rec.pets.herp "Frequent Posters"

  

   I grew up on a farm in MT.  My brother and I spent most of our time outside riding horses, bikes and 3-wheelers wandering the place catching salamanders, frogs and garter snakes in the creek and all kinds of other critters.  We had a baby alligator once, kept it in a washtub in the porch and I think Mom fed it hamburger.  I don't remember who wanted it, but I don't think it had a heat source or anything.  Finally Mom dropped the tub when she went to clean it, and she told us the poor thing died of a heart attack.  We had a few of the baby turtles in fish bowls that ate hamburger and eventually died.  You could get them for a dollar at the dime store.

   I didn't have a pet reptile truly my own until I left home and got my first boa constrictor.  Went to college for journalism, but worked in a variety of plant, pet and aquarium stores, which started me on my various hobbies and obsessions.  I wasted my education and got married, had kids and farmed on the family place for 11 years, then got divorced, met Gary and moved to TX.  I don't think there could be anywhere more different than Montana than here in Houston.  In this country, anyway. 

    My boa and iguana are my favorite critters.  I'm in love with blood pythons, but have to hold off for awhile.  Husband isn't too fond of snakes.  I'm a bit obsessive about my hobbies and want one or more of everything, but am trying to control that.  Seems like I always end up being known as 'the snake lady' wherever I live.  

    I'm also a collector/packrat.  I like old pottery planters, marigold carnival glass vases, amberina glass; I have collections of horses, monkeys, bulls (I'm a Taurus,) carved stone fetishes, gardening books, seashells, old horseshoes, western art and a variety of other things.  I like to go garage-saling and hit every junk store I see.  I love to read, mostly spook and detective novels.  Stephen King is my hero, but I like Ayn Rand too.  The Stand and Atlas Shrugged are my favorite books.