Thisssss One’s for Mom and Don

Mom and Don came to visit, as they always do, this fall. It was October already by the time we got to see them. We had a great time: good food (including all of our favorite restaurants), a nice hike (I was at work, alas), a trip up to the Great Stupa at Redfeather Lakes, and time to chat (never enough). As exciting as a political conversation about babies in day care is (and Don and I enjoyed it very much over beer/margaritas at Efrain’s), it was at home that the major excitement occurred. We were all getting ready to go somewhere or other, but Mom and Don had beaten Dave and me to the front room. Mom opened the door, and that’s when

THE YELLING STARTED!

“A snake, a snake; a snake is coming in the door!” Mom yelled.

Don yelled something like, “Where’s the snake?” Then he yelled some more. There was general commotion. Mom kept yelling, “in the door!” Water was suddenly sploshing everywhere, I caught a quick glimpse of Don with the white plastic watering can in his hand, and the door was banged closed.

Dave and I had been keeping to the living room, incredulously watching the scene unfolding in front of us. Once the fuss died down, it turned out that Mom had opened the front door and our friendly garter snake had made a beeline for the front room. Don didn’t believe that the snake was actually coming in, and he figured it was probably just a worm when Mom started yelling about a snake COMING IN. So when the snake got past the threshold and he realized that it was no worm, he tried to grab it and then grabbed the watering can. Between his hands and the can, he managed to toss the snake out into the yard. He also managed to splash water all over. We pointed out where we thought the snake had been hiding, along the house. We see him pretty frequently—although never inside!

Update

The other weekend, I was painting the trim on the front windows when I saw our snake. I remembered that the camera was in the car, so I took a couple of photos of him hiding at the base of the mum to show Mom and Don. He got nervous and started to slither away, toward the front door. What the heck? Was he heading toward the concrete stoop and driveway, where it would be hard to stay out of sight? I kept snapping photos until he poked his head…and then more of his body…and then more of his body…and then more, and more, into a little hole beneath the door frame. I’m inclined to let him stay. He’s very beautiful and I imagine he eats bugs trying to get in the front door. I just hope he doesn’t make another break for it.