Dear Insiders,
Just read the creepy article about rattlesnakes (“Lions and tigers and rattlesnakes – oh my!” in the Feb. 15 issue). Couldn't resist getting in touch with you. When my family moved to Fairbanks Street in West Concord in 1975, I realized quickly that it is an area with backyard snakes, for which I have a real aversion.
All the neighbors said, “Don't be afraid, they are harmless,” but that first summer here brought me a real scare. Scott Stevenson, our paperboy, yelled to me from the front door on a hot summer day and said, “Mrs. Amsden, I'm not giving you your paper today.”
Looking at the rattlesnake at the bottom of my steps, I decided I would move just as soon as we could sell the house. In the meantime, I called Joyce Wyman, one of those neighbors who had told me not to be afraid of snakes. She said she would be right up with one of the boys' hockey sticks and get rid of it, but after taking one look she decided no way.
I had to decide how to leave my house and get to hers until my then-husband arrived home from work. No easy feat when you are trying to walk with your legs up your nostrils (and) can't touch the ground! By the time we returned to the house, which I might add took a great deal of convincing, the snake was nowhere to be found. I won't discuss my thoughts about to where it might have slithered away. I have never forgotten that day. And thanks to your article it's real fresh in my memory. Maybe I am glad it's winter!
I quite enjoy the Insider. Having lived always in Concord, I have many vivid memories of old Concord.
Joan Amsden
Concord
