Protective Coloration

Thursday I attempted to resume work on my history of firefighting in Jacksonville. I got entangled in Word transfers and gave it up as a bad job for the moment.

Failing that, I decided to scan in a long-out-of-date history pamphlet. Although I’ve done the exact same thing in the exact same way numerous times before, the scanner refused to scan…

I’ve heard that there is no computer problem you can’t fix if you have a big enough hammer.

Frustrated, and fearing that I might go out to the toolshed and get a 12-pound computer repair kit, I thought it best to walk away from the machine and spend the day reading Dave Barry’s novel, Tricky Business.

Friday as I mowed the yards, I mulched a snake in our front yard.

Honest, if I’d seen it, I would have avoided running the mower over it. But the snake’s protective coloration matched the ground so perfectly that I did not see it till it was too late.

When it heard the mower coming, why didn’t the snake slither out of the way?

Stupid snake.

No it didn’t run; it hunkered down in the grass thinking it’s protective coloration would protect it.

The snake’s protective coloration lets it blend in with its surroundings so that it can sneak up on it’s prey and so that predators hungry for snake meat will not see it hiding in the grass.

I have macular degeneration and my vision does not always distinguish things where there is little contrast.

Too bad for the snake.

Sometimes blending in doesn’t help a bit.