Earthworms or snakes?

One morning last week my husband and I were having our coffee out in the hot tub while watching all the birds do their spring things. Suddenly two robins started fighting over a long earthworm. They were only about 10 feet from me so I could watch the battle as it progressed. One big red-breasted bird kept yanking a large worm out of the wet soil while the other robin kept butting in so he could have a bite also.

It was such a long worm that for a minute I thought the bird had the tail of a baby snake. I guess I had snakes on my mind because I just saw a little garter snake crawl under a juniper tree next to our garage. I think it's just a baby because it was only about 6 inches long and at maturity they measure around 18 inches.

I know these things because my husband catches snakes all the time and he throws them into our chicken coop. There's a very large garter snake out there right now and he (or she) is eating up all the rats, mice and other rodents that destroy our vegetable garden.

These snakes are harmless to us and it's foolish to destroy good snakes without reason. Oops! I thought of a good reason. I nearly have a heart attack every time I gather the chicken eggs from their nests and that big garter snake crawls around toward me. Enough reason?

I heard that garter snakes usually have live birth to 20 or more babies. They look a lot like big earthworms to me now but when they're fully grown they look a lot more like rattlesnakes. My 8-year-old granddaughter told me that some rattlesnakes actually eat other rattlesnakes. You think so?

Be on the lookout this summer and be careful not to mistake a rattler for a garter snake. One time a neighbor of ours ran over a small snake out on the road in front of his house. He got out of his car and picked up the dead snake, only it was still alive and bit his hand. It was also a little rattlesnake and our neighbor went to the hospital for medical treatment. "Beware of the pit viper."

Biggest BMW motorcycle event

We spent last weekend camped out at the beautiful Auburn Fairground in Northern California's spectacular Gold Country. This 2008 '49er MC Rally was sponsored by the BMW Club of Northern California. Some of the events there included a poker run, speedway racing, riding skills clinic and English trials, where there were water hazards, log jumping and stair climbing. My husband didn't compete in that event but he did really well in the slow maneuvering skills of the asphalt trials. Lots of fun, but most of all was the camaraderie of hanging out with old and new friends.

Despite one day of drizzle, hundreds of enthusiastic motorcyclists were there to celebrate this 36th year of the West's biggest and best BMW motorcycle event as it continues to grow.

n Linda Monohan may be reached at 782-5802.