Back to the Garden

In the beginning...

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis 2:15

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth... They will be yours for food. And it was so. Genesis 1:29-30

Now in the garden was a serpent, more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made.

Flat Headed Snake Dwelling in the Garden
CC-by-NC Daniel Carter
https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/13885968

Spring has come quickly upon us Texans as it usually does, and by spring, I mean to say well nigh unto summer with days in the 80's already.  But when the chilled nights in the low 40's are soon chased by February's humid south winds from the Gulf of Mexico and the dandelions have turned to puff balls, the woman of the house begins to be drawn to the plant nurseries where the woman sees that the fruit of the tree is good for food and pleasing to the eye. Genesis 3:6

Now the woman is tempted to buy every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth.  She reasons they will surely be good for food. Genesis 1:29

This garden season she has come home with tomato plants, eggplants, pepper plants, garlic and onions and a globe artichoke plant. She will seed the earth with herbs of fennel, basil and cultivate the the rosemary and oregano that has wintered over next to the driveway.

The man's job is to care for the lawn.  The mower came out of the shed on St. Patty's Day for the traditional mowing o' the green.  Mostly it was a first pass at mulching up the winter leaves that had lodged along the fence and shrubs.  While the man mulched the woman began to weed and turn the soil in the garden.  As the compost pile was flipped, a small dove-brown serpent rose from the beneath the compost - I was so pleased!  One of my earliest ambitions was to become chief herpetologist (reptile & amphibian specialist) at the San Diego Zoo as a natural course to turn my early fascination with reptiles, especially snakes, into a life profession.  My studies did not take me in that direction, but it would have been sweet to care for all of those colorful wriggling creatures. I have lamented that living in the suburbs of Dallas for almost 30 years, I've yet to encounter a snake in my neighborhood.  Where are my all my snake friends?  Well, now I am pleased to know that my helpmate has planted a garden, a garden replete with a serpent!  We've made it back to The Garden of Eden.  What joy.

An afternoon off from work, the woman returns to the garden to till the soil infested with the curse of weeds and thorns only to turn over a fresh soil-filled spade to once again see the flat headed snake (Tantilla gracilis) flushed from his subterranean crevice.

Come early summer, will our garden serpent suggest to the woman that she pick a tomato or an artichoke and offer it to me?  Surely by eating from our garden our eyes will be opened. 

It is back to The Garden - as we await the emergence of our two desert tortoises, Chomper and Isaac to come out of hibernation and begin dining on our fresh crop of bright golden dandelions.  

Come on back to The Garden - It's a Reptile Party!