There is a snake on my property.
We've not met him in person, 'Mr Snake' (for I'm trying to pretend I am not screaming inside for the sake of the children), but we know where he lives - in a hole in the garage floor. He made us aware of his presence by leaving some of his skin behind. Sweet! If it weren't for Eva's beady eyes, I'd still be thinking it was a bit of plastic.
Rigid with fear, I called my mate K to tell her the momentous news. "Oh, it's probably only a mamba," she drawled dismissively. She didn't know you don't say things like only a mamba to someone as snakephobic as me. You say 'only a really large worm', the kind that sheds its skin, etc etc. "They don't attack anyone," she continued reassuringly. "It's the cobras you need to watch out for. They killed a 5 foot one outside my classroom the other day." Yay, cobras too.
Anyway, I thought mambas - the green, deadly poisonous ones - were aggressive snakes, that did attack. I also thought they lived in trees. Why the heck did it think it would be more comfortable in my garage/utility room? Damn snake.
Still, despite the icy cold terror gripping my heart (E keeps telling me it's fine, it's daylight, Mr Snake is sleeping), I don't like much the idea of killing him. I will never be a vegetarian, am pretty unsentimental about animals generally (K has some cute black Lab puppies that she is desperate for me to take and every week I say 'no'), but suffocating old snakey with parrafin seems pretty rough. But then one snake into a house full of toddlers doesn't go.
I've done the only acceptable thing in the circumstances and made it someone else's problem. The pest people come at 3.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Gandagracious! I prefer snakes to spiders but that's no comfort when kiddies are around. I hope the pest squad are successful.
We had a giant three foot snake in the backyard a bit ago and I let husband kill it with the shovel in front of the kids. Bad Mommy, but the snake had to go!
It's actually probably a house snake, totally harmless. We've had quite a few: anything obviously dangerous (spitting cobra, puff adder) we kill, others we give the benefit of the doubt and try to catch and remove (our staff think I am insane but also very brave - kudos!). However, one snake looks very much like another and it doesn't do to take risks.
New Zealand, snakeless, is feeling feebly safe to me. Is illegal to even bring snakes here.
Now that is bugger all use to you, hope all has been resolved at your Ganda home.
huggles and care, Michelle in NZ
Post a Comment