A puzzle for you...and Friday Fill-Ins

 

missy & the universe, "baby corn", January 27, 2009 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

+

goingslo, "Corn Snake", October 27, 2008 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

= what I found in the basement while doing some late-night laundry.

(a baby corn snake)

I should know by now that when my cat starts staring at something, that something is probably alive.  At first, I thought it was the spiral coil from a notebook, and she was just playing with it.  No such luck.  

Here's my reaction, along with Mike's very much delayed reaction.

Me:  "Mike.  Come down here." 

(Mike's thought process:  "I'm dreaming.")

Me:  "Mike.  There's a snake in the basement."

(Mike's thought process: "I'm still dreaming.  Probably because she told me about that black snake she saw while running.")

Me:  "Mike Bess!  There is a snake in our basement!"

(Mike's thought process: "I'm still dreaming.  But she's yelling my first and last name. Am I in trouble?  Does she think I put a snake down there on purpose?")

Me:  "Mike Bess.  Come down here now!  Snake!"

(Mike's thought process:  "Not a dream.  But she's probably just freaking out over a black snake. No big deal.  I'll take my time waking up.")

Me: (Reluctantly climbing to top of basement stairs, leaving the snake out of my sight) "Mike Bess!  There is a snake in our basement!  It has a pattern, and I don't know what kind it is!" 

(Mike's thought process:  "Scheiße.  Not a black snake.")

But, my heroic husband stepped up to the plate, got the little guy into a box, and sent him on his merry way.  Well, he was a pretty cranky snake once he actually got him into the box, so maybe "merry way" isn't the right choice of words.   

---------------------------------------------------------------

  And, of course, tonight's Friday Fill-Ins:

1. Athens, OH is my favorite place to travel to.
2. When I think about my childhood, I often remember books.
3. An understanding person makes for a good friend.
4. The wind in the trees, the rain on my skin, and then it got very hot and sunny.
5. The thought of our seniors going out into the big wide world is so exciting!
6. My best friend knows how to make me feel better after a bad day.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to rushing to the parking lot to beat the traffic out of graduation, tomorrow my plans include giving in to the cold symptoms that have been nagging me this week and getting lots of rest, and Sunday, I want to enjoy the first church park night of the summer!