"Catch THIS one, Mom!" Ethan yelled as he went back to throw a football. Flying through the air, I watched as the ball came right towards me and bounced off my hands. Flinging back into the shrubs behind me, the football rolled and stopped in the mulch and flower bed that is in front of our house. "Aaaahhhh, Mom! You could have caught that one!" Waving an acknowledging hand to our son, I went barefoot into the bushes and flower bed to bend down and reach around for the football. (Got it!) As I started to stand back up, I suddenly caught a glance at something that looked long and scaly. As one more fraction of a second passed, I realized that I was standing right beside what looked like a great big snake.
Now I'm not one to scream at the sight of a creepy crawly snake or spider...but being barefoot right beside one (not knowing where the head or tail is) is a whoooole different story.
Believe me when I say that I have not moved that fast or jumped that high in I don't know how long. I swear I could have made the qualifying rounds in this past summer's Olympics.
My mind began to race at what to do next. I knew that first I had to determine if it really was a snake, and then I had to figure out what to do about it. I didn't want our seven year old son to come and investigate, so I threw the football as far as I possibly could as he ran after it.
Darting up the front porch stairs, I had the heeby jeebys as I looked down into the flower bed and saw a huge long snake sprawled out under the shrubs. It was different, though...it was perfectly still and the closer I looked, it didn't look right at all. I got down closer and realized that it wasn't a snake but a perfect and complete snake's skin. It even had the shape of the snake's head and eyes. It was one of the most unreal things ever.
By this time, Ethan was almost back to me and I had another decision to make...let him see the snake skin or avoid it altogether. Not knowing where Mr. Snake actually was and hoping that he was long gone, I called Ethan up on the porch with me and had him look down to see the skin. I ended up having to hold him back from wanting to go down to try and get it.
Adam and the rest of the crew came out to see the remains of our slithery friend as Adam picked the skin up and put it in a bag.
As luck would have it, Ethan's second grade class is studying reptiles - so he took the bag to school saying something about being the "Coolest Day EVER." (So sorry to his teacher.)
If you would have told me years ago, that one day, my life would be filled with a house full of boys with mud and dirt and footballs and snakes, I never would have believed it. As wild as our house is though, I sure wouldn't have it any other way. One thing's for sure however...you can guarantee that from this day forward, I'll be wearing shoes when we go outside...and if anything ever goes into the bushes from here on out, be it a ball, toy or frisbee...I will be just fine if it stays there. Mr. Snake can have it...all to himself.
Now I'm not one to scream at the sight of a creepy crawly snake or spider...but being barefoot right beside one (not knowing where the head or tail is) is a whoooole different story.
Believe me when I say that I have not moved that fast or jumped that high in I don't know how long. I swear I could have made the qualifying rounds in this past summer's Olympics.
My mind began to race at what to do next. I knew that first I had to determine if it really was a snake, and then I had to figure out what to do about it. I didn't want our seven year old son to come and investigate, so I threw the football as far as I possibly could as he ran after it.
Darting up the front porch stairs, I had the heeby jeebys as I looked down into the flower bed and saw a huge long snake sprawled out under the shrubs. It was different, though...it was perfectly still and the closer I looked, it didn't look right at all. I got down closer and realized that it wasn't a snake but a perfect and complete snake's skin. It even had the shape of the snake's head and eyes. It was one of the most unreal things ever.
By this time, Ethan was almost back to me and I had another decision to make...let him see the snake skin or avoid it altogether. Not knowing where Mr. Snake actually was and hoping that he was long gone, I called Ethan up on the porch with me and had him look down to see the skin. I ended up having to hold him back from wanting to go down to try and get it.
Adam and the rest of the crew came out to see the remains of our slithery friend as Adam picked the skin up and put it in a bag.
As luck would have it, Ethan's second grade class is studying reptiles - so he took the bag to school saying something about being the "Coolest Day EVER." (So sorry to his teacher.)
If you would have told me years ago, that one day, my life would be filled with a house full of boys with mud and dirt and footballs and snakes, I never would have believed it. As wild as our house is though, I sure wouldn't have it any other way. One thing's for sure however...you can guarantee that from this day forward, I'll be wearing shoes when we go outside...and if anything ever goes into the bushes from here on out, be it a ball, toy or frisbee...I will be just fine if it stays there. Mr. Snake can have it...all to himself.
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That's it! There's nothing else to do! Thank You So Much!!! (Oh and there's some peanut butter candy in it for you if I see you!) :)
That's it! There's nothing else to do! Thank You So Much!!! (Oh and there's some peanut butter candy in it for you if I see you!) :)
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