisor and he definitely had a problem with me. My right-hand man was supposed to have my back and sometimes he would drop the ball. This was his excuse, he didn’t feel comfortable telling the others to get to work. So when I would come back from a meeting or two, I would see everyone sitting around in the office. I would ask the question, “What’s going on in here?” Then all of a sudden, everyone will scatter to his or her assigned workstation. I then would pull him to the side and bust his chops for a little while. I would tell him look that the others have to separate off time and work. When you are at work, you are supposed to be working. And when you are off duty-you are off. That’s when you can call each other by your first names or what have you. It took him a long time to realize what I have been trying to tell him all that time. The ship would go out and do training exercises and while we were out for about a week or so, a guy in my department decided he wanted to paint our sleeping area. Now, that wasn’t a bad idea, but the guy volunteered to do it knowing he was going to transfer to another place of duty as soon as we returned from sea. It was on a Saturday evening when we returned home. We pulled back in and the guy ended up leaving the ship for good. By this time, my division officer was asking me if the painting would be completed by the next day. I said, “Yes sir, it will.” I told him the duty section would finish up the painting. So I left for the evening to spend time with my family. Keep in mind, the duty section totally ignored what was instructed of them. The next day, my division came into work, and he noticed that the painting wasn’t completed. He immediately called me and told me to come into work. It was eight o’ clock in the morning when he called me. I was highly upset with him, so I didn’t arrived until one o’ clock in the afternoon. Once I arrived, he started reprimanding me for the painting not being completed. I just stood there and took the abuse. He was saying some things you would not normally say to a person. Then he wanted some of my sailors to clean a workstation that wasn’t ours to clean. One of my sailors refused to do it and she let him know that it wasn’t right for her to clean someone else’s workstation. She left him where he was standing and went into our office. He had already instructed me to finish the painting because it wasn’t completed. I had put on my coveralls and I began to paint. Some of my guys were asking me why was I here and I told them the painting wasn’t done, so I have to finish it. They stopped watching television and put on their coveralls also and we finished painting. This was around the time when hurricane Isabel had hit back in 2003,and they had everyone on a curfew. I didn’t leave the ship until nine o’ clock that night and I was highly upset. The next morning after morning muster, I pulled that duty section who didn’t do what was asked and I reprimanded them and gave them extra work to do. During one of our exercises, we pulled into Key West, Florida. We were anchored out because the carrier was too big for the piers. We took an ferry boat out on liberty, and the weather began to change. It started raining and the harbor waters were too rough for the ferry boat to go back and forth. So it caused havoc when people were trying to go back to the ship. We pretty much were stranded until they said we could go back out and get a room to stay dry. You had over 2,000 people out there at one time. It was horrible because people had to sleep in cots with no blankets or they slept on the ground. That was a rough port visit and everyone was affected by it in a negative way. I was considered essential personnel, so they sent a helicopter out to pick me up, but those others could go out and have some more fun. The beginning of the new year had come and we left for our six month deployment. On Super Bowl Sunday, 2004, our captain scheduled us to do a chemical, biological, and radiological exercise, where we would have to done our gas masks. We were off the coast of Spain during that time. Just a week prior, everyone had to get a small-pox and anthrax shot. I wasn’t able to receive the small-pox shot because my blood pressure was too high, so they gave me the anthrax shot. Now the following week, we had the training exercise, and I ended up breaking out into hives. I had an allergic reaction to my mask, but I had some benadryl and I took it. The rash had gone away, and later on that evening I had another reaction where I broke out into hives. This time I was rushed to the medical staff, where I was given allegra to take. I took the allegra and the hives left again. I had taken a shower and I was going to bed for the night. I was sleeping and I woke up in the middle of the night because I was coughing badly. I was unable to breathe and my right-hand man asked me if I was all right. I told him I was and then I got up to use the bathroom. I lied back down, and I still could not breathe. I got up and sat in a chair to see if I could get any relief, but I was unable to. By this time, some of my other guys asked me if I was all right and I told them I wasn’t. They said, “ Do you want me to call for medical emergency?” I told them, “yes!” During this time, it felt like everything was closing in on me and I was struggling for air. Some of my guys sat me down and by the time medical and the security staff arrived, I was sitting with a glazed look in my eyes. They had called for me to see if I was all right. They yelled, “Petty Officer Dockery, are you alright?” I didn’t respond at that time. They said again, “ If you can understand me, tell me your first name.” I said, “William”. They said, “Tell me your last name.” Before I could tell them, I had passed out, and they immediately started to administer CPR. As they were doing it, they told my guys to leave the area. I had lost a pulse and one of my guys had heard that. He started freaking out and crying, but the corpsman kept administering CPR. They did CPR for over 8 minutes. Yes, that is not a typo. They did it for 8 minutes. My brain had went without oxygen during all that time not counting while I was sleep, struggling to breathe. Once my pulse came back, they began to stick a tube in my mouth so I can breathe me. All I realized was something was going in my mouth and I started swinging to get it to stop. I heard a voice, “Please, let us do this. It will be okay.” I had calmed down and I let them finish their job. Then I was put on the Gurnee and hauled off to medical. The air department staff were standing by waiting for further instructions because the were going to fly me off the ship. We were 8 hours ahead of the U.S. and the surgeon called my wife who was sleeping and told her what had happened. They informed her I was in very grave status. They said, “If we call you before 7:00 am your time, then it’s not good. If we call you after 7:00 am, then we will be flying him off the ship.” Now, after my wife heard all that, she was not able to go to sleep afterwards. They ended up calling after seven and I was flown to Palma, Spain. I spent a day there, where someone was there to translate all the information for me. I was under some serious sedation. I started coming to when we were about to land in Germany. I was going to Landsduhl Medical Hospital. They did a series of MRI’s and EEG’s on my brain and the results were negative. They had to check to see if my brain was damaged or not. I finally came to and found myself hooked to many tubes. I was in the intensive care ward. The doctor had come into the room and asked me how was I. I started to answer when I realized it was taking me a long time to get my words out. I was suffering from tremors, but I didn’t know what was going on. The doctor explained to me what it was and asked me if I knew what day it was. I said, “It is the 3rd of February.” I thought it was the next day after the Super Bowl, but three days had gone by. I lost track of 3 days that I will never get back. My body would shake or when I tried to talk, it would shake in my voice. The doctor informed me that I was out for 8 minutes and I immediately started crying because I was legally dead. After the doctor left the room, I started praying to God and thanking him for giving me another chance. I truly realized that I was not supposed to be alive. My wife called my room and she was telling me she was coming out to Germany. I told her to stay because that would be a waste of money and we could use it for other things. Besides, I was coming home in about two weeks. I stayed in the intensive care unit for three days and was moved to the regular ward. They had a catheter in me, but it was removed. Meanwhile, back on the ship, my guys were worried sick about me. Some didn’t eat or sleep for over a week. So, I was able to call my right-hand man’s wife and tell her I was okay, just very weak. I told her to email everyone and let him or her know. She did and everyone was relieved. I was supposed to fly back on a Gurnee, but the Lord made a way for me to walk. I was walking slowly, but I was able to walk. It was finally time to leave, and the bus had pulled up. As I was getting on the bus, an officer was looking at my file, and her mouth dropped. I said, “I know, I’m not supposed to be here right now.” This is why I’m so thankful even today. The plane landed back in Norfolk, where my wife was there to pick me up. She drove us home, so I could relax. After about two weeks of medical leave, I was sent to a duty station on limited duty. I had to visit a number of doctors and go through extensive physical therapy. I had to learn how to walk, talk, and write all over again because my neurological system was all messed up. I was going to all my therapy sessions too. Now, one particular session, I kind of overexerted myself. I ended up falling to the floor and when the corpsman tried to pick me up, I immediately had a seizure. Now, no one had told me I would probably have seizures in the future. This happened at eleven o’ clock in the morning and I didn’t come to about four o’ clock. They have given me dilantin to take and I couldn’t drive for six months. So, my wife had to drive to work and to my doctor appointments. I didn’t like that at all because I like to get up and go when I feel like it. I was also upset because I had driven to my therapy session that day. I could have killed myself or someone on I-264. I was showing signs of improvement and the medical review board made the decision that I would not be fit for duty even if I was extended for eight more months on limited duty. They made the decision to place me on Temporary Disabled Retired List (TDRL). Keep in mind, I was in the Navy for 12 years and had no intentions of getting out. Basically, I was not prepared to get out. Here I am with a physical condition where I can’t do anything to physical without doing harm to myself. I was medically retired with all my benefits, but I wasn’t paid for caused my disability. I was paid for hypertension, but not for the brain injury. When it was time to file my claim, someone on Veteran’s Affairs end dropped the ball. My ship had their part in it also because my medical record was in their possession, and they claimed it was mailed to me. Now, a decision was made without all the important information that was needed. This was in January 2005 when all this was taking place. After my retirement, I was in no rush to get back to work. I lay around the house trying to take it easy and watch soaps and movies. Yes, I watch Young and The Restless. I did that for about two months then I got a job. I slowly paced myself, so I started out as a newspaper carrier. I honestly have the utmost respect for newspaper carriers because they have to go through so much. When they say rain, sleet, or snow, that’s exactly what they mean. I realized how rough it was to be a carrier. With gas prices increasing and paying for bags for the papers, your check becomes almost non-existent. The company would charge you $10-$15 for a case of bags. About four o’ clock in the morning, on a Saturday, I was on my paper route, and I had a close encounter with a stray pit bull. I got out of my truck and left it running. There was a stray dog that had come from around the corner and I was too far away from my truck. I had five newspapers in my hand when the dog walked up to me. I stopped dead in my tracks and waited to see what the dog was going to do. The closer the dog came, the angrier it become. It was growling and barking at me. I still did not move. It barked for fifteen minutes straight, and I was hoping someone would wake up and complain. For a while, no one did and it scared me because the dog was definitely in an attack mode. I was so scared because of my condition, I was not able to run at all. I was so scared, so the only thing I could do is cry. Tears started rolling down my face and the dog stopped barking and walked away behind my truck. Shortly after that, the police drove around the corner. The pit bull kept its eyes on me as it was walking. Once the officer pulled up, He asked where the dog was and called animal control. Animal control came and took the dog away. I worked delivering the newspaper for five more months before I started working at Norfolk State University. That was an interesting job because basically all I did was babysit college students. The majority of the students wanted to be treated like adults, but yet the students acted like children. While working there, I tried different work from home opportunities. Neither of those opportunities worked out. Six months later, I got into real estate. I was a loan officer for Access Mortgage, Kod in Virginia Beach. I was excelling in the mortgage industry too. I was gaining all kinds of knowledge by learning something new on a daily basis. I became the manager in a short period of time. Then all of a sudden, the real estate market began to go sour. It stirred from homes’ equity skyrocketing to where everyone thought it was a great thing. In all actuality, it began to hurt because once everyone refinances, now his or her payments would begin to rise. There was a great need for many to use some of the equity to pay off bills or even go on vacation. The requirements for purchasing or refinancing became a lot stricter because the market was drying up. It affected hundreds of banks and mortgage companies around the United States. Every time you turned around, you would hear about this company or that one going bankrupt because of the subprime loans that were handed out. That started the whole foreclosure situation, which now affects millions of people across the country. It seemed like every month or so changes were being made to loan requirements. The credit scores to qualify were increasing also. It made things very difficult to get loans passed through, causing a person who would normally qualify, not qualify. Now, you have a lot of people who do not qualify trying to purchase a home, and that’s frustrating. My company was feeling the effects on the new changes, and it started experiencing financial difficulties. Some of my colleagues were having issues with their paychecks. Some people would deposit their checks into their accounts and it would be insufficient funds for those checks. Once I realized that, it was time for me to look for another job. During my stints with Norfolk State University and the mortgage company, my childhood friend went back to school and he received his associates and bachelor’s degree. He suggested I should go back to school and get my degree as well. I took what he said under advisement, but I continued to work. The market really changed for the worse, which affected the mortgage company. So I decided to leave and find work elsewhere. I didn’t want to leave because I truly enjoyed talking and educating people about homeownership.
On the night of August 8, 2008, the sound of heavy footsteps thundered across the Birds Nest as colossal burning footprints marched in the sky along Beijing's central axis all the way through the Olympic Green to the National Stadium. As the last footprint lit up the sky above the National Stadium, spectators all over the world began a virtual tour of Chinese culture; what they saw was ancient China and young China, a nation wishing to build a harmonious home together with friends from all parts of the world.More than 20,000 performers from all parts of China including Hong kong, Macao and Chinese Taipei, regaled audience members with martial arts performances and artistic story telling through song and dance. On the ever-changing backdrop and accompanied by amazingly complex displays of fireworks, the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was launched, literally, with a bang. The creative team BOCOG started soliciting programs worldwide for the Opening Ceremony in 2005. In 2006, 13 winning proposals started on their second round of competition. Based on the final results, a five-member directors' group was appointed from the three best teams. Zhang Yimou was chosen as artistic director and Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya were selected as deputy artistic directors. Yu Jianping became director of the technology group and Lu Jiankang was made production director of the Opening Ceremony.
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ALL ABOUT SNAKES
Stephanie Grenon
Ms. Hofheimer
ENG 120
September 1, 2008
Table of Contents
Chapbook- “All About Snakes” 3
King Cobra 3-4
Fear and Hollywood 4-7
Choosing a Snake 7-9
Baby vs. Adult 9-11
Caging 12-13
Bedding 13-15
Caging Accessories 16-17
Picking out your snake 17-18
Morph Vs. Normal 18-19
Boa Morphs 20
Python Morphs 20-21
Black Eyed Leucistic 21-22
Blue Eyed Leucistic 22-23
Corn Morphs 24
Sickness and Treatments 24-44
Why Breed Snakes 44-45
More Python Morphs 45-47
Works Cited 48
Stephanie Grenon
Ms. Hofheimer
Eng 120
1 September 2008
Chapbook: All about Snakes
Snakes, the word alone puts fear in the hears of over half of the community, according to Harris Poll (Humphrey, par 4). 71% of people are afraid of snakes. Men make up 22% and the other 49% are the women. I can see why people are afraid of venomous snakes, but I don’t understand why they are afraid of non-venomous snakes. Venomous snakes aren’t scary just the thought of getting bitten by one. They are actually beautiful snakes, all with different features, designs, and patterns. The venomous snakes are colorful and exotic looking (Kisoich). Some of the snakes do look a little out of the ordinary, but that is so they are able to catch their prey and live in their particular environment. This site describes them to a “T” (Ophiophigas). What could be one of the most dangerous snakes is the infamous Cobra.
King Cobra
The King Cobra is the largest, most venomous snake and on top of that can stand straight up to two-thirds their body size. There is a picture is of a man (unnamed) holding a large King Cobra. The King Cobra not only is intimidating but also incredibly smart and very curious. In a zoo in Philadelphia, they are described as one of the most intelligent snakes they can recognize the different people that work there and their habits. They know when their enclosure is going to be opened and would wait by the door in order to escape. Although it would be bad if they escaped they wouldn’t go looking for revenge against the people that put them there, they just want to get out and explore some more. Being stuck in the same place for an extended period of time can get boring even to a snake. There are now three doors leading into the Cobras enclosure, and they do not use the same door twice in a row. They have a secret, random way to figure out which door to use so they aren’t greeted by a King Cobra (Ophiophigas, pg5). Snakes are not killing machines they will avoid people if at all possible. Even the most deadly, and the smartest snake known will avoid human contact if possible, so if the King Cobra will avoid human contact why wouldn’t a non-venomous snake avoid contact? Good news! They will.
Fear and Hollywood
I have found even in owning my snakes that people are scared more of the look and the thought more so than the snakes themselves. People have a twisted misconception about snakes, which plays into why they are scared of them. Most of this comes from Hollywood. Just like they do with sharks, wolves, and tigers they know it sells and they know it sells even better when it puts fear in peoples heart and mind. They take these beautiful animals and make people so afraid of them that they kill them on sight instead of leaving them alone. People seem to think that just because they can kill means that they go out of their way to harm people. This just isn’t true. The carnivorous animals help keep the population down on other creatures that aren’t as “scary looking”. Think of it this way; if there were no snakes to eat the mice, rats and other rodents that crawl around everywhere think of what the population would be in your house. There are already countless numbers of mice and rats in peoples houses, whether they know about them or not, that amount would be doubled if the snakes were not around to eat them. If people would take the time to get educated on these animals they might still have the fear of being bitten, which is a good fear to have, but they wouldn’t be afraid of just the thought of a snake. Which means the thought of owning a snake, as a pet would appeal to many more people, and having a snake as a pet would be more understandable to others.
I cannot tell you about the looks I get playing with my babies, it is quite entertaining to me. I will have on a nice evening outfit, with my makeup done and five inch heals on looking all cute and “did up”. I will walk outside and have friends and family ooing and awing over me until they see my Jungle Ball Python crawling around my neck and hair. They automatically jump back the moment they see him, get all scared and their attitude goes from aww how cute to “What in the Hell?!” It amazes his me that so many people are afraid of him even though he is only around two feet long and not close to being full-grown. Even more so that they can be around him for five, six minutes with no problem as long as they don’t see him, but as soon as they see him is when they get scared. If he was so mean and scary then he would have tried to do something while they didn’t recognize him. Snakes like any animal will go for easy prey. What is easier than something that doesn’t even see you? I guess it is like when I played Ice Hockey, I would show up in heels a skirt and a nice “fancy shirt” then look on my shoulder to see a stinky hockey bag, with a stick in my hand. It isn’t exactly the look people are used to be seeing in the hockey rink. I loved those looks too because it made me laugh and it made people think that I was to “girly” to play hockey and I was no good on the ice. Yeah right! I was one of the meanest people on my team. I was one of the enforcers, and depending on who the referee was I could live in the box for a good period or two. Not that I tried to get in there, but I was mean I would run people into the boards, check them to get the puck stuff like that. It was so fun then after the game or practice I would get all “dressed up” again. It amazed people. The same goes for the snakes they look all mean and evil, but in reality are so sweet, and fun. They have their own enchantment to them that is different from any other animal. You may not be able to play fetch or comb their hair as you would a dog, or a cat, but they offer a whole new experience people just have to be willing to be open to it instead of cowering in fear. I have found even in talking to people about my snakes at first they are scared and amazed that someone like me would have a snake. I offer them the chance to hold them or touch them, and most of the time I have to persuade people to and ask them more than once. After I convince them to hold and touch them have I changed their opinion because they can see first hand how the snakes are soft, almost silky smooth, and not really dangerous, but curious animals that really mean no harm to anyone, except maybe a rat or a mouse. When you do decide that a snake is the pet for you then you need to consider everything there is that goes along with owning a snake.
Choosing a snake
When thinking about buying a snake you need to first consider what kind of snake you want. Snakes are like dogs; some get bigger than others and require different specifications. For first time owners I would recommend a Ball Python. They, to me, are the easiest to own. Others would recommend a Corn Snake but I do not like Corn snakes, although they do have bright vibrant colors and stay relatively small. I think they are ugly, and very squirmy.
I would suggest a Ball because (not only are they one of my two favorite types of snake) they do not get much bigger than seven feet, depending on the sex, and they are quite tame. If they are afraid they will curl up into a ball and you can literally roll them around on the floor (I don’t recommend this), and, most of the time, will not bite. If they hiss just put them back into the cage and don’t mess with them while they calm down a little bit. The other one of my favorites is my next suggestion. Although they can be more aggressive and are not as timid as a Ball, and they do get bigger than a Ball Python will; they also have a beautiful pattern and have their own unique mystery about them. It is the Boa Constrictor. In specific the Red Tailed Boa Constrictor they have a beautiful red tail (hence the name). The Boas are a lot bolder than a Python is but as long as they are treated well, have food, aren’t scared or feel threatened they are just fine, and are quite nice. Now I wouldn’t suggest getting this as a first time owner because the first timer will probably have some nerves going and snakes, just like any animal, can sense fear which in turn can make them on the defensive side. A boa can get up to ten feet long and over forty pounds. When buying a big snake like this there are several things you need to consider. First they will be around for around 30 years. That is a long-term commitment! You need to make sure that there is someone who will help you to handle it when it gets bigger, and you need to make sure you will be able to handle the feeding. What starts out as a mouse and a rat leads into small mammals, rabbits, gunny pigs, etc. Now after you have chosen the type of snake you need to consider whether or not you want a baby or an adult.
Baby vs. Adult
You think about it and decide you want a baby snake to take care of it and watch it grow. Great! Baby snakes are a lot less intimidating and very cute. They have a bright, vibrant color, and are very soft (like freshly shaved skin with baby oil on it). A baby snake as you can see (depending on the kind) can be smaller than a berry!
While the babies are very cute they are also timid and shy. A baby Python (any snake really) is more likely to bite, hiss or strike just because it is a baby and doesn’t know any better. The more you handle it the better it will be and the more “friendly” it will become. It will get used to being handled and it won’t stress the snake out as much. Snakes do have their own personality. I have a few that are moody and others that are the sweetest in the world. Justin, my boyfriend, just bought a Spider Ball Python, a baby only 3 weeks old and only had one meal. Man I swear that snake hates Justin he has bitten, hissed, and struck at Justin ever since he got him. I went and picked the snake up before Justin even had a chance to say anything and the snake didn’t do any of that. He loves to get played with by me. He has never even hissed at me before. One time I had him and he was exploring everything calmly and quietly until right when I handed him to Justin then he went nuts and started hissing as Justin. I thought it was so funny because Justin handed the snake back to me and he was calm again. There is just something that the snake doesn’t like about Justin. He wasn’t too happy about that, but now that the snake is older he knows better and he doesn’t hiss or bite him anymore. Even in the same household the snake can play favorites (maybe not to that extreme) but when the snake is out of the cage and one person is holding it; it may slither to another person in the house because there is something that the snake likes better about that other person. Just like any other animal in your house. Take your dogs, when you get home with the others living in your house that does the dog go to first? That is his favorite right, so why wouldn’t snakes be the same?
Full-grown snakes are also available for sale as well as the baby ones. You will pay more for a full-grown snake because of the cost to care for it for years, but you will not have to worry about raising it or feeding it pinkie mice or rats. A full-grown snake is good if you want one that is already fully used to being handled and has a good eating habit. You want to breed it right away or just show off your fully-grown large snake. No matter which type of snake you want or what size you want you will have to have proper caging for it.
Caging Requirements
No matter what snake you have an escape proof cage is required. A glass reptile aquarium is the best way to go, unless you want to breed them. I specify reptile because you cannot just go out and buy any aquarium or use your old fish aquarium because there are differences between the two. For instance a fish aquarium is deep but no to wide and the lid just sits on the top because the fish will not climb up to the top and try to escape, as a snake will.
A reptile aquarium is not as deep, but it is wider so the snake can grow and the lid has clips on it so when the snake tries to escape (and it will trust me) it cannot push the top off and get out. Now you can get a cheap 20-gallon aquarium for $50 or go all out, like the picture above, and spend thousands of dollars to spoil your snake (you know if you are a millionaire and have nothing better to spend your money on).
If you want to breed snakes than having 20 and 30 glass aquariums can get pretty crowded, so there is a better way to house snakes if you plan on keeping a lot of them. It is called a snake rack. It has plastic containers stacked on top of each other and they slide under either a wood rack or plastic rack. It can look something like this. This is fine for a snake as long as you have bedding and water in there. Plus using these they normally have a good shed. After you figure out which cage you are going to use you then need to figure out which bedding you are going to use, but there are some you HAVE to stay away from.
Bedding
Bedding is an important part of any reptile or any animal for that matter. You will want something that is easy to clean up, but something that hides odors well. You also want to make sure that what you use for your snake is not going to be able to get swallowed by the snake because that could cause problems. Here is a few different types of bedding and benefits of each. First is a few types of bedding you should not use for your snake because it could cause serious harm or even kill your pet. Sand: It is fine for lizards’ ad some geckos but not for a snake because the dust could bother the snake and if they swallow it they could get an internal infection. Pine Bark Chips: Not a bad bedding, but if you are going to use it you will want to find a distributor that can tell you for sure that it isn't treated with any chemicals or pesticides first though! This is good bedding for snakes but makes scooping waste a problem. You can't see it as it is the same color as the chips I wouldn't use it for smaller lizards like Leopard Geckos as it looks like it is hard to walk on. The pieces are too big. Bedding Brick: I don't know the exact name for this stuff. It is either made by Zoo-Med or Tetra Terrafauna, not sure. It comes in a brown brick sized package. It is compressed somehow and when you add water to it takes up a lot of room. One brick did it for my 36x18" breeder tank. It is some sort of small wood/dirt fiber not exactly sure. They claim that it is totally digestible which is a good thing; the particles are quite small and soft so I believe that it is digestible. This stuff gets DUSTY when dried out. I stopped using it for this reason. If you have a humidity loving species and keep it damp it is fine though. Pine Shavings: Toxic! Don’t use Pine. They give off fumes that can be harmful. DO NOT EVER USE CEDAR BEDDING!!! Cedar bedding is very toxic to reptiles and will kill them! Actually it is toxic to the small mammals it is generally used for too. Corncob Litter: No! Don't use it! It is indigestible and too large to pass thru the intestines safely. Not to mention it swells when it hits water. Can cause impaction very quickly. Crushed Walnut Shells: This stuff goes by several brand names. Read the ingredients. I think one of them is "Lizard Litter". This stuff is the worst. Right up there with corncob litter as far as dangerous. Crushed walnut shells are NOT digestible as it states on the package. Worse than that the pieces are shaped so they lock together if ingested and can clump up in the animals system.
Beddings that you can use are;
Newspaper: Unsightly but easy to clean up and healthy by most standards. Some claim that the ink can be bad for the lizard or snake even though most black ink on newsprint is soy-based. I have never had any problems. If you believe the ink to be a problem most newspapers out there recycle a lot of unprinted newsprint. Call around you area and I'm sure you can find some. I work at a weekly paper and we always have some on hand for a small fee. Paper Towels: Also unsightly but easy to clean. Just throw out the soiled pieces and start all over. Cypress Mulch: It is non-toxic; the pieces are large enough to not get ingested. It holds moisture well and cypress is naturally bug resistant. I use this for a lot of my snakes and all my tortoises. This stuff can be hard to find in some locales. Aspen Bedding: I use this stuff with my snakes and I love it! It has a nice texture and isn't dusty. You can scoop out waste as it kind of clumps around it. Although bedding and proper caging is a big part of owning a snake, but if you do not want your snake to be bored or stressed all day then you will need caging accessories.
Caging Accessories
When the cage is set up with all the bedding you will still need a few more things in order to keep your snake from being stressed. First is obvious you will need a water bowl that is big enough for the cage. This will not only provide water for your snake, but also will provide humidity in the cage, which is necessary for proper shedding and to keep the skin in proper condition. The snake may soak in the water bowl so you will want one that is big enough for it to curl up in. It may also defecate in it so you will want to check it on a regular basis and keep clean fresh water in it. You may also want to put a tree branch or something for the snake to climb on and it also provides a rough surface to assist the snake during the shedding process. You will want to put a “hide box” in the cage that is just big enough for the snake because most snakes will look for a dark secluded place to hide in the wild and feel more comfortable and stress free when they have a dark place to hide in. Now that the inside of the cage is set up you will also want to have either a heat pad, or heat lamp in order to keep the temperature of the cage right; because snakes are cold blooded they depend on their environment to keep warm. Normally a 100-watt light is good for a 20-30 gallon tank it can even be used in a 40-gallon tank but I prefer a 150 watt for my 40 gallon tank. If you prefer a under cage heat pad there are different types of heaters available. The temperature will depend on the type of snake you own. A ball python usually needs a cage that is 80 - 85 F (27 - 29 C) during the day, with a basking spot of around 90 F (32 C). Nighttime temperatures can fall to around 75 F (23 -24 C) as long as an area of 80 F is maintained. A Boa needs a cage that is 82-90 F (28-32 C), with a basking area kept at 90-95 F (32-35 C). At night, the ambient air temperature may be allowed to drop down no lower than 78-85 F (26-30 C). Special reptile heating pads that are manufactured to maintain a temperature about 20o higher than the air temperature may be used inside the enclosure. NEVER EVER use a heat rock! Since snakes are cold blooded they cannot tell that a rock is too hot until their body get warm, and by then they could already have sever burns. The snake will not even know that it is getting burnt because it doesn’t have feelings like humans, or other animals do. Heat rocks are extremely dangerous and can even, under certain circumstances, can start a fire in the bedding inside the cage. In order to make sure the temperature and the humidity are correct inside the cage you will want to invest in a thermostat and a hygrometer will be necessary at the bottom of the cage, where your snake lives, to determine whether or not you will need more or less humidity or heat. It does no good to know the temperature at the top of the cage; the snake doesn’t live up there. Now that you know what kind of snake you want and have set the cage up accordingly it is time to go and buy your snake.
Picking out your snake
When you go to the pet store to pick out your snake (which I recommend unless you know the online breeder or online company breeders history) there are a few things you want to do. You do not ever want to just go in and pick one you think looks good and pay for it; you do not really know what you are getting. Before buying your snake you want to look at it closely. Pick it up look at its eyes and make sure they are clear and not cloudy (unless they are shedding, you should be able to tell, but ask if the eyes aren’t clear). Pay attention to what it does when you pick it up, does it move around actively and flick its tongue continually, or does it not move and keep its tongue in its mouth? You will want to inspect its skin and make sure that it doesn’t have any mites or ticks. Look inside and outside of the cage for signs of dirty, unhygienic surroundings. No matter how good the shop is, inevitably you will find sloughed skins, feces and other dirty materials in the cage. However, look at the consistency of your findings and excessively dirty surroundings. Overcrowding in tanks should be avoided, and if any dead animals are found in nearby enclosures, stay away from purchasing the animal. Make sure you are buying captive bred stock; wild caught snakes can harbor all sorts of problems and should be avoided by beginners. Look at the shape of the snake in its resting position. Never buy a snake that you see resting sideways, with its head tilted on the floor. If its mouth is slightly agape, stay away. The spine of the snake should be visible, but not to an excessive measure. It the snake looks skinny, do not buy it, regardless of its feeding habits. Most snakes are generally very consistent when sloughing their skin, so if you see one with bits of skin stuck all over it, be cautious. Loose folds in the skin are apparent in dehydrated snakes, advise the shop owner if you see this in their stock but do NOT purchase the animal. ‘Never purchase a snake or any other reptile based on your feelings for that animal. Many pet shops have come and gone, the best have always stayed the longest. Another way to buy a snake is from a specific breeder. Justin and I get ours from a man named Rob and he has been breeding for years. That is where we just recently got our baby Spider Ball Python. We got him when he was only a few weeks old, but that is because we know him and he knows us and recognizes that we know how to handle, and raise snakes. He has not only Pythons and Boas but also Corn. His collection of snakes surpasses $10,000 easily. He is a reputable breeder and does not sell the snakes if they haven’t eaten at least twice and shed once (other than when they come out of the egg). You can buy a snake that was imported over from another country but most of the time they are wild caught and can carry all sorts of parasites. They can even have internal problems that you will not even know about until the snake is already dead or you have to pay three times the snakes worth in vet bills. Another thing to look at when buying a snake is if you want a “normal” snake or what is called a morph.
Morphs vs. Normal
The only difference (between the same species of snake) is the pattern, and the color. Breeders base their price on this, so if you want a show snake than you will want to invest a little more so you can “show off” your snake. First time owners usually do not care what the snake looks like because they do not pay attention to patterns and designs as long as they can say they have a snake as a pet they are happy and there is noting wrong with that. All the snakes will have morphs so it doesn’t matter if you want a Boa, Corn, or a Python they each have their own set of morphs.
Boa Morphs
Boas have their own unique features and wonders about them. They typically are going to be more expensive because they will get bigger and cost more to care for, especially a full grown one, think of the upkeep for a pet store.
Albino Boa-
Carmel Lavender Boa-
Python Morphs
Pythons are a whole new set of morphs, which are very common right now. Pythons are one of the most common types of snake to own right now especially the Python morphs. Nothing gives you that sense of satisfaction than having the most rare morph in the snake world. Breeders, especially, pride themselves in owning and selling morphs. Not only do they make a pretty penny selling them, but they can also lead to unknown morphs and it would be awesome to discover a new snake morph. It could be worth a whole lot of money. Pythons have beautiful morphs, some of the most unique, I think.
Spider Pythons- Have one stripe down their back with little stripes running down the sides like spider legs.
Albino- Are not white snakes but more of a yellow color like the one to the right.
Piebalds- Can vary from just a stock white belly to 97% white animals. The white is often bordered by orange and a smearing of pattern.
There are so many more morphs but here are just a few that I think are really pretty. There is one Python morph that is more rare than the others. It is called the Leucistic Ball Python. There are two types of Leucistic Pythons. The Black Eyed Leucistic Ball Python is one of them, and the one that I want, the Blue Eyed Leucistic Ball Python.
The Black Eyed Leucistic
The Black Eyed Leucistic is the homozygous form of the Fire Ball. It is a bright, pied white snake with jet black eyes and bright red pupils. The scales are fine and smooth and there is a really nice aqua blue color above each eye on top of the From what I knew about genetics, there was no doubt that the Super Fire would be this spectacular Leucistic. This is the first Super Fire produced in the US. The long term potential of this project is immense. This is one of the Big traits, like Albino and Pied. Eventually everyone will want to have a White Ball Python in his or her collection. There is no other way to make the Black Eyed Leucistic other than with the Fire. The rarity of this trait along with the control of only the Fire producing them, makes this the most solid white snake investment. The Black Eyed Leucistic Python is an all white snake with a black eye and a red pupil like this picture.
Blue Eyed Leucistic
The Blue-Eyed Leucistic -the one snake I want more than any other- can be made from several different combinations. Thus far, these beautiful white gems have been produced from Lesser Platinum, Mojave, Phantom, and high-yellow animals from the Russo het Leucistic line. Some Blue-Eyed Leucistics have faint yellow dorsal striping, some may have a gray tinge to the head scales, and others have distinct ocular stripes. The most dramatic Blue-Eyed Leucistics are clean, pure white with startling blue eyes and no other pigmentation. Regardless of markings, it's easy to see why these splendid serpents have become a "Holy Grail" of ball python morphs! Unlike the Black Eyed Leucistic Python with the black eye with a red pupil: it has a bright blue eye with a black pupil. There are so many morphs that I could talk about, but first I am going to cover the Corn Snake morphs then I will go back and tell of more of the Python morphs. I a going to focus on the Python morphs because they are my favorite type of snake- I think they are the prettiest snakes and they do not get to big to handle or control- unlike the Boas—not that they get to big to handle, but I would rather have a smaller snake for when I have kids I will not worry so much because they Pythons are more likely to shy away when they see sudden movements unlike the Boas.
Corn Morphs
Amalysitc Corn snake (1)
Anythristic Corn (2)
Ghost Corn (3)
Blizzard Corn (4)
Although having a snake is exiting, new, and fun there are many different responsibilities. You cannot expect that a snake doesn’t have its own set of problem and issues. There are some things you need to be on the lookout for such as: ticks, mites, yellowbelly,
Diseases and Sickness
There are many different things you need to be on the lookout for in snakes such as:
Constipation: Is a common problem among captive snakes. Causes include suboptimal environmental temperature, illness, dehydration, injuries, parasitism, and cloacoliths (see below). Constipated snakes should be allowed to soak in very warm (not scalding hot) water for 20-30 minutes daily for 1-2 days. This often results in defecation and/or urination. It this conservative measure is not successful, veterinary help should be sought at once.
Cloacoliths: Dehydration of captive snakes (especially if long standing) may result in drying out of urinary excretions. When this occurs, uric acid "stones" tend to form within the cloaca ('cloacoloths'). Their presence in this location prevents expulsion of urinary waste and feces (constipation), which creates serious illness. Dehydration is a sign of disease and not a disease in itself, so it becomes the veterinarian's task to determine the underlying problem that caused the dehydration. Cloacoliths can usually be manually expelled with patience and the help of mineral oil enemas. Only an experienced veterinarian should attempt this procedure.
Prolapses: A prolapse occurs when an organ inverts itself inside out and protrudes through the usual external opening of that organ. Prolapses of the cloaca and reproductive organs are not uncommon among captive snakes. Often the cause cannot be determined. Straining during egg laying can precipitate prolapses or straining related to uric acid stones. Parasitic infections or other intestinal disease may also result in prolapses. Veterinary assistance is essential in these cases to treat the prolapse and determine the underlying cause, if possible.
Abnormal shedding: Occurs when the normal sequence of events of the shedding process is somehow interrupted. This usually results in a piece-meal shed and/or retained eye caps. Causes include serious internal disease, inadequate relative humidity, and previous injury (including surgery) to the skin and scales, external parasitism, lack of adequate objects against which to rub at the beginning of the shed, and thyroid gland problems. An abnormal shed indicates a problem that demands immediate attention. In these cases, consider all of the aforementioned causes, most of which demand veterinary assistance. Treatment of a snake with retained skin from an abnormal shed involves first soaking the snake in warm water for several hours. A damp towel can then be used to gently peel off stubborn skin fragments. An alternative to this manual method involves rolling the snake snugly in warm moist, heavy towels and allowing it to crawl out, leaving the stubborn skin fragments behind. This procedure can be repeated if necessary. (Woerpel, 19)
Retained eye caps: Are often a manifestation of an abnormal shed. The eye caps represent the outermost cellular layers of the corneas (the transparent portions of the eyes), which are supposed to be shed each time the outermost layers of the skin are shed. The retained caps must first be softened by repeated application of a suitable eye ointment. Next, an experienced veterinarian should attempt to carefully remove the corneal remnants. An inexperienced hobbyist should never attempt this.
Cancer: Occurs in snakes, but the number of reports is very limited. Some tumors have been diagnosed on living snakes, but most were diagnosed at the time of autopsy. As with mammals, tumors of snakes can be benign or malignant and originate from any organ or tissue of the body, including blood. Boa constrictors seem to be more often affected by cancer than other snakes commonly kept in captivity. This observation, however, may be the result of the disproportionately large number of boas kept by hobbyists because of their tremendous popularity. It is interesting to note, however, that most life-threatening malignancies that we have diagnosed in snakes have involved boa constrictors. Snake owners must be vigilant and seek prompt veterinary help when a growth or lump is detected on their snake(s) (especially if a boa constrictor is involved). "Mole-like" growths have been especially troublesome in our experience. Wounds that fail to heal despite treatment should make you equally suspicious.
Organ Failure: Failure of vital organ function may be the result of advancing age or cancer but is usually a consequence of chronic and unchecked disease among captive snakes. Disease that has gone undetected and/or untreated can have devastating and sometimes, fatal consequences. (Woerpel, 13) Under these circumstances, organ function is greatly compromised and the snake's usually smooth-running metabolism is threatened. Dehydration and uric acid build-up within the kidneys and possibly other vital organs further complicates the picture.
Nutritional Deficiencies: As stated earlier, nutritional deficiencies and disease resulting from malnutrition are relatively rare among captive snakes because of their habit of consuming whole prey animals. However, exclusive use of whole but immature prey animals, such as "pinkies" (neonatal mice and rats), juvenile goldfish and invertebrates, can create nutritional problems. Further, certain snakes that receive a monotonous diet (no variety of prey items) are also susceptible to nutritional deficiencies. The hobbyist must find ways to 'supplement' the prey items in these cases before they are offered to the snake. One method involves injecting the prey items with vitamin and/or mineral preparations. Another involves implanting a gelatin capsule filled with a powdered vitamin/mineral/amino acid supplement into the prey animal. (Woerpel,21)
Failure to Voluntarily Feed (Anorexia): Lack of appetite and failure to voluntarily feed are common problems among captive snakes. Despite the fact that snakes are uniquely suited to survive prolonged periods without feeding, the hobbyist must make every attempt to discover the reason(s) for the snake's failure to feed. This search must include the possibility of illness, since anorexia is a universal sign of disease in snakes. First consider the circumstances and situations during which snakes normally will not feed:
• Recent acquisition of a snake.
• Snake in pre-shed condition.
• Latter stages of pregnancy.
• Older, larger snakes feed less often than younger, smaller ones.
• Obese snakes occasionally engage in self-imposed fasts.
• Newborn or newly hatched snakes may not feed until after they've first shed 10-14 days after birth.
• Hyperactivity associated with the breeding season or the imposition of captivity on newly acquired high-strung species.
• Hibernation or attempts to hibernate.
• Illness
If all of the above have been rejected as causes for anorexia, you must next consider problems with husbandry. The most common cause for failure of a snake to voluntarily feed is inadequate environmental temperatures. Tropical snakes require temperatures between 75 to 85 F for normal activity and optimum digestive capacity. Subnormal temperatures lead to sluggishness and incomplete digestion. The food literally spoils inside the snake, producing serious illness, an early sign of which is vomiting. The next most common cause for captive snakes' refusing to feed is lack of adequate visual security. Many snakes require privacy while they feel. A hiding box or natural bark or rock retreat may be necessary. Sometimes placing the reluctant snake in a room burlap bag along with a dead or incapacitated prey item provides the security the snake requires to feed. Strategic placement of silk artificial plants may also help provide additional visual security. (Woerpel, 25)There may be one particular area of the enclosure in which the snake feels more secure. The food should be consistently placed where to encourage feeding. It is important to note that the presence of spectators often discourages nervous snakes from feeding. The enclosure should be covered in these cases and the snake's activity discreetly monitored.
It is extremely important for you to understand the natural history of the anorectic snake being kept in captivity. Reluctance or refusal to feed often is the result of some omission or mistake in husbandry. Burrowing species require sand or fine gravel in which to bury themselves. The snake can often be induced to strike at prey by gently dragging the prey item across the sand. Tree-dwelling species require branches within their enclosure. Some of these snakes may be encouraged to feed by hanging the food in the fork of a branch rather than placing it on the floor of the enclosure. If these specific husbandry requirements are not provided, certain snakes may not feed. Offering incorrect prey items nearly always causes a captive snake to refuse to eat. One should offer the prey items that the snake would feed n in the wild or similar more "domestic" food that is available. Following is a list of additional suggestions to consider when you are challenged with a snake that refuses to feed:
• Try feeding at different times of the day. Nocturnal (night-active) species cannot be expected to feed on prey items placed within the enclosure during the daytime.
• Try feeding nervous snakes that share an enclosure with other snakes in an environment separate from them. Often, the movement of other snakes in the same enclosure induces anorexia in nervous snakes.
• Moving a snake to a new or different enclosure may stimulate feeding.
• Reduce handling of especially nervous or newly acquired snakes to encourage feeding.
• Rubbing the food item over the sensitive areas of the snake's head (the nostrils and the areas surrounding the mouth) or gently hitting the snake with the prey may antagonize it to strike at the food.
• Offer live prey to snakes that have been consistently offered dead or incapacitated prey (with close supervision). Certain aggressive snakes and snakes with an impaired sense of smell may require live prey to successfully feed.
• For snakes that ordinarily eat live prey, try feeding dead or incapacitated live prey items. Often, the erratic motions of a rodent running around an enclosure can cause a snake to refuse to feed.
• Try feeding a smaller prey item. A snake that has been recently injured by a particularly large and aggressive prey animal may be reluctant to feed.
• Cater as much as possible to the individual preferences of an anorectic snake. If a snake refuses mice, try small rats, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits or even chicks. Some snakes can be very finicky.
If all of the above have been considered and attempted without success, take your snake to a veterinarian experienced with snakes. The veterinarian will collect a detailed history and conduct a through physical examination. It may be necessary to collect a blood sample to more thoroughly evaluate the patient. Take along a fecal (stool) sample from the snake so the veterinarian can also check for intestinal parasites. (Woerpel, 30) A veterinarian may pass a flexible tube into the stomach and force-feed the anorectic snake at this time. This provides some nutrients while the medical evaluation is in progress. Some anorectic snakes begin to voluntarily feed after such a feeding. This can be easily learned if periodic at-home force-feedings are anticipated. Strained meat baby foods with added nutrients or pureed dog food are recommended and easily pass through most stomach tubes. Larger snakes require relatively larger volumes of food; pureed dog food is a more practical food in these situations. Low-fat dog food is preferable.
Regurgitation: of food may result from handling a snake too soon after it is fed. Regurgitated food is undigested and relatively odorless. Another common cause of regurgitation is inadequate and incomplete digestion caused by relatively cool environmental temperatures. In these cases, the regurgitated food appears digested and is malodorous. If it is not possible to raise the temperature of the enclosure, a focal source of heat (hot rock, heating pad or pads) on which the snake can rest is a necessity to ensure adequate and complete digestion. Other causes of regurgitation include stress in easily excitable species, parasitism, intestinal obstruction and serious internal disease. An experienced veterinarian should be consulted if the cause for regurgitation is not readily determined.
Trauma:
Burns: Snakes commonly sustain serious burns when they contact unprotected or malfunctioning heat lamps or other heat sources (including hot rocks). Interestingly, snakes tend not to move away from the heat source inflicting the injury. This makes the wound considerably more serious. Medical treatment (including injectable antibiotics and periodic wound dressings) is required in these cases. Surgery may be necessary to minimize the disfiguring effects of such injuries. These injuries are easily avoidable. Periodically check all heating appliances to make certain they are functioning properly and that they are "snake proof".
Rat/Mouse Attack: Sometimes a live mouse or rat turns the tables on a snake and injures the snake while fighting for its life (the dinner becomes the diner). Veterinary attention should be sought for serious bite wounds.
Rostral Abrasions: One of the unfortunate consequences of captivity is injury to the captive animal from repeated attempts to escape. Snakes tend to push and rub their noses against the walls of their enclosure as they move about in search of a means to escape. This constant trauma initially damages the scales and skin of the nose (rostrum). If the trauma continues, deep ulceration of the rostrum with subsequent deformity may result. Rostral abrasions are equally likely with enclosures made of glass or wire mesh. Prevention of this problem is difficult, but adequate visual security (hiding places) and other additions to the enclosure (artificial plants, branches, etc.) help minimize it. Further, a visual barrier of bark paint or plastic film placed on or along the loser 3-4 inches of the enclosure's walls often inhibits pacing and rubbing. Abscesses are a common form of bacterial infection in snakes. They can be external and/or internal in location. External abscesses most often result from bite wounds (usually inflicted by live prey animal) and other injuries (especially puncture wounds) to the skin. Internal abscesses may be located within one or more organs and/or within the body cavity. Snakes rarely produce liquid pus. Instead, their pus is generally cheesy in consistency. This makes treatment with antibiotics difficult because these drugs cannot penetrate this relatively solid material. External abscesses can be surgically opened and flushed by a veterinarian. A specimen of pus can be submitted to a laboratory for bacterial culture and antibiotic sensitivity testing. The snake can be treated with the appropriate antibiotic by injection, and the abscess cavity treated with topical antibiotics. Abscesses within the body are not equally accessible for treatment. A blood workup and/or radiographs (x-rays) may be necessary to confirm their presence. Though surgery may be necessary under certain circumstances, long-term antibiotic therapy by injection and appropriate supportive care are the treatments most likely to be employed by the veterinarian.
Parasitic Diseases: Snakes can be hosts to a large number of parasites, representing a bewildering variety of organisms that can cause many problems. A large number of one-celled organisms (protozoa) can cause serious diseases of the digestive, respiratory, reproductive and vascular blood and bloodstream) systems of snakes. Flukes cause illness in the respiratory and urinary systems. Tapeworms parasitize the digestive system. Roundworms and related parasites inhabit the digestive tract, but their juvenile states can cause disease to other organs (especially the lungs) during the course of their migrations. Large numbers of mites and ticks parasitize the skin and scales of snakes, and create disease by feeding on the host's blood. Signs of parasitism depend on the parasite and body tissue involved. External parasites are usually easy to diagnose, though immature stages of mites may lie dormant under scales or just inside the eye cavity. Visual inspection of the skin and scales, with or without a magnifying lens, is usually all that is necessary. Internal parasite problems require examination of various specimens, most often blood, feces, urinary tract products, and washings from the windpipe and lungs. Special laboratory procedures are necessary to process these specimens. Microscopic examination is usually necessary.
Most parasites of pet snakes and snakes kept in zoological collections are carried with them into captivity. These snakes were either parasitized before being collected in the wild or became parasitized while being held in the generally crowded wholesale and retail channels. Pet snakes living singly in homes are very unlikely to develop parasite problems in these relatively isolated environments. Exceptions to this generalization include pet snakes exposed to parasitized snakes and their excretions, or to the specific organisms (called "vectors") necessary for parasites to complete their life cycles. In most cases, the vector must bite the uninfected snake for the snake to become parasitized. It is also possible for a captive snake to become parasitized by eating certain prey species that harbor the larval stage of a given parasite. Newly acquired snakes should be thoroughly examined and evaluated by a veterinarian for external and internal parasites as soon as possible after acquisition. All detected parasitism should be treated, if possible. No snake should be introduced into a collection until a veterinarian has examined it, and until it has been quarantined for a minimum of 8 weeks and remains healthy during this period. Strict attention to hygiene and sanitation and a proper diet usually contribute to optimum health, even in the face of mild to moderate parasitism. Because the subject of parasitism is so extensive, only several of the more common parasite problems of captive snakes will be specifically mentioned:
Amebiasis is one of the most significant parasite problems of captive snakes. This highly contagious disease is caused by a microscopic, one-celled organism (protozoan) called and ameba. Eating contaminated food and water containing the infective stage of this parasite easily infects snakes. The organisms cause extensive damage to the intestinal lining and liver. Secondary bacterial infections are very common and contribute significantly to the severity of the disease. Signs of amebiasis include listlessness, inappetence, and foul-smelling feces containing mucus and blood. A veterinarian may be able to diagnose this disease by having the laboratory examine specially prepared samples of feces. Sometimes examination of tissue sections of the intestine or scrapings from the lining of the intestine of a deceased snake is the only way the diagnosis can be confirmed. This underscores the importance of performing autopsies on snakes that have died, especially when there are other snakes in the collection whose lives may be threatened. Many snakes native to the American Southwest harbor these organisms but apparently do not suffer from the disease. Crocodiles and certain turtles are similar "carriers." Hobbyists must, therefore, exercise caution when housing snakes with these species to avoid an outbreak of amebiasis. Certain water snakes, as well as boa constrictors and pythons are especially susceptible to this disease. Amebiasis is treatable, requiring the expertise of a veterinarian. Specific antiprotozoal medications and antibiotics are used. Enclosures used to house infected snakes should be steam cleaned and disinfected with a 3% bleach solution.
Trichomoniasis: One of the most commonly recognized parasites of snakes is another protozoan, Trichomonas. This organism is often noted in the stools of snakes when routine direct examinations are undertaken. Infection with Trichomonas may result from ingestion of mice and rats, both of which often harbor the parasite without showing signs of illness. Infected snakes may exhibit no signs or those associated with gastrointestinal disease (inappetence, vomiting, and diarrhea). Some infected snakes may also have bacterial disease at the same time. Some experts remain unconvinced that this parasite, by itself, can produce disease in snakes because infected snakes are often suffering from amebiasis at the same time. The most prudent course of action is to treat all snakes harboring the parasite. Fortunately, the treatment for trichomoniasis is usually effective in eliminating the organism that causes amebiasis. A veterinarian should be consulted regarding diagnosis and treatment of this parasitic disease.
Snake Mite Infestation: Snake mites are tiny spider-like organisms that reside on and between the scales of snakes and tend to also congregate around their eyes. They are relatively easy to see with the unaided eye but a magnifying lens aids in their identification. Mites are the most common and most dangerous of the external parasites of captive snakes. These mites feed on the blood of their hosts, causing anemia (often sever with heavy infestations). Blood feeding can also transmit viruses, at least one very serious disease-causing bacterium, and blood parasites. The snake mite completes its life cycle on its host. The females, however, lay up to 80 eggs off the snake within the immediate environment. This is one reason why particulate floor coverings (corncob material, pebbles, etc.) are not recommended. These substrates provide too many hiding places for the mites and their eggs.
Snakes that are most likely to be seriously compromised by this external parasite are those that have been recently imported and those housed under crowded, unhygienic conditions. Heavily parasitized snakes are also likely to be adversely affected when they are suffering from malnutrition and/or other diseases at the same time. Veterinarians must be consulted when these various circumstances arise. These snakes must be carefully examined and thoroughly evaluated so that underlying disease and problems with husbandry can be identified and corrected. Further, the recommended treatment can often be injurious, especially to snakes suffering from debility and/or disease. The veterinarian must perform a thorough physical examination and may recommend a blood analysis to fully evaluate the patient, the advisability of treatment and the least harmful method of treatment for mites. Several treatments are available for snake mites. One popular method involves suspending a No-Pest Strip (Hot Shot) above or adjacent to the snake's enclosure for 2-5 days. One expert recommends a "dosage" of 0.2 inches of commercial strip per 10 cubic feet of enclosure. An alternative is to place a 1-inch section of a No-Pest Strip within a 35-mm film container with multiple perforations and suspend it inside the enclosure for 2-5 days. These products should be used cautiously, however. They can be especially toxic to severely ill and debilitated snakes. Flea sprays formulated for use on dogs and cats can be applied to a small towel and the chemical can be wiped onto the skin and scales. This should be repeated about 10 days later. During treatment, paper or towels must replace any particulate floor covering (gravel, crushed corncob, wood shavings, etc.) within the enclosure. All water containers should also be removed. The enclosure itself should be thoroughly cleaned and fumigated with 10-15% solution of formalin and hot water. After a thorough rinsing, the enclosure should be allowed to completely dry before it is re-inhabited. Treated snakes should be closely monitored for several months for signs of re-infestation and mite-related disease.
Snake Tick Infestation: Ticks resemble oversized mites and occupy many of the same sites on the skin and scales of snakes as mites. They are often found just inside the mouth, nostrils or vent. Even under conditions of captivity, ticks rarely reach the burdensome numbers reached by mites. Recently imported snakes are usually the most heavily parasitized. Like mites, ticks feed on blood of the host snake and can cause severe, life-threatening anemia. Their blood-feeding habit enables them to transmit certain blood-borne diseases to snakes. Manual removal of each individual tick is the most expedient treatment for tick infestations. The hobbyist must exercise great care in performing this task. Simply pulling off the tick leaves the tick's mouth parts embedded in the skin. A small amount of alcohol applied to the exposed parts of the tick causes it to relax and facilitates removal. The treatment methods recommended for mites are also effective. Parasitized snakes usually require a minimum of 4 days exposure to No-Pest Strips to kill ticks. Enlist the services of an experienced veterinarian for a thorough pretreatment evaluation of the snake, especially if the use of a No-Pest Strip is anticipated.
Mouth Rot (Infectious or Ulcerative Stomatitis): Is a progressive bacterial infection involving the oral lining. It may begin with increased salivation. Often saliva bubbles from the mouth. Close inspection of the oral lining reveals tiny pinpoint areas of bleeding. The oral lining becomes increasingly inflamed and pus begins to accumulate within the mouth, especially among the rows of teeth. As the disease progresses, the underlying bone becomes infected and the teeth fall out. This infection must be recognized in the early stages to successfully reverse it. The hobbyist must seek veterinary help when mouth rot is first evident. The veterinarian may want to collect a saliva/pus specimen for bacterial culture and subsequent antibiotic sensitivity testing to determine the appropriate antibiotic(s) to use. A blood sample can also be collected to accurately assess the internal and overall status of the patient. Mouth rot often is an external manifestation of more serious internal problems. Initial treatment involves injections of vitamins A, C and B complex, as well as a "best guess" antibiotic (one that the veterinarian believes has the best chance of fighting the infection until the results of antibiotic sensitivity tests are available). Supportive care involves daily or twice-daily cleansing of the mouth, application of topical antibiotics, administration of fluids to combat dehydration and the possible detrimental effects of certain antibiotics, and periodic forced-feedings (using a stomach tube). Generally, snakes with heavy accumulations of pus and infected bones of the jaw are unlikely to be saved, even with aggressive veterinary efforts. You must be alert to the early stages of the disease and periodically inspect the mouth for signs of mouth rot.
Blister disease: Is common in many captive reptiles. It is most often associated with the maintenance of these animals in damp, filthy environments. The first sign is usually a pink to red appearance of the bottom-most scales. Later, these scales become swollen and infected by bacteria and fungi. At the first suspicion of this disease, you must seek veterinary help. Treatment involves use of topical and injectable antibiotics. Further, the underlying sanitation and hygiene problems must be corrected. Blister disease is preventable if you are aware of it and if the enclosure in which captive snakes are housed is kept dry and scrupulously clean.
Septicemia: A wide variety of bacteria can cause generalized internal infections (septicemia). These bacteria may invade the body by way of wounds and abscesses or as a consequence of serious illness originally localized in the respiratory, gastrointestinal and reproductive tracts. Signs may be subtle or obvious and may include lethargy, anorexia, dehydration, and regurgitation of incompletely digested food, redness to the skin and scales, or bleeding from the skin. The help of an experienced veterinarian is essential n these cases. The outlook for these patients is always guarded to poor. The attending veterinarian may collect a specimen for bacterial culture and antibiotic sensitivity testing, as well as one or more blood samples to more accurately determine the extent of the disease, whether or not various internal organs are involved, and as a means of monitoring the patient's progress. Treatment involves use of injectable antibiotics and appropriate supportive care (fluid therapy, force-feeding, injectable vitamins, etc.). Treatment must usually be relatively long-term and periodic monitoring of the patient's status is essential to a favorable outcome.
Respiratory infections: Are common in snakes. They may be associated with septicemia (body-wide illness, viral infections and mouth rot. Some respiratory illness may be the consequence of stress from poor or inadequate husbandry. Signs include loud respiration, discharge and/or bubbling from the nostrils and/or mouth, coughing and open-mouth breathing. Treatment must be aggressive and at the direction of a veterinarian. A bacterial culture of the windpipe and subsequent antibiotic sensitivity testing should be undertaken to identify the offending bacteria and the appropriate antibiotic(s) to use. The veterinarian may also recommend collecting a blood sample to determine the extent of the disease and to see if there has been serious compromise to internal organs. Antibiotic therapy should be by injection and may need to be long-term, especially in severe and long-standing cases. Inhalation therapy (vaporization or nebulization) is frequently employed as part of treatment.
Eye Infections: Captive snakes occasionally suffer eye infections. Infections may be superficial or more extensive, involving the entire eye. Superficial infections may result from mild injury to the eye. Superficial infections may also become established below a retained eye cap. Infections of this type must be recognized promptly and treated aggressively to prevent involvement of the entire eye. The retained eye cap must first be removed if at all possible. Infections involving the entire eye may result from trauma to the eye or from septicemia (body-wide) infection. In the latter case, the bacteria enter the eye by way of the bloodstream. Veterinary help is essential with these cases. Treatment involves use of topical and/or injectable antibiotics. Sometimes, drugs that help to exercises the iris (the colored portion inside the eye) are used to help prevent adhesions inside the eye.
Viral infections in snakes, as a whole, are generally poorly understood. This is because viruses are extremely difficult to detect and identify. They are equally difficult or impossible to treat. Viral infections result in tumorous skin growths in many native snake species. Other viruses can cause digestive, respiratory and nervous system disease among snakes. An example is a recently recognized viral encephalitis affecting pythons and boa constrictors. Afflicted constrictor species exhibit a very gradual deterioration of the brain and eventually die. Most viruses are highly contagious. Hobbyists must be aware of this and quarantine all newly acquired snakes for at least 6-8 weeks. This involves complete isolation of new snakes and careful scrutiny of them during this period for any signs of illness. All newly acquired snakes should be thoroughly examined and evaluated by a veterinarian experienced with snakes. Blood tests may offer clues as to viral infections.
Fungal Infections: A number of fungal organisms can cause superficial and deeper infections of snakes. Most of these infections involve the skin and respiratory system. Fungal infections of the eyes are most likely to occur in snakes housed in damp, contaminated environments. Ringworm fungi that usually infect people, pets and livestock have also caused skin infections of snakes. Snakes must be housed in scrupulously clean and dry enclosures. The flooring must be easy to clean and should not be of a material that encourages fungal (mold) growth (see section on Housing). A veterinarian must examine Snakes exhibiting problems with their skin and/or eyes as soon as possible. A microbial culture and a skin biopsy may be necessary to obtain a diagnosis. Treatment of fungal diseases involves use of topical and systemic (oral and/or injectable) antifungal agents. (Woerpel, 40) Prevention of fungal disease involves correcting underlying problems with husbandry. It is, however, unlikely that your snake will undergo all, if any granted they are taken care of properly, of these problems.
After reading about all these different types of snakes and the upkeep for each one you might be asking yourselves why breed snakes? What is the point? Do you actually make money, or do you do it for fun—like running? Well that is what this part of the book is for to answer all these questions and put into perspective how much a snake is actually worth.
Why Breed Snakes
People breed snakes for any number of reasons. It could be for fun, it could be for bragging rights, it could be a job and just do it for extra money. I think that most people breed snakes for the money—yeah you do have to have a certain love of the snakes in order to breed them properly and it does take time to get the collection that you want, but most people like the extra money they get. Personally breeding snakes is fun for Justin, my boyfriend and me, the money is nice, but that isn’t why we started because like any business it does take money (more than you make at first) to get started just like anything else. You have to buy the racks, feed, bedding, and heating elements not to mention the snakes there kind of important in breeding snakes. Plus to add onto that in order to get a certain snake you have to have certain genes which means you will either have to buy a specific snake or find someone who has that certain snake and will let you breed it. It is fun breeding snakes you get to add to your collection and watch it grow and then show it off to your friends (who have snakes) and see the look on their faces when they see a snake you have that they want. Plus if they want something you have all you have to do is sell it to them. Them having snakes they will understand that just giving a snake away isn’t an option, and if you like them, you can give them a good deal and they will realize that and be very grateful. After that yall can just help each other out. They money isn’t bad either—where do you think you bought your first snake from? Where do you think the pet store get their snakes? Breeders. Which makes the pet store the middleman so if you can find a breeder (a reputable breeder and one that you trust) than you can get your snakes cheaper. Just to give you an idea of how much certain snakes are worth here are some more of the morphs to see what they look like, why breeders strive for them, and how much they can sell for. I am going to focus on the Pythons like I mentioned before. You will be surprised on some of them.
More Python Morphs
Pythons, there is so much to say about them and so many different morphs. I have already mentioned three of them the Spider, the Albino, and the Piebald, so here are how much these three sell for plus more morphs and what they go for {prices depend on who you know, the sex (females, typically, are more expensive than the males), where you go, and who the breeder is}. The Spider can be worth anywhere from $400-$650, the Albino anywhere from $350-$600, and the Piebald is anywhere from $1500-$2500 (depending on how much white is in the snake). The Black Eyed Leucistic is $15,000- $25,000, and the Blue Eyed Leucistic is $ 25,000- $30,000. Now for some more morphs
Jungle-Males $175 Females $200
Albino Spider- $ 5000
Albino Piebald- $ 2500- $3500
Fireball- $1000
Yellowbelly- $550-$700
Pinstripe- $ 1000
Axanthics-$ 4000
Carmel-$ 1000
Cinnamon-$2300
Clowns-$ 5000
Enchis-$1000- $1500
Fires-$ 2500
Ghosts- Males- $1000 Females- $1500
Ivory- Male $3500 Females $2500
Lesser Platinum-$ 1500
Mojave-$ 600
Lemon Pastels-Males $250 Females $350
Pastels-$ 1500
Womas-$ 20,000
As you can see some of these snakes can be pricey, but they are beautiful, and any of them can be a valuable and unique part of your collection. Prices vary, as I said before, with the breeder, sex, size, age, color, and pattern. The prices shown above are on the “high end” the best looking snakes from N.E.R.D. (New England Reptile Distributors).
Works Cited
Kostich, Mark, . (2007). Venomous Snakes. Retrieved 17 August 2008, from Website:http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.kostich.com/Venomous_Snakes.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.kostich.com/venomous_snakes.htm&h=384&w=576&sz=249&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=Zv5B3mcDSv8L3M:&tbnh=89&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvenomous%2Bsnakes%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DN.
J Worlds, (2000). JWORLDS CUSTOM STYLE DESIGNS. Retrieved 19 August 2008, from Website:http://www.jworlds.net/units.html.
Ophiophagus, Hannah, . (2008). . Retrieved 16 August 2008, from Website:http://www2.philadelphiazoo.org/zoo/Meet-Our-Animals/Reptiles/Lizards-and-Snakes/King-Cobra.htm.
Humphrey, Taylor, . (1999). WHAT WE ARE AFRAID OF. Retrieved 16 August 2008, from Website:http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=281.
Ophiophagus , Hannah, . (2008). King Cobra. Retrieved 16 August 2008, from Website:http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/king-cobra.html.
Woerpel, R. W., and W. J. Rosskopf, Avian-Exotic Animal Care Guides,
New Your: American Veterinary Publications, Incorporated, 1991.
The Title Page
Written and Experienced by Jenna Prendergast
Table of Contents
Chapter 1……………………………………………………In the Beginning
Chapter 2…………………………………………………A New Adventure
Chapter 3……………………………………………New Town Same Girl
Chapter 4………………………………………………………What a Feeling
Chapter 5……………………………………………………………Blurred Out
Chapter 6………………………………………………………The Blind Step
Chapter 7…………………………………………………………..……………Home
Chapter 8…………………………………………………………………The Plan
Chapter 9…………………………………………………………….A fresh face
Chapter 1
In the Beginning
I am a firm believer that certain events in ones’ life define who they are. Some say perseverance and practice creates champions, while others believe champions are born. Some people spend their life in search of greatness, while others give up before they start. Who decides who becomes great and whose left sitting on the bench? You often hear stories of “everyday people” doing something great and are considered heroes for a while. Who decides if that is the only great thing that person has or will ever do? Have we given society the right to define us and create our heroes for us? Why are we only “great” when someone else says we are? I do not consider myself great, mediocre at best, but I have had great things happen in my life and I have had the opportunity to know great people; none famous, instead the unlikeliest of heroes. After all aren’t heroes what we make of them?
In my life, I’ll admit it; I’ve done a lot of unintelligent things. I could make a list, and I am certain if you called my parents they could add a few hundred more things to that list. It seems though, for all the trouble there was always someone there for me. Someone was always saving me, mostly from myself. For the last few years I have felt misplaced and have stumbled through life one mistake at a time. But after assessing my life and its many transgressions I have come to realize that after every mistake I have learned to pick myself up and try again and only recently have I had to do this on my own.
When I was a child I was considered rambunctious to say that lease, now a day I would probably be diagnosed with A.D.D along with the better have of society. My parents were patient, but slowly going crazy. I was the second of two children. My older brother was a kind and loving. He was always the cautious one, often protecting me from everything like good big brothers do. However, instead of heeding his words of wisdom and age I developed an invincibility complex. Because I knew my brother would always protect me, I tried things like climbing on the roof, jumping out of trees, oh and did I mention trying to fly? I was my own death wish. I lived with no fear, instead doing stunts to test my limits and my parents. My parents, knowing their little girl was a hazard to herself came up with a solution. Their solution, enroll me in soccer. This single act helped set me up for the rest of my life, as well as teach me focus, determination, and teamwork. I spent all my time practicing and preparing for the game, I wanted to be the best; slowly my A.D.D went out the window. I straightened up and began to get noticed for it. My teams were good, really good. We played tournaments in Boston, New York, and New Jersey, always bringing home the trophies. I felt a part of something, something bigger than myself and I thrived on it. My soccer team was more than just a team. We became best friends. We had sleepovers and birthday parties and everything in between. We were united and it felt great. I could not imagine my life any better. I was going to be like this forever, grow up and play soccer and have all these best friends. Boy was I in for a huge surprise.
A year after my transformation my parents broke me the news, we were moving. Not to a different suburb or town but to Bunker, Missouri, the exact middle of nowhere! Worst of all no soccer! To say the least, this was the worst thing to happen in my 10 year old existence. I was going to run away, live on my own and play soccer. Against my will my parents drug me along to the middle of the Midwest.
Bunker Missouri is where all five of my mothers’ brothers and sisters lived. My parents wanted to retire and live near family and have a farm. Only recently have I realized why, but to a 10 year old city girl, this was a nightmare. I had decided to not like Bunker or anyone in it. What was I supposed to do now that soccer, the only thing that I understood, was gone? So I sulked, all day, every day. At least until school started. This is the second event in which my life was turned upside down and now looking back I am better for it!
Chapter 2
A New Adventure
I walked into my new fifth grade class ready to hate everyone. I found my assigned seat next to a few girls who looked nice enough. Suddenly they turned to me, “hey, your Jenna right? Yeah, your cousins told us all about you, we heard you play soccer, do you play basketball? Want to hang out at recess?” Who were these girls? What did they want with me? I agreed, reluctantly to the play date and remained quiet. But that recess changed my life. I met the friends that would stick with me all my life thus far. They didn’t care who or what I was, instead just wanted to be friends and hear stories of living in the big city of Boston. We then became inseparable. When I say inseparable I mean spending all day at school together then coming home and talking on the phone all night. Every weekend was a sleepover or lunch at someone’s house. We used any excuse to hang out and talk. These girls had let me into their group, their lives, and their hearts, and although it took me a little longer to do so, I eventually came around and returned the favor.
When basketball season came around that year I was scared to sign up. What if I sucked, what if I kicked the ball instead? The first day of practice came and went and I was considered a “natural”. I loved it! Like soccer, basketball became my life, alongside my friends. I began to get noticed for playing basketball and was asked to start playing volleyball also, in junior high. Again, I was a natural. I felt a part of something, a part of the community and the town. Older people were recognizing me and my family would show up to watch me play.
In high school, as a freshman, I started varsity for both teams. In basketball I was team captain and scored the most points that season. In volleyball I played with the seniors, the big girls. I loved it. Sophomore year I was captain of both teams and proud to be. Again like soccer the team was more, it was a friendship, a sisterhood, we were a unit. I felt needed and carried a responsibility to win for the school. These could have been the best days of my life, then. I was unstoppable. The more responsibility they gave the more I took. I received city, district, and even state awards. It seemed everyone knew my name. I was cocky, to an extent, but more, I was thankful. I had learned how to become a leader, to except responsibility, and most of all I learned to have fun. I firmly believe those years taught me a lot about myself. They also taught me not only what I can accomplish but what I am capable of, with a little help.
My senior year of high school I received several scholarships to play volleyball and basketball at junior colleges. But I had had several injuries along the way and was scared of more permanent damage, along with the idea that as a college athlete, I would have to adhere to curfews, tutoring, weekend practices, and other such things I considered torture back then. So I chocked, decided against sports and instead attended a huge college a couple hours away. Looking back, my feelings are mixed; do I wish I would have played in college? Yes. I would have stayed in shape, felt the feeling of a team, felt commitment and need, and my life might have skipped a few bumps along the way. But still, I would have missed out on some of the greatest moments of my life. I would not have met the friends in college that I now consider to be sisters.
Chapter 3
New Town Same Girl
Entering college I knew no one. I was one of a million; I knew I was alone and only considered a number to the university. I was scared and felt inferior. Half the people I had met in my dorm were there on academic scholarship. I was just a ball player. I was friendly and waved, made small talk, and even chatted about teachers, but I secretly wanted to be anywhere else. I had been under the impression that college was supposed to be the best years of your life. I felt like mine were all behind me. That was all until the second week in, when sitting at my desk pretending to read, I heard giggling, uncontrollable, and loud. I cautiously poked my head out to see five girls on my floor sitting in the hall having the time of their life. I remember wishing and hoping to join them, to sit in the hard floor, lean on those ugly grey walls, and talk with these girls. I made my way to the water fountain, wondering what, if anything, could I say, that would make these girls want to hang out with me. Just then Beth, a girl who had always been friendly, yelled, “Hey, Jenna, right?” I replied, “Uh, yeah” (like I didn’t even know my own name) Beth replied, “Did you see the skater guy try to skate down the stairwell handle? We think he’s stoned, were gonna call him High Mike.” I was thrilled, no, I had not seen him, but it didn’t matter, that was an “in”. I stood there asking all the details, prolonging my visit. Finally in silence I turned to go, when the rest of the girls started asking me to sit and stay. I was nervous, what do I say, can I be me? But as it turned out two of the girls played basketball, one even tried out to play in Colorado. Two were dancers, who missed it like crazy, and the other, although considered a brainiac, was madly in love with Brad Pitt, to the point of obsession. We sat there all night talking, laughing, judging, and reflecting back on what we all considered “the good ole days”.
From that moment on I felt safe; we ate together, shopped together, and even had most classes together. We could tell each other everything, regardless of the fact that we had only known each other for weeks. We staged water fights in the dorm and went to midnight movies downtown. We each had our own routines and lives, but we shared them with each other. My freshman year of college was a dream, maybe not academically, but I made up for it in memories. We laughed, we cried, and we talked about things we could never had with our high school friends. These girls had saved me from myself. I have never quit anything in my life; I don’t consider it an option, but college and being alone had me toying with the idea. I was scared, it was a situation that I could not control, it wasn’t a basketball court where I knew the rules and I knew what it took to win, I was out of my element.
Chapter 4
What a Feeling
With these girls by my side I felt the confidence to venture out to the social side of college. We attended comedy clubs, went out dancing, and frequented the movies at least once a week. We attended student government sessions and joined the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program. I learned that no matter how different we all were, we shared a dream of helping others. I actually graduated with a minor in leadership and public service, thanks to the strong will of my friends.
Because I had gained confidence in myself outside of sports, I felt it was time to instill that in others. I volunteered as mentor with a local elementary school. I was assigned to a little girl, in whom I saw a lot of myself in. She was into sports and had a sort of “tomboy” mentality. We would hang out at the arcade or play basketball at school with her friends. She was really cool and fun, but I quickly learned she was dyslexic and flunking out of school. I asked her about school and she hated it. No wonder. So what to do? Stay her “cool, older, friend” or turn into a teacher? Against all my insecurities I began to focus our time more on school. I could tell she was not thrilled, but I wanted to help her, not just be her friend, but be her mentor; to make her life a little easier, at least for the time being. I started to take her to the public library at first to show her that other children her age also had homework to complete. But it seemed that she always felt uneasy being there, I think a little embarrassed. I then began to take her to my college library, she was speechless. I gave her the tour of all six levels stuffed full of books, magazines, and sleep-deprived students just trying to get by. She saw that spending time on school work wasn’t for those with “problems”, but a way of life for the normal college student. She did some of her best work there, really buckling down and concentrating. I would check her work and could see the improvement. This became our weekly routine for a while, until one day I arrived at her school to pick her up for our annual library cram session and her teacher pulled me aside. At first she praised me for the change she’d seen in our girls’ math and science grades. I took no credit, just explained our move to the college library. But there was bad news… Our girl had been missing a lot of school and was in jeopardy of failing. How could this be? I asked. She was beginning to love school. The teacher explained that before I came along our girls’ mother would keep her home from school when she had tests or projects due. To make matters worse, when the school contacted the girl’s mother to talk about their options the mother took it the wrong way and pulled her daughter out of school all together to be home schooled. But the ultimate disappointment was that because our girl was no longer affiliated with the school I was not allowed to mentor her anymore. I was crushed, to say the least. What was I supposed to do? This girl had become a huge part of my life for the last few months. I debated, consulted my friends, and even the director of the program. Finally I decided I needed to say goodbye in person. Her mother allowed me to take her to the park one last time. I didn’t know what to say or what to do. I asked her how she felt about being homeschooled. And to my surprise she wasn’t that thrilled. She said she’d miss her friends and playing ball. I told her that I could not mentor her anymore and she was upset, so was I. The rest of the visit was very subdued, we absently talked about sports and movies until it was time to take her home, we hugged and then I drove away.
I felt helpless. I never heard from the girl again. And I can only hope that she was reinstated into school and received the help she so desperately deserved. The one good thing that came out of that whole terrible situation was my new found interest in children, their learning abilities and especially their rights. I researched and wrote a compelling paper on children and homeschooling and its negative social implications in rural areas. I had never given thought to working with children, but after that semester in college I learned that I wanted to protect and give justice to those who cannot ask for it themselves. For the first time I had a glimpse into my future and knew I was supposed to help others, in what capacity I wasn’t sure, but I knew I was supposed to help. I then proceeded to volunteer for Rainbow House, a home for abused and neglected children. I dedicated my time and love to those who were not receiving either. My heart broke every time I left that building, but it flourished every time I walked in.
I had learned something about myself that semester. I cared about the well-being of others. I wanted justice for all, especially children. I learned how to be compassionate and how to love without limits. And to this day I am a better person for it. I will never forget the emotions I felt that entire semester. For once, it seemed, I was thinking about someone other than me, a pretty big feet for a 20 year old.
Chapter 5
Blurred Out
The rest of college continued on this path, volunteering my time, and trying to find myself. I made new friends, developed new interests, and had a blast. When my senior year rolled around I was at a loss. What was I going to do with my life? I had never really thought about it. Sure, I always wanted to be in the FBI and be a secret agent, but that wasn’t practical. So what reality did I face? I wanted to have a rewarding career, wanted to help people, and wanted to be part of greatness. So, with a little help from a career fair I signed up for the Missouri State Highway. A few weeks later I received a letter. The Highway Patrol wanted me to come down and take the entrance and fitness test. I was so excited, but at the same time nervous. I spent the next few weeks trying to get in shape, I was so nervous. The night before I couldn’t sleep, so my friends, being as great as they were, stayed up with me, watching movies, and pigging out on popcorn, anything to take my mind off of the following days’ events. The next morning I arrived in Jefferson City at seven a.m. I was joined by a mismatched group of people, all as nervous as me. The test was administered at exactly eight a.m. It took almost two hours to complete. I checked and even rechecked my answers a couple times, before resigning, Knowing I gave it my best. An hour later the results were posted. I scored the second highest out of the group! I was thrilled to hear it. It definitely took some of the pressure off. However, that meant that I had to complete the physical fitness part of the exam in only one hour. Talk about butterflies. But physical activity was the one thing I could always do well. Being a crazy, hyper, child had helped that. I teamed up with one of the other girls in the group to help each other out. We were required to do sit-ups, vertical jumps, shuttle runs, loading and unloading a gun, and finally a mile run. I was so crazy with nerves and adrenaline that I completed every event above and beyond what was asked. My competitiveness had taken over and I had to be the best. Finally, it was over. I drove home drained but content. I had given my all.
A couple weeks later I received a notice in the mail, I had made it into the next round. I was to come back and complete a polygraph test, the next phase in the test. I was thrilled my hard work had paid off. I had my reservations about the job itself, could I really pull people over, could I arrive on crash scenes, could I walk up to a mother and tell her that her child had just been killed on the highway? Was I ready for that? My biggest concern, was the most superficial, how would I look in the uniform, and the hat…, really?
I finished out my senior year in a blur, until that is, the last day of class. I was going out to celebrate, I mean big time. I was a college graduate with a future ahead of me. My friends and I got dressed up and went out like rock stars. We hit the downtown to live it up with the rest of my fellow good timers. We had set no limits on the night, which I later came to regret for the rest of my life. We decided to call it a night around 2 a.m., so trying to be responsible drunkards called a cab. Since it was not only my last day of class but about 2,000 others the cab companies, to say the least were backed up. They gave a two hour wait time. Hell, we only lived a mile away. My friend had drove us downtown and was insistent on driving us home, she however, could not even form complete sentences, let alone fully open her eyes. I, however, was walking and talking and fully functioning. In my inebriated state decided that I should drive, I could still see the road. Like all tragedies, the heroine has to go through adversity and anguish before she can overcome. So, as you can imagine. I was pulled over, arrested, and spent three hours in the campus “drunk tank” before I was allowed to bail myself out.
It was all over, my life, my career, what now, why had I thought I wouldn’t get caught? How was I supposed to face my parents and tell them that I had been arrested when they were coming to see their little girl accomplish their dreams for her? What a disappointment. In one stupid moment I had crushed my own dreams. How could I work in the criminal justice field having been a criminal myself? My graduation was bittersweet, to say the least. Instead of enjoying the moment, I had to find a lawyer for my case and had to apply for a temporary license, just to drive home.
Previous to my irresponsible act of stupidity, I had elected to spend the summer in New Hampshire with my aunt, to work and live on the beach. I needed to get away, looking back I was running, just as I had ran away to the farthest college. I saw this summer as a new start. Nobody knew me and I could be whoever I wanted. My summer had looked like a dream. She lived right on the beach and was friends with everybody, it had promised to be a fun filled few months. Now, as reality set in I was screwed. How was I supposed to get a job without a car? I now had huge lawyer fees, court costs and to boot I had to attend 21 hours of Alcoholics Anonymous classes in a neighboring town. What a fun filled summer….
My parents never really expressed disappoint in me when I broke the news. They didn’t have I felt it enough for the three of us. My parents rarely, if ever, had shown disappointment in me. But, because they had raised me so well, I felt that when I made bad decisions, which I had a habit of doing…a lot, I wondered why they kept me around. They knew I knew better, I knew I knew better, yet, it seemed I disregarded my conscience regularly for a good time. I never cared about consequences, instead always opting for the immediate pleasure. That was, until the DWI. Those consequences are still haunting me to this day.
To my advantage my aunt lived less than a mile from the “boardwalk” a local hot-spot filled with bars and restaurants, and always packed with tourists. I applied to over ten different places, and again thanking God for my aunts’ social abilities I received a job in a restaurant where she knew the bartender and night manager. As excited as I was that my life wasn’t a complete failure, I was again in the situation of having to meet new people. But this time I had no other option. I had to make some money and this was my only hope. I began work, it seemed the staff was all a team, a very close team, “great I thought, they don’t want outsiders” and to my dismay a few of them didn’t. But since most of the girls that worked there were foreign, from places like Poland or Bulgaria, they were friendly and willing to teach me the ropes. We soon became friends and started hanging out after work and since we were forced to spend ten hours a day or more together we became very close.
I did return to Missouri to take the polygraph test in the middle of June. I walked in with a defeatist attitude, seeing as how I had no license, instead a piece of paper with my charge and a temporary permit. To say the least they weren’t impressed. When my turn came around I was nervous, I felt little, insignificant, and a failure. How was I supposed to impress them with my knowledge and commitment to justice when I, myself, couldn’t even follow the rules? The instructor was nice enough; he tried to set my mind at ease as best he could, considering I was hooked up to a machine five different ways. He explained the procedure stating that he was going to ask me the same questions once with the machine off, then with it on. He made a statement that at the time seemed like meaningless jargon, but now means the world to me. He said that the purpose of the polygraph test was not to help the Highway Patrol hire those who are perfect, instead to hire those who take responsibility for their actions. What good was a trooper who was perfect? They wouldn’t be able to show compassion or understanding, instead they wanted those who knew the difference between right and wrong, acted in the right, but could understand the wrong. Not until a year later did I truly understand this statement. Needless to say later that month I received a letter stating that I had not been chosen to be a state trooper. I was crushed, now what I thought, if they didn’t want me who would. I had no life plan and no purpose.
Chapter 6
The Blind Step
Looking back at my time in New Hampshire I was able, in the midst of all the events, to have a great summer. I developed a relationship with my aunt that I had never had the opportunity to do before. We became best friends; we went out together and more often just stayed in and hung out. We cooked together and worked together. I know that we both learned a lot from each other that summer. I would not trade it for a single thing. She helped me to see that life happens and that there are always other options. She encouraged me to go back to school, education she said, was always a good investment. Seeing as she was a teacher, I was inclined to take her advice. Suddenly I felt like I had a plan, go back to school, screw the Highway Patrol, I’ll get so much education they’ll be begging me to work for them. I searched and researched schools, programs, and locations. I wanted a hands-on school that could teach me the physical part of criminal justice and help me to gain certifications in the process. Again, I wanted to be the best. With every find, my aunt and I discussed its pros, cons, and success rate. She helped to see that limiting my search to Missouri was not the best idea; I needed a good education, not one out of convenience, broaden my horizons. My best friend had married her high school sweetheart who was enlisted in the United States Navy and moved to Virginia Beach, she told me about a school down there that was always advertising its criminal justice program and its certificates. She picked up and mailed a few brochures to me to look over. After a few phone calls I decided to give it a look.
I viewed the school and was immediately pulled in by its curriculum and one of the teachers, who had previously been a profiler for the police, the exact job I wanted. I made up my mind, but still I was a little hesitant. Another issue I had been struggling with in New Hampshire was that for the first time in my adult life I was home sick. It is important to mention at this point that I had been blessed with a very culturally sound background. For family vacations my grandparents often took us on cruises on their yacht to private islands. We took other cruises to Alaska, Panama City, Aruba, Columbia, etc. I was a very lucky kid. I traveled to New Mexico with family, Texas, a couple times, with friends, Ireland once and pretty much everywhere else in the continental United States. In most cases my parents were lucky to get a phone call stating I arrived safe. I always felt if they were okay then why worry? I could take care of myself as well. But this time it was different, my dad had suffered a broken back and several surgeries, and my mom was hormonal. It seemed I was missing the rest of my family, especially my grandmother, my biggest fan. We had just found out she had lung cancer and I felt guilty moving even further away when I knew she needed me. But after talking to both my parents and my grandmother they encouraged me to go back to school. And Here I am.
Right before I was to move to Virginia Beach I was involved in an accident. I was hit by a drunk motorcyclist crossing the street in a cross walk. I was thrown about 20 feet landing on my side, in turn dislocating my left knee along with severe contusions and several cuts and bruises. I have the worst luck! The accident was a nightmare and I am not even talking about the level of pain. I could hardly walk and therefore could not return to being a waitress. I went to the doctor and had tests run to be told that surgery was my best option. Great, here I was in a new town, at a new school, without parents or family about to have knee surgery. Thank God for my friend Stacey, without her, I know I would not be here. So I had surgery, fully aware of the irony that my life was. Even if I had gotten in the Highway Patrol I would not be able to go now with a bum knee. Double Whammy. I continued with school, started rehab for the knee, but again began to feel the sweep of disappoint wave over me. I was 23, wasn’t I supposed to have a steady job by now with a daily routine and a paycheck? Why didn’t I just except the fact that I was going to have to settle for less? I was defeated. I needed a break, I needed home. So that’s what I did. I went home for a weekend. I let it all go and just enjoyed myself. I had a blast, I visited family, friends, and had coffee with my dad, something I had always taken for granted. But when I arrived back in Virginia, instead of clearing my head the trip had only clouded it more. Why was I living 18 hours away? Why was I still running away from the things I loved the most?
Chapter 7
Home
It had never been my intent to move back to Missouri and live there. I wanted adventure, danger, and excitement. But something changed that. No longer did I want that crazy lifestyle. I wanted to see my family and friends and be safe. Don’t get me wrong I still wanted that exciting career, but I wanted it alongside everything else. Why couldn’t I have both? But I was Jenna, the kid who skydives on weekends and flies planes. I was destined for bigger and better, that is what my family used to say. And I believed them I didn’t need to stick around and be like the rest. People in my home town seldom left. They married young, had babies young, and lived a life opposite of the one I wanted for myself. I did not want that life, but I also didn’t want the city life I kept running back too. When I went home for that weekend to clear my head I fell in love. I fell in love with my family, with my surroundings and my friends all over again. I had missed that feeling for so many years, in fact I often ran away from it, scared it would hold me back. But something happened. One night sitting on my parents’ porch with my mom under the stars, the real stars, not pole lights or bar signs, or police cruisers, but star the way God intended them to be seen. My mother had been one of those who wanted better for me. She had gotten out and away from the small town and was damn sure I would too. But that night we did not argue about my life or my plans instead. She simply said, “This is home”. I had been fighting myself for months on that notion. Where was I going to end up? Could I really consider anywhere else home? I didn’t want to. Suddenly it all made sense. I could move closer to home. I could have both an exciting career, and a close family life. I have begun to crave the slower way of life that Missouri holds for me, the river, camping, my friends, my family, and especially that feeling I get every time I get close to home. It is peaceful and serene, calming and safe. It is home.
I found out recently that my grandmothers cancer had came back. Talk about a blow to the heart. This woman had grown up on the river, raised five children through good times and bad and had a hand in raising all 15 of her grandchildren. She, herself was a childlike in many ways. She held the ability to love and forgive in an instant. She was sincere and honest, except when she cheated at cards, and had the biggest heart I’d ever seen. I credit her with the crazy streak all us grandkids inherited. She also taught me that I was invincible, as she often that she was. She was 65 and still jumping off of creek bluffs, she was sledding on car hoods, and in the floor wrestling her grown grandkids. She had no fear and taught all of us the same. She was always our biggest fan and was never afraid to speak her mind, whether you wanted to hear it or not. She was our escape from both reality and our parents. Her house was a safe haven to run to, and I often frequented it for advice. She wanted everything for us. She wanted adventure, and excitement and she was always the first one I called after I had done something irrational and crazy. But most of all she wanted us to be happy. That was her only wish. She wanted us to live our dreams, even if it took us to New Hampshire, Virginia, or Memphis. She instilled in us the importance of family. Something as you have read that has finally set in for me. But through her sickness my cousins and I have become closer. We talk, recount memories, and joke constantly, most often about our grandmother. She is the glue that holds us together, we know that and it scares us to death. But for being there for us, me especially, she has shown us what love is, and what it can overcome. Honestly she is a huge part of my decision to move home. I may have grown up around her but I cannot imagine my life without her. It is selfish, but I am not ready. I have finally realized my life goal and direction and here my safety net is about to be pulled out from under me.
Chapter 8
The Plan
I am sure you are wondering what my “life goal” has now become. Well, I finally have a plan, even a backup plan. Talk about being overly prepared. I will be done in Virginia Beach in October, I then plan to move to Springfield Missouri, a rural, but growing city where a few of my cousins and friends live. I am going to once again try out for the highway patrol, but this time I am ready to take full responsibility for my actions and transgressions, no excuses, no regrets. I am ready once again to be a part of a team, especially a team that shares the common goal of saving others. It is about time I start returning the favor. And as for the uniform and hat, why not, I look good in blue. I know now that I am capable of performing the duties of a trooper, with both honor and commitment. I know it takes work but I am ready to commit myself to the cause. The first time around I was scared, unsure of what I could contribute, now I know, compassion, understanding, and knowledge, both hands on and life lessons. I strive on activities that involve both body and mind to succeed. Let’s just hope they are ready for me. My backup plan takes a different step in direction. If the highway patrol does not pan out for my future I would like to give working with children a chance. Probably not permanently due to the amount of mental strain it can create, but to give back to children who were dealt an unfair hand in life.
Outside of the job realm I want to get back to the basics of life. I want to see my family more; I want ride horses with my dad and brother and watch old musicals with my mom. I want to make every moment count with my family and I want to have no regrets about it. I want to become an example of hard work and perseverance. I want others who knew me then to know me now and to be able to see the difference. I want to work hard and be rewarded and most of all I want to be happy. It seems that I want for a lot, but in reality if I given a chance to prove myself these things will come automatically.
Chapter 9
A fresh face
So here we are at the end for you, however, it’s a new beginning for me. I am full of anxiousness and worry. What stands in my future? How will I fare? Do I have it in me to make a new, fresh start? Can I be who I want to be? I’d have to say it is. It has been said that your past holds the key to your future. If that is true I should be good to go. I have learned my share of life lessons over the years. By participating in teamwork, I have learned leadership. By helping others I have learned to understand myself. Because of my many mistakes I have learned first off the feeling of humility, but also how to take responsibility for my actions. I have learned to love the simple things and have even more to appreciate the finer things in life. I have felt fear and love without boundaries and have overcome both.
I guess I am okay, I know that I will make it. It is not how, but when. If my life doesn’t follow my life plan, then I find a new one. All that matters is that I find happiness in what I do. After all what is the point?
The Beginning
My life started on a small island in the Pacific. My father was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I was born in a big pink hospital that sits on the side of a small mountain. Mom said I came out with the cord wrapped around my face. Dad said I looked like an alien and that once they unwound it, I had funny creases on my face. I wish I had pictures, because it just sounds like a sight to see. Nothing all that special happened for the first few years. I lived on an island but was terrified of the ocean. I had an insatiable love for all things chocolate, especially Junior Mints. I formed a friendship with a sailor who supported that addiction, much to the chagrin of my folks. Apparently, chocolate mints did not agree with me and the outcome was not pretty. That’s the joy of other peoples’ children; you can fill them up with explosive sweets and give them back before the fuse reaches the payload. I had an unconditional trust in everyone. I would leap from high places and trust in the fact that the closest person would catch me. Thankfully, there was always someone there; at least that’s what they tell me anyway. Most of my early birthdays were gathered around a character shaped cake that my mother skillfully baked and decorated. These I actually do have pictures of. I’ll try to get a hold of the albums and scan some in for this chapbook. That should be interesting and embarrassing. Everything up to this point is what I have been told by family or showed in pictures. I believe them.
The next place we lived was New York. I formed some of my first memories there. We lived in a split level house; a raised ranch as my mother just corrected me. We had a Siamese cat named Saimin. I let him out the front door one day and we never saw him again. We did receive word that he was fine and decided that he would be better off with his new family. He wasn’t really all that nice anyway. We also had two Dalmatian puppies, Heidi and Topper. We lost Topper early, but I remember that he could jump really high. Mom kept a garden in the back yard. I liked to help her pick the veggies. I would make a pouch out of my shirt and fill it will beans and carrots and radishes. I never quite made it back to the house with many though. I ate them on the way. Hey, it was a long walk from the garden for my short little legs and all that picking sure works up a hunger. Mom knew that she couldn’t count my pickings in with the rest, but I think she didn’t mind cause she was happy that I was eating veggies. I started kindergarten while we lived there. I don’t remember my teacher’s name, but I do remember sitting around her singing songs while she played a piano. I followed my older brother around a lot. He didn’t seem to mind it, yet. Eventually, he would. I learned to read earlier than most because my big brother would teach me his homework. I really should thank him for that. We moved into a rental before the next transfer. I really don’t remember much about that house, except that it had a pool table. Figures, I was five or so and couldn’t really play.
Back to Hawaii we went. This time I can recall things from my own memories. I got a baby brother while we were there. He was born in the same pink hospital I was, just a few rooms down the hall. We lived in the same housing complex, but that’s not unusual when you are a military brat. I went to Iroquoi Point Elementary School. I could walk there from my house. It sure felt like a long walk one I was that small. I went back as an adult and found out it wasn’t so far. It’s amazing the perspective change that takes place as you grow. I mean, it really felt like it took forever to get there. You had to walk all the way to the end of the street (a couple of houses down). Then you had to cross a long grass/dirt field (maybe one sports field). Again I remember singing songs in class. This time, some of them were in Hawaiian. There were kids who came to school without shoes, and that was okay. I had my first boyfriend there. A little cutie named Gregory. He used to get so protective of me when I’d spin around it my twirly skirt (you could see my undies, oops!). Our neighbor Jenny was more of an adopted cousin. She spent more time at our house than hers. Thinking back on things now, I’m glad that we were there for her. She didn’t have it so great, but that’s not my story to tell. Our car was a lemon yellow Mazda 626. Her name was Gerty. I remember that sitting in the back got tight when my little brother came along. The carseat went in the middle and my older brother and I sat on either side, kinda squished. I guess that’s why my parents decided to buy the minivan. Man, I thought that thing was cool. All that space. No more crowding. Folks got a great deal on it. Another sailor transferring had to unload it, and fast. One of my favorite pastimes was pouring salt on slugs. That is as far as my childhood torture story goes. I think that’s more of a ‘boy’ thing to do. I was still following my brother around, but he didn’t care for it much anymore. I got the hand-me-down things he didn’t want anymore; the hot wheels trike that had a rock stuck in one wheel. It went ca-chunk ca-chunk as I rode it down the street. I learned to ride a two wheeler without training wheels on that street. Dad wiped out on a skateboard while eating a bowl of chilli. That was too funny to watch. Dad has always been a silly one. We made a lot of great friends there. Amber was my favorite. She had almost white hair, bleached by the sun. I had the best tan while we lived there. I don’t remember spending a whole lot of time indoors. Ah, the good ole days. I liked the beach a lot better this time around. We would cut through the school to get there, and we’d stop by Baskin Robins on the way back. I don’t remember wearing shoes much either, now that I think about it. We had a great going away party when we left this time, but I’ll save that story for later. I may even try to get the video converted so I can share.
Grade School
Let’s rewind a bit from where I left off last. In 1985, my baby brother was born, on Mothers’ Day no less. I don’t remember a whole lot about that event. What I do remember is that my grandmother came to stay with us for a while and that mom had to stay in the hospital for some extra time. Having a new baby in the house probably changed a lot, but I just remember being stoked that I was a big sister. I think I would have preferred the bouncing bundle had been pink instead of blue, but what little girl doesn’t? I tried to help out as much as I could, but I’m not sure how much assistance I actually was. After all, I was only six years old. Mostly I just went and got things for mom; blankets, burp rags, pacifiers. As a mom now myself, I know that she appreciated even the smallest effort.
Fast forward a couple of years. It’s now time to leave Hawaii for the second time. Like I said before, the party was pretty cool. Let’s just say that wet slip-n-slide plus inebriated sailors equals one hell of a muddy good time. The only real downer for me was my pool. While being used as the rinse area, it became a casualty. Ah well, we were moving anyway.
We flew from Hawaii to California, where we met our cars and then drove the rest of the way to Florida. I have to say, I think that is still the most memorable road trips I’ve ever taken. Dad and my older brother took the two door car while mom, my younger brother, and myself were in the caravan. I thought that thing was awesome. Three rows of seats and one of them was all mine, when I wanted it. Mostly, I sat up front and played navigator. We stopped at the Grand Canyon. Wow! What a sight. Of course, the mood was ruined by my prankster big brother pretending he would shove me over the edge. Good thing he wasn’t riding in the van, otherwise that could have made the trip a lot more intense. We didn’t have cell phones back then, but we always managed to stop at the same places. I thought it was pretty magical. I learned later that the magic was a cool thing call triple A trip-tiks. Mom and Dad planned ahead where they wanted to stop. Most of the time, we stayed close enough to see the other car. The two door Mazda was canary yellow, so its not like it was that hard to see. One morning we got McDonalds breakfast. I can’t remember if we got it to go or if Mom just saved some of hers for the ride. Anyway, While she was enjoying her hashbrown later in the car, a bee flew into the car and landed on it. She screamed and threw it out the window, all the while trying very hard to stay on the road. She pulled over to get her wits about her. One night during our trip, we kids were killing time in the hotel room jumping from bed to bed. At some point in the fun, my little brother’s training pants ended up on his head. I’m pretty sure they were clean, at least I hope so. He ran around screaming and we were all laughing like crazy. I wrote a poem about it for school later on and won a prize. That’s really about all I can remember from that trip. I’m sure my Mom will read this and remind me of something later on, which I’ll be sure to add later.
So, we made it Florida. I think it took us about ten days. We moved in to this tiny, two bedroom apartment. In all of my nine years, I never had to share a room with anyone. Now, I was sharing with BOTH of my brothers. Yuck! We spent several months there while we waited for our new house to be built. It was pretty cool. I was in elementary school and my older brother was in middles school. The schools had different schedules and Mom drove us in each day, since we lived outside of the zoning for the school. The staggered schedules turned out to be a pretty cool thing. Mom would drop one of us off at school and then take the other to the house site to check the builders’ progress. Then, on the pick-up trip, the other sibling got to visit the site. Mom video taped most of the construction. It was pretty cool to see. It started out as an empty lot. Then there was a foundation, walls, roof, and everything else. It was actually quite fortunate that we made daily visits, because the builders messed up one the changes my parents had made to the floor plan. I almost had to share a room again, or sleep in the dining room. Good eye, Mom.
The neighborhood we moved into was brand new. We were one of the few houses on the block and there were no houses on the lots behind us. Not yet, anyway. I had my own room again, ah. I still love that house. Maybe it’s because I have to most childhood memories there. I almost cried when my parents finally sold it. So, now that we were in the new house, I could take a bus to school. The community was growing though and, within no time, there was a new school going up just down the street. I loved being able to walk or ride my bike to school. It wasn’t all that far and I never had to worry about missing the bus. Rainy days were a bummer though.
The fifth grade is when I started having vision issues. I blame it on poor development planning on the school’s part. Who installs brick read chalk boards and then supplies the teachers with yellow chalk? My last name was at the end of the alphabet then, so I say in the back of the classroom. After days and days of having to move to the front just to take my notes, someone sent word home to my folks that maybe I should have my eyes checked. Enter the awkard four-eyed stage of my life, which lasted well into high school. Somewhere during that year I fell and broke my wrist. Running around with my next door neighbor, I tripped and landed on the concrete with a snap. Mom didn’t believe it was as bad as it was and she didn’t take me to the doctor right away. I still like to bring that little stinger up every now and then. Mom knows I’ve really let it go though.
Sixth grade brought a new school and new experiences. I had to get used to changing classes all the time. Suddenly, I had some say in what electives I got to take. I sat through one or two art classes before I realized that it just wasn’t for me. I decided I might like to try the band on for size. And size had a lot to do with my instrument choice. Dad wanted me to play the French horn, but I just didn’t feel like I could hold it for long periods of time. The flute was an alternate choice, but holding it up the way you have to seemed it might me too tiring. I decided on the clarinet, and I loved it. I have to agree with the studies that show music enhances learning. I’m not sure exactly how it works, but I know that school subjects seemed even easier once I started playing an instrument. This was also the year I discovered a great love of math. During a regular class, the teacher gave us a test of some things we had not worked on before. It was a pre-algebra placement test. I had a natural talent for it, and was assigned to pre-algebra the next year with several of my other classmates. Man, math was my best subject. Still is. I love the problem solving. I even love when I get things wrong because I get to go back and figure out where I made the mistake. Very few subjects in school, or in life, are that cut and dry.
Seventh and eighth grade kind of blended together. I don’t remember a whole lot of things about that time. I do remember standing outside in the courtyard to watch shuttle launches. I also remember my science teacher, Mr. Hall, taking me aside and telling me how much he knew I was capable of and pushing me to do better. I will admit it, I was a lazy student. I hated to do homework (except math, of course) and I really never studied for tests. He must have made an impact, maybe not immediately, but he is one of the few teachers whose name I still remember. Eighth grade was also when I met my best friend, Jen. She and I stayed close through high school, even after my family moved away from Florida. This year I was taking Algebra and Spanish I, both counted for high school credit. The Spanish class was actually at the high school. I would ride the high school bus to the high school in the morning and they would bus us from there to the middle school. It was a long school day for me, but I enjoyed it. I think I did a summer school semester for gym class, but I could be wrong. Like I said before, my memory is a little sketchy sometimes.
High School
Next came high school. I went to three of them. I started my freshman year in Florida. Dad got orders to transfer again, and we were set to move to Pittsburgh, PA. Dad went ahead of us. Mom stayed back with my little brother and me while we tried to sell the house. Now a teenager, I had a lot of angst about the situation. Eventually, as a geographically single mother, Mom decided I may be better off going on to meet my dad. Around April, Dad flew down to pick up our old car and I drove back to Pittsburgh with him. I finished off my freshman year at a high school near my dad’s new work. Mom and my little brother followed around the beginning of summer. I flew back to visit that summer. It was a strange visit, being a guest where I used to live. I had planned to stay with one friend, but things didn’t go as planned. Ah well. Unexpected changes tend to make things more interesting. Some time in here we moved into an apartment close to where my parents wanted to buy a house. I changed schools, again, but for the last time. Looking back I think I did a pretty good job adjusting. I made friends, but not easily. It was hard to be the ‘outsider’. Most of the people at the new school had lived there all their lives. In fact, most of their families had lived there for at least three generations. Here I was, a well-travelled teen. I made friends with other fellow outcasts; vo-tech kids mostly. While in the apartments we decided we wanted a dog. Well, there were guidelines on size, so we had to choose a breed that was kind of small. Mom did a lot of research and found a breeder for Miniature Pinschers. We took a road trip to go see them. I remember that day pretty well. It seemed like it took us forever to get there. Mom could probably tell me how long it really was. So, we get there and there are two litters to choose from. These dogs are small fully grown, so the puppies were tiny. I just sat on the floor and played with them. My dog ended up choosing me. She just came over, looked up at me with those sappy gray eyes, and sat down in my lap. I was hooked. This was the one I was taking home. My parents agreed and paid for her and we headed home. I remember that we had brought a brown towel with us, just in case she got carsick. I honestly can’t remember if she did though. We spent the trip trying to come up with a creative name. She was a reddish brown color, with a pale belly. We finally came up with Pale Brandy Sue, but we just called her Brandy. She was a great dog. While she was still fairly small, she would sleep across my neck at night. Eventually she became too heavy for that though, so she moved down to the crook of my knees. I loved that dog. I had a blast teaching her to sit and speak and shake. We bred her once, which produced three puppies. They were all different colors. One red, one black, and one sandy colored with a peppering a black. There were two girls and a boy, if I remember right. Mom decided to keep the black male. We named him Winston. Not sure if he has a proper full name. Brandy lived a long and happy life. We lost her recently, last year or the year before. It was a sad day for me, especially since I hadn’t seen her in a while. Winston still lives with my folks. He’s a sweet old dog.
Let’s see, back to school. High school wasn’t all that exciting. I got decent grades, but I could have done a lot better. I got lazy. I didn’t participate in the band any longer. I wasn’t fond of the marching and playing. At my school in Florida I was on the flag corps during games and they didn’t offer that in the Pennsylvania school. I wasn’t athletic enough to be a cheerleader either, or at least I didn’t have the desire to be one. I did discover photography at that school though. I just adored that class. I spent a lot of free time there; became a bit of a teacher’s pet. I still love photography. I would take pictures more often, but life always seems to get in the way.
I got my first job while in high school, as most kids do. Fast food, of course; Wendy’s. I loved that job. My manager was awesome. He would always give me the schedule I asked for so I could earn the most money I could. And I was always the one he would call if they were short handed and I wasn’t already there. I worked there for around two years. By the time I left, I knew every job but manager. It’s not like it was that hard, but you’d be surprised how many people just can’t work in food service. I took my learner’s permit test shortly after my fifteenth birthday. Failed it. It was an electronic touch test. As soon as you missed the maximum number of questions, it cut you off. How embarrassing. Had to go back to take it a second time. Same thing happened with my actual driver’s test. Failed the first time up. I couldn’t even drive home from the testing center I was so upset. We bought my first car from a friend of my mother’s. A 1987 brown Nissan Sentra. Small and easy to drive. Mom and Dad split the cost with me. I had that car until 1997. It saw a lot of miles, a few states, and a lot of good times.
Graduation came and went. Nothing special there. The previous November I had signed up to join the Navy, much to the chagrin of my folks. I waited out the time after graduation working and spending time with friends. I quit my job about a month before heading to basic training just to relax. I was almost an adult, and I couldn’t wait.
The Navy Life
As I mentioned before, I joined the Navy after high school. My parents were not too happy with it. They would have preferred I continue my education. I actually forfeited tuition, since my father had offered to pay for college as long as I did well and kept my grades up. I wasn’t interested in any more school at that time. I sort of knew that I would be lazy and not apply myself fully, so I didn’t want to waste time or money. So, from Pittsburgh, I shipped off to basic training at good ole Great Lakes, Illinois. It was August, so it was still warm. Some days were very warm. I never thought somewhere so far north could be so hot and humid. The first few days were rough. We didn’t get much sleep and we were constantly on the move. Inprocessing required a lot of paperwork. Did I mention all the shots? Vaccinations were interesting. Most of them were in combined air-gun syringes, but the penicillin shot was a bear. It goes in your bottom and it’s the consistency of tooth paste. To add insult to injury, they made us sit on the ground and rock back and forth to “work it in”. I think they really just enjoyed seeing us follow whatever orders they threw at us.
The first few days were extra tough on me. I’d never been away from home for more than a week or so, and I was always able to get in touch with my folks if I wanted to. Not being allowed contact with the outside world was rough. I got really homesick and cried myself to sleep a few nights. Once we really got going though, I was too tired to be sad. By the end of the day, all I wanted to do was close my eyes and sleep. Once we started getting mail, it made things a lot easier. I spent my eighteenth birthday in boot camp. That was a tough day. The division had mail call and I didn’t get a single thing. The day got better though, because they scheduled us for a trip to the “ship’s store” and that meant a phone call. I felt like the luckiest person in the world.
I put on fifteen pounds during boot camp. Some of it was muscle, developed during the many hours of forced exercise. The rest was from the food. I swear the food they fed us was the fattiest food I have ever eaten. And I ate a lot of it! We got three meals a day but only ten to fifteen minutes to eat. I was determined to eat as much as I possibly could. I could always tell the days when I didn’t eat enough because I would be even more exhausted than normal by the end of the day. Breakfast was always the best meal for me. I could shovel down pancakes, eggs, bacon, toast, some type of fruit, a glass of juice, a glass of milk, and one or two of those single serve cereal boxes. By the end of the two months, all of my uniforms were a lot tighter than when I was originally fitted for them.
My first pair of boots were the wrong size. Of course, I found this out the hard way. A couple of days marching around in them and I had blisters worse than I could have ever imagined. They tried to tell me that blisters were normal for breaking in new leather boots. Yeah, right! I went to sick call because I couldn’t even get them on one day. Turned out I had pretty bad cellulites on one foot and ended up SIQ (sick in quarters) for a day or two, and then I spent the following few days wearing sneakers. They did order me the right size boots and, after I healed completely, they fit fine.
Looking back on the experience, I think boot camp was a blast. Dad said it was a lot harder than when he went through. Thank you political correctness, not. I’ve heard its gotten a lot easier since I was there. I really don’t understand the military wanting to have weak people in service. I mean, why make basic training easier? It used to help to weed out the people who just weren’t cut out for the job. Now the Navy has a higher rate of people leaving in the first two to four years, even before their enlistments were up. I have friends among that crowd. Its sad, really.
After boot camp I headed on to the next step in my training. I chose the rate (job class) of Aviation Electronics Technician (AT). I travelled down to Millington, Tennessee, for my A school. For the first few weeks there you can only wear your uniforms, no civilian clothes at all. We had to be inspected regularly and passed by a superior before we could graduate to real clothes. I remember bugging my Barracks Petty Officer to do all of my inspections at once. I was “promoted” to wearing civies sooner than my peers that had arrived at the same time. What can I say, I wanted to wear MY clothes.
The school was simple enough for me. I don’t recall most of the material, but I was able to apply it later to my job. I met a lot of interesting people. Most of them just passed through my life, ut a select few I still keep in contact with. Shortly after arriving there in October, I convinced my Dad to bring me my car. Thanks Dad! I was so hung up on my own life that I really didn’t spend any time with him. I’m kind of ashamed to admit that now, but I know that he understood what it was like for me. Besides, I see him a lot now. Now I was everyone’s friend cause I had wheels! It was a freedom that most of the other students didn’t have yet. Either they had no car to be brought, or no one would make the trip just to bring them a car. I rarely paid for gas or fast food because I could cart people around. There were a few times where we probably packed too many people in the car, but I always tried to only take as many people as there were seatbelts. I said I tried, but I wasn’t always successful. When I wasn’t busy shuttling people around, I would go to the stables on base; just the other side of the main road. I have always loved horses, and having easy access to them as awesome. I tried to save some of my measley pay so that I could afford an hours ride. The stable didn’t really have strict rules either. They would give you a horse already tacked for riding and away you went. I ran most of the time. It was heavenly. I sure miss that. I really hope I can get back into horseback riding again soon.
Halfway through my training, they shut down the base; part of the BRAC movement. The Base Realignment And Closure was intended to save the military money. They kept some areas of the base open and functioning, but all the training moved down to Pensacola, Florida. So, I packed up the trusty ole Nissan and headed south. Growing up, I always thought road trips were the coolest. But, as an adult, I found that doing it alone was the pits. Sure, you got to pick which route and how often and where to stop, but there was NO ONE to talk to. I can only listen to music or the sound of the road for so long.
Florida was gorgeous! I was further from my folks but back in familiar territory. Pensacola is a bit further north then where I lived before, but I was accustomed to the weather and the people. The beaches were a welcome sight, even if it was Christmas time. I wasn’t at school long before the holiday break came, and then I was off for family time. My folks flew down to Saint Petersberg to be with my mother’s family. I decided to drive down to join them. What should have taken a few long hours ended up taking half a dang day. I got my very first speeding ticket on that trip. My car was acting up and I just wanted to get to my family already. I was driving as fast as I could and got snagged by a highway patrolman. Who gives a kid a ticket three days to Christmas anyway? I’ll never forget it. That officer was the meanest cop I’ve ever met. I sat on the side of the road and cried for a while. Then I drove to the nearest gas station where I called my dad, and cried some more. He said just to get there safely and slowly; he has such a calming effect on me when I’m in crisis. Part of my travel extension came in the way of massive traffic. Apparently there was a water stain on some building (a church maybe) and it was in the shape of the silhouette of the Virgin Mary. At least that is how I remember it. Mom will probably correct me by sending me a link to the newspaper story. I remember for sure that it was nuts. There were people crossing four lane highways in gaggles. Also during this trip, I drove back to my old stomping grounds to visit friends. Nothing too special about the trip, but it was cool to be “home” on my own terms. No rules, just fun.
I made it back to Pensacola on time and out of trouble; and back to school I went. I made my first real purchase on my own shortly after. I traded in the Nissan and a shiny red 1989 Chevy Beretta. In hindsight, dumb idea; but it was the start of building good credit and I needed something that wasn’t so wishy-washy. I had to have some adjustments made to it though. It was a manual transmission, which I knew how to drive, but the darn thing would stall on me from a standstill. I remember one time, I was headed to the pool hall off base to meet some friends. I got into the “suicide” turn lane to get into the parking lot. The car stalled. I restarted it; it stalled, again. I did this a few more times and then I couldn’t take it anymore. I was so frustrated with it that I was shaking, which made easing off the clutch in the necessary manner impossible. My buddy had to run out from the parking lot and drive it in for me. How embarrassing. That was what made me take it back to the dealer and say fix it. They did and things were fine after that.
After A school came FRAMP school. I couldn’t tell you what that stands for, but it’s a secondary school for more specialized training. I was going to learn the equipment I would ultimately be working on. Since I had a car, I opted to drive the cross country excursion. From Florida to Whidbey Island, Washington state. That was a LONG trip to do all alone. I made a rule for myself; I only drove during daylight hours. I tend to get sleepy after dusk and didn’t want to risk an accident. I tried to make the trip as interesting as possible, stopping at some major tourist attractions along the way. I saw the Saint Louis Arch. Got some shots of that with a disposable camera from the road. I chose not to actually GO there. I did however stop at Mount Rushmore. That was pretty cool. I’m not a big history buff but it’s an amazing sight to see up close. I got a second speeding ticket somewhere in South Dakota. Nice cop. Younger guy, came from a military family. I was going way faster than for the one in Florida, but I guess it wasn’t as big a deal in South Dakota. I stopped in Missoula, Montana. BEAUTIFUL country, in the summer anyway. Rolling green hills and mountains as far as the eye can see. And everyone there was so nice. Onward to Washington, where I received my third and final speeding ticket. What can I say, I was young; had a bit of a lead foot. Got myself checked into my room and spent the next month learning more electronics. After graduation, I packed up my things and sent them, and my car, to meet me at my next station.
My first real command was Patrol Squadron Four, stationed out of Barber’s Point in Hawaii. After leaving Washington, I was to meet the squadron where it was currently deployed; Diego Garcia. It’s a tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. No one there but military and DOD employees. Before I headed that way though, I took some leave to go visit Andrew in California. I met him in Lemoore, a tiny air base in the middle of nowhere in California. Spent almost a week there, and then we drove down to San Diego, where he was going to be stationed. Spent another week there and then I was on my long journey to Diego Garcia. It took me forever to get there. From San Diego, I flew to Las Vegas. From Vegas, I headed to Philadelphia. When I got to Philly, I was a little delayed and the Air Force crew had filled my seat with someone else. I was pretty upset. Here I was, a brand new sailor, stranded in an airport with no commercial option to get where I was going. I found out later that I could have had their butts in big trouble, but I was too fresh to know better at the time. I called my folks, who now lived in Baltimore, and they came and picked me up. I spent almost a week with them. It was kind of nice to have an unexpected extension of my leave. I had contacted the necessary people in my command, so they knew that I was on my way, but the flight I needed to take only ran so often, so I didn’t have a lot of options. Its finally time to continue around the world, so we head back to Philapelphia and I’m off. First, we stopped down here in Norfolk, Virginia, to pick up some more military folks. Then we headed across the Atlantic to our first stop in the Azores; a set of tiny islands somewhere off the coast of Portugal. That was a long flight. And when we got there, we weren’t really allowed to wander too far from the air terminal. Well, at least we newbies weren’t anyway. Next stop was Sigonella, Sicily; another small island. Lots of islands on this trip, now that I think about it. Let’s see, after that, it was Bahrain. Wow, was it HOT there. We landed well after nightfall but the air was super humid and it didn’t move at all. It was actually kind of hard to breathe. We spent a few hours in the terminal there. Most of the other passengers were upset because all the duty free shops were closed. Finally, the last leg of the trip came. Diego Garcia, here I come. I can’t remember for sure, but I may have been the only person who got off there. The person who was sent to pick me up was a little confused. I guess no one bothered to read my paperwork; they were all expecting a male. I think it has something to do with my name.
Diego Garcia was a lot of fun. There wasn’t anything like a normal town had, but we had plenty of things to keep us occupied. The gym was open twenty-four hours. There was a pool. They had a couple of bars and restaurants. There was a night club that was only open Friday and Saturday nights. There was a small store. There was a little take out shop that served up simple foods, and some of the best lumpia I’ve ever had. And, of course, there was the beach. It was an island, after all. There were rules for the beach though, which was a big bummer for someone who grew up on them. You could only swim in the lagoon because the ocean side currents were too strong. The beach out there just sort of dropped off not far out. It seemed like it went down for miles deep. It rains a lot in Diego Garcia, and I mean a LOT. It reminded me of the movie Forrest Gump where he writes Jenny about all the rain in Vietnam. The rain here came in all sorts too. There was plain old rain, hard rain, rain that came out of nowhere, sideways rain, and rain so hard that it seemed to bounce off the ground and come back up at you. I had a lot of fun there. Not a whole lot of responsibilities other than work. It was here that I met Chuck, who would later become my first husband. I arrived there in July and we were headed home to Hawaii in December. The time went by pretty fast.
Hawaii was what I had been waiting for. I had put it at the top of my wishlist back in A school and was surprised and elated that I actually got it. Most of the squadron took leave directly after arriving back in the states, and I was no exception. It was Christmas time, after all. I didn’t go home though. I headed to Georgia to spend the holidays with Andrew and his family. It was a fun trip and I had a wonderful time. Then it was back to Hawaii and back to the grindstone. Work was close enough to the barracks that I could walk but sometimes I drove anyway, usually on really hot days. The distance soon was too much for Andrew and I to overcome, so we ended things. We parted on good terms and still keep in touch. This is when Chuck and I got together. Long story short, we shouldn’t have gotten married. I call it my practice marriage. It barely lasted a year and taught me many things you need to know about someone BEFORE you commit your life to them. I’m just thankful we didn’t have any kids.
A year goes by and its off on another six month deployment. Back to Diego Garcia. Chuck and I were still married at this time. In fact, we had no idea it wasn’t going to work, yet. The command separated us because married couples weren’t allowed on Diego Garcia. He went to Misawa, Japan instead. When the rest of us arrived in Diego Garcia, we waited at the terminal for baggage and such. While we were waiting, they came around to announce the advancements (promotions). I found out that I had made it to the next pay grade. It wasn’t really a major accomplishment but I was still thrilled, it meant more money. Another six months came and went without anything really exciting. I made some new friends and got closer with some older friends. This trip is where I met Ray, who would become my second husband. Do you see a pattern here? I know, pathetic, but that’s just the way things have turned out for me. This time I was determined to do things right. I was divorced by mail, which took forever due to the super slow postal system in Diego Garcia. When we got back to Hawaii, I move in with Ray. This time I thought things would be different and they were, for a while anyway. We lived together for about two and a half years before we got married. I thought that was long enough to get to know someone. We went on yet another deployment, this time to Misawa, Japan. That place was a blast. Ray and I got along great and we always had a good time. For those of you out there who have never been married, believe your family and friends when they tell you money and kids can change you forever. I think the first thing that started to break down our marriage was me quitting work. I got out of the Navy a few weeks before the wedding, with the plans to follow him and work wherever he went. After Hawaii, we were stationed in San Diego, California. I had trouble finding work there and shortly thereafter it didn’t matter anyway. In March of 2002 I found out I was pregnant. It wasn’t an accident either. We had decided to go ahead and try. Nine fairly uneventful months later, in November, we welcome Kylie to our family. She was everything I imagined and more. My entire world revolved around this tiny little person. Ray was not a natural father. Back then, he didn’t have a clue and I resented him for it. I was exhausted and all I wanted was a little help and support and it was like pulling teeth to get him to do anything. I gave up after a while. I thought maybe men just didn’t have the parent gene and that it was something he would learn over time. I give him some credit now; he has grown into a better one since. I didn’t have a lot of friends in California, which is probably why I hate the place. I was fairly miserable for the three years we were there.
We did get both our dogs while in San Diego. Two miniature pinschers, imagine that. Kona was the first. We got her while I was pregnant with Kylie. She was my baby, up until the actual baby came anyway. She is still MY dog, through and through. The second dog we got was Ruby. She is Kona’s sister, two litters later. We actually got her by default. Our friend, Paul, had wanted a dog he could keep in his apartment so I took him to the breeder we knew. He brought her home and then the chaos began. He decided that it wasn’t going to work out at the apartment. It was too hard to take care of a puppy. He wanted to give her back to the breeder so she could find a good home, but that wasn’t going to happen. The breeder didn’t want to give him his money back ($500) so he wasn’t going to go through with it. He mentioned the word “pound” and that was enough for me. I said we’d keep her. There was no way I was going to risk her not finding a good home when I already had a perfectly good one right there.
Transfer time came around, again. This time it was back to the east coast. I insisted! I was not going to spend his first real sea tour alone with no friends. I was already expecting our second child and I refused to be a single parent of two, without help, when he went away. I wanted to be close to some family for the times that he would be gone on deployments. He got orders to Oceana, Virginia, and I was okay with that. Its only four hours from both our families and there are still beaches. I thought this would be a good place for us to get things back on track. Maura joined our ranks in June of 2005. This time around Ray was better with the baby things, but still could have been more hands on. He loves the girls, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not sure he really wanted to be a dad. I think he may have just been trying to make me happy. We bought our first house here. It’s a small rancher in a fairly quiet neighborhood and it’s got a huge yard. I’ve tried to make it as much a home as possible, but I really just don’t “feel” it anymore. That probably has to do with the way things have gone over the past few years.
Firsts
My first boyfriend was Gregory. I’m not sure exactly of the timing, but it was between first and third grade. He was very protective of me and I just loved the attention. Mom loved him too. He was such a little gentleman, walking me home and carrying my books.
My first pet I guess would be Heidi. She was one of the dalmation puppies we got in New York. I remember missing her terribly when we moved to Hawaii. Transferring in, you have to quaranteen your pets for like ninety days. It seemed like forever. She was a joy to have and was with us for around eleven years. She passed while we were living in Florida. I remember Dad leaving with her and coming back without her. My older brother was completely heartbroken. It was a sad day.
My first crush was Alex. He was an older boy that I knew from school. I spent a lot of time at our local pool hall hanging out with him. He was always nice to me and we had a lot of fun. Nothing ever came of it though, since he already had a girlfriend.
My first car was a 1987 brown Nissan Central. We bought it from a lady that worked with my mother. She had a hard time parting with it, as it was her first car and her father had bought it for her. Mom and Dad split the cost with me. Well, they paid for it and then I paid them back half the price. It wasn’t a bad car. It got me where I needed to go, was good on gas, and was easy to drive. I remember taking it to the park one time and trying to get to a certain area off a dirt road. I bottomed out and ripped open my muffler. Boy, was that a loud day. A cop followed me home from work one night and tried to give me a ticket for the noise. Then he gave me trouble about having out-of-state plates.It was almost midnight, so I asked him if he wanted to wake my active-duty officer of a father to ask him that question. He said to get my muffler fixed and went on his way.
My first job was at Wendy’s. I loved it there. My main manager, Tom, was awesome. If I could work with him again, I would totally go back to fast food. I had some issues with a couple of people, but I realized that I was bigger than them, so nothing ever came from it.
My first love would probably be Andrew. We met in A school and connected from the very start. It was a complicated relationship, which ultimately ended on good terms. We still keep in touch to this day. He is such a great person; so much love to give and so sweet.
My first marriage was a joke. It barely lasted a year. Mostly I did it so I could move off base into an apartment. In the Navy, the lower ranked people pretty much have to live in the barracks. Sharing a room with someone who I couldn’t stand just didn’t cut it for me. The guy’s name was Chuck, and he was a riot. He was not husband material though. We parted on fairly good terms and I wish him well.
My first child is Kylie. The pregnancy was fairly plain. I felt sick for the first few months, but only ever got sick once. Her birth was easier than expected. I woke up at 5:50 am with my first contraction and she was out at before 5 pm. I didn’t have an epidural, but I did get a couple of doses of IV pain meds. I really wanted to go completely drug free, but that just wasn’t in the cards that day. No major issues following the birth either. Recovery went well. She and I quickly adjusted to a decent schedule. I had a moment or two where I doubted nursing her, but my mother and my midwife helped me overcome the problem and things went swimmingly after that.
THE LIFE OF WILLIAM DOCKERY
On April 6, 1972, during the many showers of April, a baby named William Terrell Dockery was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. My parents are William Dockery and Merland Dockery both out of North Carolina. My mother was raised by her father because her mother passed away when she was just a child. She would tell me some stories about her mother. She would tell me how my grandmother was a mean person with a very short temper. I really don’t know that much about my father’s side. All I know is his parents passed away while he was young.
While my mother gave birth to me, I was born with pneumonia because she had the flu at the time of giving birth. I was a very fortunate and blessed baby because while I was sleeping in my crib one night, a bullet came through the window of the very room I was in. Lets just say, the Lord was watching over me even then. When I was old enough to walk, I would take my diaper off outside and run around naked. Our next-door neighbor would always let my mother know what I was doing at all times. There was a dog in the neighborhood that would lie around and sleep by people’s cars. So one day, I took it upon myself to lie next to the dog and we both were asleep under someone’s car. The driver was about to start the car and put it in gear to drive when he noticed the dog and I under the car. So he immediately informed my mother and she gave me spanking and to this day, we would laugh about it.
Growing up in a house and being the youngest of seven children had its good points and bad ones. Especially, if your older siblings are all girls, that is definitely something to deal with. There was never a dull moment in my household. There was always someone in the bathroom. We had only one bathroom and to share it with six sisters was very hectic. Now the upside to having older sisters, I always had a place to go because they would take me with them. I had to walk to school everyday, but the good thing was my school was located behind my neighborhood. So it didn’t take long to get to school. Once I started kindergarten, it was a very fun place to be. I truly enjoyed snack time and playtime. We would have learning games or songs that our teacher would go over with us. The would allow us arts and crafts time to make necklaces, cup holders, and do drawings. Every child had their own cubby with his or her belongings in the cubby. After lunch, we would have or nap time, which was for about an hour or so. Then our teacher would wake us and continue with the rest of the school day. Then the bell would ring to release the students for the day.
My mother is in an abusive marriage also. My father would leave for work and come home drunk to my mom on a regular basis. He would start by asking where’s his food and why it wasn’t prepared a certain way. The two of them would start arguing and then it would get physical at times. There were a lot of times where my father would hit my mom and she would fight back. Also, my sisters would join in to help my mother by picking up whatever they can to hit my father with. They mainly used pots and pans to hit my father to keep him away from my mother. All of these events took place while I was still a baby. Some of my older sisters were at the age where they could move out on their own if they liked. A few of them were married at a young age also. They really didn’t have the proper role model in their lives at the time, so they made a lot of mistakes in the process. My mother was a strong person to go through the struggles she had to endure. She had distanced herself from my father because she didn’t want me to continue to grow up in that type of environment any longer. So at age six, my mother, my youngest sister, and me moved into a low income neighborhood or public housing if you will.
Being new to any environment is something to get used to, but in the projects is where your survival begins. I literally had to go through fights almost everyday to prove myself worthy of being in this particular neighborhood. Survival of the fittest truly kicked in because now I finally understood what it meant to be poor. I grew up getting food stamps and government cheese every month. I also didn’t have many opportunities to enjoy some of the cereals and milks that we have today. Instead of eating Frosted Flakes, Honey Smacks, Fruit Loops, etc., I would have puffed wheat in a bag and corn flakes on a white box in bold black letters that would be the only thing on the box. A lot of times we used powdered milk or the carnation milk to put in the cereal. For sugar, we would use sweet and low or equal. All this would take place after our food stamps were done for the month. Then we would have to wait until the first of the next month.
Now months have gone by and I was starting to make more friends. It didn’t seem so bad because everyone was in the same situation as I was in. The majority of neighborhood consisted of single mothers with children or the elderly. My mother had me at the age of thirty-seven, so by the time I was ten or eleven, the other kids mothers were in their late twenties or early thirties. My mother was in her late forties and some kids at school would think she was my grandmother. My mother and father stopped going to school at very early ages; therefore, they didn’t graduate from high school like most. A few years later, mother started taking night classes where she received her GED. That was one of the proudest days of my life because before then she could not really help me with my work. I had always wondered why I had many wrong answers on my work. That’s when I found out she didn’t complete high school, but she did the best she could with what she knew. As a child, I was in church constantly. When I say I had to go all the time, I mean all the time. It was to the point where I didn’t like going anymore.
My summers would be spent going to summer camp at Fayetteville State University. There would be an activity bus that would come and pick us up in our neighborhood. I always looked forward to it because we would swim, play basketball, tennis, and play softball. I liked swimming the best though because it was all about getting in the pool. I didn’t do much traveling when I was young so going to summer camp was the highlight of the summer.
During my elementary school years, I have encountered some interesting things. I had some good teachers, but there was an area where I struggled. It was my comprehension. I was a great speller and that was the only thing I had going for me. I grew up in a household where proper grammar was not used at all. So, I adopted the bad habits of improper grammar and it caused me to struggle once it came to take standardized tests. As I would read the passages, my mind would wander because the passages were so boring. Then a section of the test, I would have to either make grammatical corrections to the paragraphs or no corrections would be needed. I couldn’t decide which corrections to make at that time. It was confusing because I was on the A-B honor roll throughout elementary school. I didn’t like to give oral reports because of stage fright and I was a very shy person.
I grew up in a time where discipline was highly enforced. I had a math teacher who was known for paddling students when their behavior was out of control. He would walk them out of the classroom and go around the corner. He would have the person to lean forward against the wall and spank him or her with the paddle. See, it was acceptable by parents back then. You would have to run laps around the track too. I had to run some laps myself because I would always be the one laughing in class. I didn’t get into trouble for talking, just laughing. My school was located across the street from my neighborhood, although we had to walk about a mile and a half to and from everyday. Like I said before, the guys in my neighborhood were pretty close. We would walk together in packs as if we were wolves. There would be moments where fights would break out, but other than that everyone got along with one another.
I looked forward to report cards coming home because my father would give me five dollars if my grades were very good. The teacher would give me my report card and I would look it over with a big smile on my face because I would have A’s, B’s, and a few C’s on there. I would smile all the way home, and I would show my parents the grades and wait for my reward. I was a well-behaved student and my report card would always reflect it. My mother would go to the parent-teacher conferences, and the teacher would tell her how much he or she loved me in their classroom. My mom would joke and say, “Are you talking about my child?” If there was no homework to be done, I would either watch cartoons on television or go outside and play with my friends.
My father was a diabetic, and I would watch him take his insulin early in the morning. Saturdays were special days for my father and me because we would watch wrestling on television. He introduced it to me and I have been watching it ever since. It would also come on at eleven o’ clock at night. Well, I would be sleeping at that time, where he would wake me to watch it with him. Sometimes I would watch it and other times, I would remain asleep. I recalled a time when my mom, sister, and I were with my father and he had a stroke to where he was temporarily blinded. This had surprised me because I had never seen anything like this before. We had to call the ambulance to pick my father up and take him to the hospital. My sister cried her eyes out as the ambulance drove away. His vision was restored and he was released from the hospital. I was so happy because he was home again.
I loved my mother to death, but there was one thing she would do that I could not stand. If she was lying down on the couch and her purse was next to her on the floor, she would call me from across the room just to pick it up and give it to her. I would think there would be more, and she would say, “That’s it.” Now I would have to go back across the other side of the room. Afterwards, I would go outside before she would call me to do anything else. I would run to the park to get away, although that would not work at times. My mom still yelled for me to come home for whatever reason. That occurred every-time I was having a good time with my friends. Mostly, it would be a good game of basketball and the score would be tied and we needed one basket to win. She would call and I had to get someone to replace me before I left. I would run all the way home and complain at the same time.
My mom had worked out an agreement with the office manager in our neighborhood about selling icy cups for extra money. Of course, the office had to receive a percentage of the earnings. That experience was kind of fun because all the kids in the neighborhood found out and they were coming by for icy cups. They called my mom the “icy lady” and we would charge fifty cents per icy cup. You would have a lot of kids coming by as early as eight o’ clock in the morning for icy cups. I thought we were doing pretty good, but after you subtract for sugar, cool-aid, cups, and giving the office their cut, we were left with just a little bit. I understand that each little bit helps, yet I didn’t see any progression. Our business experience lasted for a couple of months and kids were asking if we were going to sell the icy cups again.
My mother and father had reconciled their differences and we were a family again. One Sunday, I pretended to be sick just so I can stay home and be with my dad. I had succeeded by lying to my mother and she let me stay home. As soon as she left for church, I suddenly started feeling better and my father let me go outside and play with my friends. I was ten years old at the time when all this happened. My friends and I were playing basketball at the basketball court. We played until we got bored of playing and someone suggested we go throw rocks at cars. There was some woods located near the basketball court. My friends and I gathered some rocks and waited in the woods for cars to drive by. As the cars would go by, we would throw rocks at them and hide. After about twenty minutes of doing that, we walked by this house that had rabbits in it. Just behind that house was a couple of mobile homes and beside the mobile homes was an air conditioning company. The company had a lot of marble cut rocks in front of it. There was a barbed-wire fence between the air conditioning company and the woods we were hiding in earlier.
We gathered those rocks and started throwing them at the mobile homes. We broke a lot of windows and also caused hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of damage to the different properties. There were cars driving by as we were throwing the rocks and one car pulled over yelling. The driver said, “Hey you kids, what are you doing?” So I immediately dropped the rest of my rocks and ran. All of us were able to jump the fence except one and he was caught. The rest of us were hiding out in the woods as the police showed up. The boy rode with the police taking them to everyone’s house and telling their parents. By this time, my mother was home from church and she was very upset with me. My mother suddenly yelled at the top of her lungs for me to come home. Once I got home, she told me to go straight up to my room and wait for her. I knew what was coming next. She went and got a switch and brought it up to me. I was stretched out across the bed where my shorts kind of raised up a little exposing the back of my thighs. I tried to psych myself up by being tough and take the spanking. As my mother was hitting me with the switch, it felt like my skin had split open from all of those licks. I immediately started crying because I thought my legs were bleeding. Lets just say, I never thought about throwing a rock ever again.
My mother has always been the disciplinarian in our family and my father has been the laid back one. One afternoon, my father and I were riding in the back seat of a car and I kept sitting up from my seat while the car was moving. In other words, I was being nosy and trying to see everything. My father said, “Son, sit down.” He was just as calm when he said it, so he said it again. I was still not listening to what he was saying. Now this time, my father took his hand and he popped me right on the legs. I was so shocked he hit me that I didn’t say a word or move the rest of the car ride. That was the only time my father ever spanked me, and I was glad. The difference between my mother and father is this, my mother is definitely a yeller. She would yell if you did something you had no business doing. Sometimes that would be worse than getting a spanking. Depending on what was done, she would combine the two and you really would be hating life at that moment. My father was the calm one of the two. He would talk to you and not at you about what it was you did wrong. I received both styles and both styles were very effective.
When I moved on to junior high, I was this short and skinny boy, trying to fit in a new environment. Most of the kids were taller than me, so I had to try a little harder when came down to doing competitive events. I went out for the boy’s basketball team, but was cut from the team because of my height. That didn’t keep me from working on my skills though. So in the meantime, I wrestled on the school team. I shocked myself because I was a pretty good wrestler, but basketball was my passion. I even ran track through junior high, which was a very interesting experience. Just about every guy in my neighborhood fantasized about being in the NBA when they get older. I watched a game as soon as the game was over, I would be out there practicing some of the moves from the game. Then afterwards, the guys and I would talk about the game that was on. We analyzed every move, shot, and call that was made throughout the game.
For every kid, Michael Jordan was a player everyone wanted to pattern their game after. He would do things in a basketball game that no one would ever think of doing. The thing is, not too many people could do the things he did in basketball. Even on the playground, I always wanted to be the one to take the last shot because Michael Jordan did it each and every game. That’s when my dreams of becoming a professional basketball player became even more intense. I still had my height to consider, but it didn’t stop my desire. I remember the summer before my sophomore year, we were playing a game of basketball. One of my teammates shot the ball and me and this guy went up for the rebound and the guy had elbowed me in the mouth. He caused my two front teeth to go half-way back into my mouth. The were actually knocked out of place. I began spitting up blood and the game stopped. Some of my teammates came to see if I was all right. Now the guy that elbowed me in the mouth was in a state of shock. He just stood there not saying anything. I immediately noticed and saw he wasn’t trying to apologize, so I got upset and started to hit the guy. They stopped me from hitting the guy, and I was given a towel to stop the bleeding. I went home and my mother took me to the emergency room, where the doctors popped my two front teeth back in place. Then the doctor had wrapped some wiring around them and told me I had to eat soft foods for about two weeks. My teeth and gums finally healed and I was ready to start my sophomore year. I honestly thought I would have to get false teeth, but it’s a good thing everything worked out for the better.
I had some interesting summer jobs during those times, where I would never ever think lightly of again. I remember picking blueberries. This bus picked us up and we rode through two counties to get there. The temperature was between 95 degrees to 100 degrees easily. You were paid three dollars for every crate of blueberries you have. I figured that would be a piece of cake, but no one told me that within each crate were twelve cartons that needed to be filled and then you fill up the crate. The fields were very long and the sun was scorching hot. I was quite embarrassed because there were elderly women out there outdoing all the youngsters there. They had a special technique they were using, which made things a lot easier for them. The elderly women would be out in the heat all day long and would make hundreds of dollars a day doing this. I only ended up doing two crates and walked away with six dollars. The other job was picking watermelons. A couple of guys tried to pick watermelons with me one summer. Our ride came about 5:30 in the morning and took us in the country to pick watermelons. The guy lived on a farm, where he had watermelon fields for miles. I remember getting out there and grabbing them and picking up the melons to see if they were ripe enough to eat. I quickly learned how to thump the melons to check for a hollow sound. If you heard that sound then you knew you had a good melon. I didn’t realize how exhausting that would be ,so when I got home, I immediately jumped in the shower. Shortly afterwards, I took a nap to relax. Then later on I would get up and play with my friends.
Now while in high school, my father became very sick. He was in and out the rest homes or the hospital. By this time, the strokes that he had took over his body. It was to the point where he need assistance to do a lot of things. I would go visit him from time to time, but as a child I didn’t like it because I didn’t like to see my father in a helpless state. Sometimes, I didn’t go see him on purpose because it was too hard for me. I had an aunt who would try to make me feel guilty because I wouldn’t go see him. I tried to tell her how that situation made me feel, but she was not trying to hear what I had to say. I went to my mom and explained the situation to her. She totally understood where I was coming from and did not pressure me to go if I didn’t want to. At one point in my sophomore year, my grades had plummeted big time. My mom had informed my teachers about what I was enduring at that time, so the teachers were quite patient with me.
Once I started growing a little more and being on the basketball team, my popularity sky-rocketed and I was having the time of my life. Just about everyone in my high school of 1500 students knew who I was. During those days, that experience was like a child in a candy store. I was so excited and my confidence increased as time went on. The females started noticing me and I thought I was the man because I would hear how cute and intelligent I was. Now I have them wanting to become closer than friends, which was a good thing for me. I started loving high school then because it gave me something to look forward to. Going to the proms and school dances was a blast and I sometimes wish I could go back in time and relive those moments. When I graduated high school, a major milestone was accomplished, but I was very scared also. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life. I ended up being accepted to Mount Olive College, which was located in Mount Olive, North Carolina. It was a quiet little community and there were about 600 students that attended the school.
I also went to Army basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina five days after graduation. While I was doing my training, some of the students who were in my class had received orders to go to Iraq for “Operation Desert Shield, Desert Storm”. That kind of shook me up some because that was when I realized that this is the real deal. A lot of those students I never heard of again. You know how life has a way of your paths crossing with someone or some people. Well lets just say, I never saw them again. My unit had deployed over there and I just knew they were going to send for me, but they didn’t. I did my training there and I entered college during the spring semester. College was an overwhelming experience because it took me away from home. So I had all kinds of freedom and I became very excited, but there was a down side to that. I would have to do a lot of things on my own where I had depended on my mother for a lot of things. That’s when I knew I was being introduced to life and all the things it brings. With me being the new kid on the block, many of the students had to feel me out to see where I was coming from. So, now I was an Army Reservist and college student. I would do my reserve training one weekend a month and two weeks during the summer. Being in college, I didn’t realize how important it was to have money. After your money ran out from buying food for your room, you had to wait until your parents either send you money, or your next payday. I was annoyed with a lot of the students because all they would do is play cards the whole weekend. That is why I made it my business to go home to visit my mom every weekend. With the town being as small as it was, there was not much to do there as far as entertainment. I used to look forward to going home and seeing my girlfriend just to have some fun. All the girls at my college were either dating someone or they just wasn’t attractive enough to approach.
My college tenure came to an end when my financial aid ran out. So I had to drop out and get a job to make ends meat. Although I was still in the reserves, I wasn’t making the money I would like to. So after about another year of working in factory-type jobs, I decided to join the navy where I could travel and see the world. I was very anxious to leave the state of North Carolina because if I had stayed, I probably would not have left. This was a great decision for me, and all I had to do was transfer my army information to navy. The next thing I knew, I was on my way to Great Lakes, Illinois. When I left the state of North Carolina, it was 85 degrees. I had shorts on and living it up. By the time the plane landed in Chicago, it was 55 degrees. I’m used to a warm climate, so you can imagine what I was going through. I noticed people staring at me once I got off the plane. I guess they were like, look at this fool for wearing shorts in Chicago. This was basically my first time out of North Carolina. I figured since it was hot where I was it would be hot everywhere else. Boy, was I wrong! There was a bus waiting to take us the navy base, and it was cold on the bus also. I froze the whole trip there, which took almost forty-five minutes to get there.
It was in the middle of May when all this took place, I didn’t realize the weather would be cold in one state and hot in the others. Then when June 1st came, it’s like someone just turned on the heat. It stayed hot until I finished my training. Then from there, I had to go to Orlando, Florida to learn my job in the navy. They closed that base down some years later. I received my orders to the USS PORTLAND (LSD-37), which was here in Norfolk, Virginia. I was onboard that ship for a total of 5 years. I had some good times and bad, while being onboard. We have traveled and seen many different countries and learned about that country’s cultures. A lot of the places I visited, I only read about or saw on television. Two of my most memorable places were Haifa, Israel and Dakar, Senegal. In Israel, I went on a tour to Jerusalem and visited the “Wailing Wall”. That was a place where the Israelis would go to pray, but they would also write down their prayer and stick it in the wall. In Senegal, I was able to experience the African cultures and admire some of the great craftsmanship there. I also saw the women carrying bundles of laundry on their heads. That was something I always saw on television and to actually see it up close was amazing.
I met my wife when she was attending Norfolk State University. This was back in October 1993. I was in Norfolk for only a month and then we met. I had intentions to date many women, and I wanted to have one in every city in Virginia. That was my initial plan, but it didn’t work out that way. My wife and I dated, and I had proposed to her once I had returned from my first deployment. She said yes and we were married in 1994 in New York. Shortly afterwards, my oldest daughter, Bria was born. Then two years later, my son came. I was on top of the world at that time because I was a family man and I was having fun in the military. The bad part about all this was it took me away from my family. That was the hardest thing for me because I hated saying goodbye to my wife and kids. My wife understood I had a job to do, but my kids could not. It would tear me up inside each time they shed any tears. Finally in September 1998, my time was up on the PORTLAND and it was time for me to work closer to my family. Before that could happen, I had to leave and go to school in San Antonio, Texas for law enforcement training.
My training was six weeks long; however, I had the time of my life. I recall when it had rained for two days straight , which caused a flood in San Antonio. The sun came out all of a sudden, and the water had evaporated. It looked as if it never rained at all. Once my time was up there, I received orders to work at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. I had to commute from Virginia Beach to Washington, D.C. a lot. I was doing security for the Chief of Naval Operations, who was the top four star admiral in the navy. The work schedule was set up for me to work only fifteen days a month. I loved that schedule, even though it required a lot of hours.
With having fifteen days off a month, it was great because we had plenty of time to plan our different activities or functions. The down side to it was taking leave because you had so much time off to handle a lot of your affairs. Well, I had to commute from Virginia Beach when I had to handle my affairs. Most of the others lived in the Northern Virginia or Maryland area. I had a blast in Washington, D.C. because of the different sites that are there. I learned a little more about some of the history that took place in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The Pentagon alone was a site for sore eyes. The building is huge, and it has over 26,000 military and civilian employees working there. Being in the security department I met some very important people there. We had the first African-American Master Chief in the Navy who would visit from time-to-time. His name was Carl Brashear and Cuba Gooding, Jr. did a movie about his life called Men of Honor. It felt good rubbing elbows with the head honchos that help keep our country safe.
I was enjoying life at the Pentagon the three and a half years I was there. I even tried to get duty extended for an extra six months, but my request was denied. I managed to meet many people whom I would call pretty good friends. One day they were there and the next they were not. What I mean is this, during 9/11, the Pentagon was hit by a plane and it killed thousands of military and civilian personnel. This is not including the passengers on the plane. It kind of freaked me out because I was at work the day before and it happened the next day. My wife was crying because she was wondering if it had happened the day before. There were people I spoke to the day before and now I will never speak to them again. It was my day off and I was home watching the news when the Twin Towers were hit by those two planes. When all that happened, I couldn’t believe what just took place. Now at that time, I had no knowledge of the Pentagon being hit also. My friend from Atlanta called me to see if I was alright, and I told him I was fine and that it was the Twin Towers that was hit. He said, “No, the Pentagon was hit too!” I immediately changed the channel to see what had taken place. Then I got on the phone and tried to call my job, but the lines were busy. Communication was lost for most of the day and they immediately locked Washington, D.C. down. No one could enter of leave the area unless it was emergency medical staff. You had the following law enforcement there: FBI, CIA, Secret Service, Pentagon Police, State Police, Arlington Police, and John Walsh from the show America’s Most Wanted. He was actually a down to earth guy. All this began just after nine o’ clock in the morning, and I didn’t talk to anyone from my job until eleven o’ clock that night. My supervisor called me asking could I come on in to work now. I told him I have to get some sleep before I get there because I was up all day trying to get through to them.
So, I went to sleep and got a few winks then I got dressed and drove to Northern Virginia. It was total chaos when I arrived there. You could see some of the plane sticking out from the side of the building. My supervisor was trying to have us set up posts somewhere, but security was covered with all those law enforcement agencies on hand. My supervisor tried to talk to different agencies to see if we could assist them in any way, but they just told us no. You would have thought he would have gotten the hint. He kept trying, so we ended up going to a building nearby to set up. It turned out to be a waste of time because our security manager wanted us to go home and not stay. My supervisor and security manager would bump heads quite often, which became annoying after a while. It impacted many of our security staff because they were at work when it happened. Their adrenaline had kicked in, and they helped evacuate the personnel from the fire that took place in the Pentagon. Then after it was over, it set in what they just went through. It caused some of the guys to lose it, and we had to relieve them of their weapons. That was a very intense time for everyone.
I was taken out of that stressful environment because it was starting to affect me and I was in charge of the junior personnel. So, my security manager had me work with the locksmith division. We had to go back into the Pentagon and assess the damages in many different offices. We immediately started enhancing security measures for all the personnel at the Pentagon. My mind was a little more at ease because I had the other locksmiths to keep my mind off of what just happened. They have a very large bulletin board displayed by the medical clinic with all the names and pictures of the brave men and women who lost their lives. Many people died where they were sitting when the plane crashed into the building. Some tried to cover themselves up and all were left were their bones. The walls and floors were covered in black tar-like substances. A cleaning company was hired to clean the Pentagon; however, considering the time frame they had to work with, they did a great job.
Later, I moved on to another ship called the USS ARTHUR W. RADFORD (DD-968). No sooner than I reported in, the ship was getting ready to deploy over seas for six months. Now, I had to go through this all over again with my family. My family was hurt once again, but we had to set sail anyway. We left during the summer of 2002, and I was able to come back two weeks early. I arrived early January 2003 and was picked up by my wife and children. I was so glad to see them. Two weeks later, my ship pulled in ,and I had to meet them there. I had to work the duty while the others got the chance to be with their loved ones. After everyone took some time off, the ship was preparing itself for decommissioning. There were some things that had to be accomplished in order for this to happen. We did it and the ship was ready. Everyone put on his or her dress uniforms for the special ceremony. The ship was decommissioned in March 2003, and everyone parted ways on to his or her next destination. My final destination landed me on the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN-73). I’m not going to lie, it was totally different from any other ship I have ever been on. There were only certain hallways you can walk in because it maybe either enlisted or officers only. That created a problem because many times it would be easier to take an officer’s hallway to get to your workstation or office, but you would have to take the long way around to get to your office. I have worked with many sailors in my time, but the sailors I had working for me took the cake. They were definitely a different breed because they were the laziest bunch of people I have ever seen. They didn’t want to work, but they were always ready to go home. At one time, I had 40 sailors working for me. I have never seen young men and women complain as much as they did. I had a supervisor who was retiring, so his mind was on one thing and that was retiring. After he retired, another guy became my supervisor and he definitely had a problem with me.
My right-hand man was supposed to have my back and sometimes he would drop the ball. This was his excuse, he didn’t feel comfortable telling the others to get to work. So when I would come back from a meeting or two, I would see everyone sitting around in the office. I would ask the question, “What’s going on in here?” Then all of a sudden, everyone will scatter to his or her assigned workstation. I then would pull him to the side and bust his chops for a little while. I would tell him look that the others have to separate off time and work. When you are at work, you are supposed to be working. And when you are off duty-you are off. That’s when you can call each other by your first names or what have you. It took him a long time to realize what I have been trying to tell him all that time. The ship would go out and do training exercises and while we were out for about a week or so, a guy in my department decided he wanted to paint our sleeping area. Now, that wasn’t a bad idea, but the guy volunteered to do it knowing he was going to transfer to another place of duty as soon as we returned from sea. It was on a Saturday evening when we returned home. We pulled back in and the guy ended up leaving the ship for good. By this time, my division officer was asking me if the painting would be completed by the next day. I said, “Yes sir, it will.” I told him the duty section would finish up the painting. So I left for the evening to spend time with my family. Keep in mind, the duty section totally ignored what was instructed of them. The next day, my division came into work, and he noticed that the painting wasn’t completed. He immediately called me and told me to come into work. It was eight o’ clock in the morning when he called me. I was highly upset with him, so I didn’t arrived until one o’ clock in the afternoon.
Once I arrived, he started reprimanding me for the painting not being completed. I just stood there and took the abuse. He was saying some things you would not normally say to a person. Then he wanted some of my sailors to clean a workstation that wasn’t ours to clean. One of my sailors refused to do it and she let him know that it wasn’t right for her to clean someone else’s workstation. She left him where he was standing and went into our office. He had already instructed me to finish the painting because it wasn’t completed. I had put on my coveralls and I began to paint. Some of my guys were asking me why was I here and I told them the painting wasn’t done, so I have to finish it. They stopped watching television and put on their coveralls also and we finished painting. This was around the time when hurricane Isabel had hit back in 2003,and they had everyone on a curfew. I didn’t leave the ship until nine o’ clock that night and I was highly upset. The next morning after morning muster, I pulled that duty section who didn’t do what was asked and I reprimanded them and gave them extra work to do.
During one of our exercises, we pulled into Key West, Florida. We were anchored out because the carrier was too big for the piers. We took an ferry boat out on liberty, and the weather began to change. It started raining and the harbor waters were too rough for the ferry boat to go back and forth. So it caused havoc when people were trying to go back to the ship. We pretty much were stranded until they said we could go back out and get a room to stay dry. You had over 2,000 people out there at one time. It was horrible because people had to sleep in cots with no blankets or they slept on the ground. That was a rough port visit and everyone was affected by it in a negative way. I was considered essential personnel, so they sent a helicopter out to pick me up, but those others could go out and have some more fun.
The beginning of the new year had come and we left for our six month deployment. On Super Bowl Sunday, 2004, our captain scheduled us to do a chemical, biological, and radiological exercise, where we would have to done our gas masks. We were off the coast of Spain during that time. Just a week prior, everyone had to get a small-pox and anthrax shot. I wasn’t able to receive the small-pox shot because my blood pressure was too high, so they gave me the anthrax shot. Now the following week, we had the training exercise, and I ended up breaking out into hives. I had an allergic reaction to my mask, but I had some benadryl and I took it. The rash had gone away, and later on that evening I had another reaction where I broke out into hives. This time I was rushed to the medical staff, where I was given allegra to take. I took the allegra and the hives left again.
I had taken a shower and I was going to bed for the night. I was sleeping and I woke up in the middle of the night because I was coughing badly. I was unable to breathe and my right-hand man asked me if I was all right. I told him I was and then I got up to use the bathroom. I lied back down, and I still could not breathe. I got up and sat in a chair to see if I could get any relief, but I was unable to. By this time, some of my other guys asked me if I was all right and I told them I wasn’t. They said, “ Do you want me to call for medical emergency?” I told them, “yes!” During this time, it felt like everything was closing in on me and I was struggling for air. Some of my guys sat me down and by the time medical and the security staff arrived, I was sitting with a glazed look in my eyes. They had called for me to see if I was all right. They yelled, “Petty Officer Dockery, are you alright?” I didn’t respond at that time. They said again, “ If you can understand me, tell me your first name.” I said, “William”. They said, “Tell me your last name.” Before I could tell them, I had passed out, and they immediately started to administer CPR. As they were doing it, they told my guys to leave the area. I had lost a pulse and one of my guys had heard that. He started freaking out and crying, but the corpsman kept administering CPR. They did CPR for over 8 minutes. Yes, that is not a typo. They did it for 8 minutes. My brain had went without oxygen during all that time not counting while I was sleep, struggling to breathe.
Once my pulse came back, they began to stick a tube in my mouth so I can breathe me. All I realized was something was going in my mouth and I started swinging to get it to stop. I heard a voice, “Please, let us do this. It will be okay.” I had calmed down and I let them finish their job. Then I was put on the Gurnee and hauled off to medical. The air department staff were standing by waiting for further instructions because the were going to fly me off the ship. We were 8 hours ahead of the U.S. and the surgeon called my wife who was sleeping and told her what had happened. They informed her I was in very grave status. They said, “If we call you before 7:00 am your time, then it’s not good. If we call you after 7:00 am, then we will be flying him off the ship.” Now, after my wife heard all that, she was not able to go to sleep afterwards. They ended up calling after seven and I was flown to Palma, Spain. I spent a day there, where someone was there to translate all the information for me. I was under some serious sedation. I started coming to when we were about to land in Germany. I was going to Landsduhl Medical Hospital. They did a series of MRI’s and EEG’s on my brain and the results were negative. They had to check to see if my brain was damaged or not.
I finally came to and found myself hooked to many tubes. I was in the intensive care ward. The doctor had come into the room and asked me how was I. I started to answer when I realized it was taking me a long time to get my words out. I was suffering from tremors, but I didn’t know what was going on. The doctor explained to me what it was and asked me if I knew what day it was. I said, “It is the 3rd of February.” I thought it was the next day after the Super Bowl, but three days had gone by. I lost track of 3 days that I will never get back. My body would shake or when I tried to talk, it would shake in my voice. The doctor informed me that I was out for 8 minutes and I immediately started crying because I was legally dead. After the doctor left the room, I started praying to God and thanking him for giving me another chance. I truly realized that I was not supposed to be alive. My wife called my room and she was telling me she was coming out to Germany. I told her to stay because that would be a waste of money and we could use it for other things. Besides, I was coming home in about two weeks.
I stayed in the intensive care unit for three days and was moved to the regular ward. They had a catheter in me, but it was removed. Meanwhile, back on the ship, my guys were worried sick about me. Some didn’t eat or sleep for over a week. So, I was able to call my right-hand man’s wife and tell her I was okay, just very weak. I told her to email everyone and let him or her know. She did and everyone was relieved. I was supposed to fly back on a Gurnee, but the Lord made a way for me to walk. I was walking slowly, but I was able to walk. It was finally time to leave, and the bus had pulled up. As I was getting on the bus, an officer was looking at my file, and her mouth dropped. I said, “I know, I’m not supposed to be here right now.” This is why I’m so thankful even today.
The plane landed back in Norfolk, where my wife was there to pick me up. She drove us home, so I could relax. After about two weeks of medical leave, I was sent to a duty station on limited duty. I had to visit a number of doctors and go through extensive physical therapy. I had to learn how to walk, talk, and write all over again because my neurological system was all messed up. I was going to all my therapy sessions too. Now, one particular session, I kind of overexerted myself. I ended up falling to the floor and when the corpsman tried to pick me up, I immediately had a seizure. Now, no one had told me I would probably have seizures in the future. This happened at eleven o’ clock in the morning and I didn’t come to about four o’ clock. They have given me dilantin to take and I couldn’t drive for six months. So, my wife had to drive to work and to my doctor appointments. I didn’t like that at all because I like to get up and go when I feel like it. I was also upset because I had driven to my therapy session that day. I could have killed myself or someone on I-264.
I was showing signs of improvement and the medical review board made the decision that I would not be fit for duty even if I was extended for eight more months on limited duty. They made the decision to place me on Temporary Disabled Retired List (TDRL). Keep in mind, I was in the Navy for 12 years and had no intentions of getting out. Basically, I was not prepared to get out. Here I am with a physical condition where I can’t do anything to physical without doing harm to myself. I was medically retired with all my benefits, but I wasn’t paid for caused my disability. I was paid for hypertension, but not for the brain injury. When it was time to file my claim, someone on Veteran’s Affairs end dropped the ball. My ship had their part in it also because my medical record was in their possession, and they claimed it was mailed to me. Now, a decision was made without all the important information that was needed. This was in January 2005 when all this was taking place.
After my retirement, I was in no rush to get back to work. I lay around the house trying to take it easy and watch soaps and movies. Yes, I watch Young and The Restless. I did that for about two months then I got a job. I slowly paced myself, so I started out as a newspaper carrier. I honestly have the utmost respect for newspaper carriers because they have to go through so much. When they say rain, sleet, or snow, that’s exactly what they mean.
I realized how rough it was to be a carrier. With gas prices increasing and paying for bags for the papers, your check becomes almost non-existent. The company would charge you $10-$15 for a case of bags. About four o’ clock in the morning, on a Saturday, I was on my paper route, and I had a close encounter with a stray pit bull. I got out of my truck and left it running. There was a stray dog that had come from around the corner and I was too far away from my truck. I had five newspapers in my hand when the dog walked up to me.
I stopped dead in my tracks and waited to see what the dog was going to do. The closer the dog came, the angrier it become. It was growling and barking at me. I still did not move. It barked for fifteen minutes straight, and I was hoping someone would wake up and complain. For a while, no one did and it scared me because the dog was definitely in an attack mode. I was so scared because of my condition, I was not able to run at all. I was so scared, so the only thing I could do is cry. Tears started rolling down my face and the dog stopped barking and walked away behind my truck. Shortly after that, the police drove around the corner. The pit bull kept its eyes on me as it was walking. Once the officer pulled up, He asked where the dog was and called animal control. Animal control came and took the dog away.
I worked delivering the newspaper for five more months before I started working at Norfolk State University. That was an interesting job because basically all I did was babysit college students. The majority of the students wanted to be treated like adults, but yet the students acted like children. While working there, I tried different work from home opportunities. Neither of those opportunities worked out.
Six months later, I got into real estate. I was a loan officer for Access Mortgage, Kod in Virginia Beach. I was excelling in the mortgage industry too. I was gaining all kinds of knowledge by learning something new on a daily basis. I became the manager in a short period of time. Then all of a sudden, the real estate market began to go sour. It stirred from homes’ equity skyrocketing to where everyone thought it was a great thing. In all actuality, it began to hurt because once everyone refinances, now his or her payments would begin to rise. There was a great need for many to use some of the equity to pay off bills or even go on vacation. The requirements for purchasing or refinancing became a lot stricter because the market was drying up. It affected hundreds of banks and mortgage companies around the United States. Every time you turned around, you would hear about this company or that one going bankrupt because of the subprime loans that were handed out. That started the whole foreclosure situation, which now affects millions of people across the country.
It seemed like every month or so changes were being made to loan requirements. The credit scores to qualify were increasing also. It made things very difficult to get loans passed through, causing a person who would normally qualify, not qualify. Now, you have a lot of people who do not qualify trying to purchase a home, and that’s frustrating. My company was feeling the effects on the new changes, and it started experiencing financial difficulties. Some of my colleagues were having issues with their paychecks. Some people would deposit their checks into their accounts and it would be insufficient funds for those checks. Once I realized that, it was time for me to look for another job.
During my stints with Norfolk State University and the mortgage company, my childhood friend went back to school and he received his associates and bachelor’s degree. He suggested I should go back to school and get my degree as well. I took what he said under advisement, but I continued to work. The market really changed for the worse, which affected the mortgage company. So I decided to leave and find work elsewhere. I didn’t want to leave because I truly enjoyed talking and educating people about homeownership.
STEVEN DAVIS
CHAP BOOK
BEJING OLYMPICS
2008
OPEN CEROMONY
On the night of August 8, 2008, the sound of heavy footsteps thundered across the Birds Nest as colossal burning footprints marched in the sky along Beijing's central axis all the way through the Olympic Green to the National Stadium. As the last footprint lit up the sky above the National Stadium, spectators all over the world began a virtual tour of Chinese culture; what they saw was ancient China and young China, a nation wishing to build a harmonious home together with friends from all parts of the world.More than 20,000 performers from all parts of China including Hong kong, Macao and Chinese Taipei, regaled audience members with martial arts performances and artistic story telling through song and dance. On the ever-changing backdrop and accompanied by amazingly complex displays of fireworks, the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was launched, literally, with a bang.
The creative team BOCOG started soliciting programs worldwide for the Opening Ceremony in 2005. In 2006, 13 winning proposals started on their second round of competition. Based on the final results, a five-member directors' group was appointed from the three best teams. Zhang Yimou was chosen as artistic director and Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya were selected as deputy artistic directors. Yu Jianping became director of the technology group and Lu Jiankang was made production director of the Opening Ceremony.
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