If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Philippians 2:1-2 (NIV)
While my friend FC http://www.pureflorida.blogspot.com/ is tromping around in the swamp chasing water moccasins, I have another snake story of my own. My staff actually dared me to tell this one since I sounded so self righteous in my Snake Charmer post. http://fromaheavenlyland.blogspot.com/2008/10/snake-charmer.html They want you to know I am not as big and bad as I made myself out to be. You see, today, we had another visit from a ring necked snake. While I tried to convince everyone that it was the same snake, they are not buying it. I thought it would be better for them to think that than that there might be a nest of them hiding away somewhere in the walls of our library. True, air conditioner installers were at work this week and left some of the doors open all day. He could have slithered in by accident. Maybe it was the same one. Maybe. Anyway, I was on the phone when I heard familiar shrieks drifting upstairs. I hurried to end the conversation, hung up and raced downstairs to find a ring neck (I have to confess, smaller than the last one), in the hall at the bottom of the stairs. One of my staff hid in her office with her feet up on her desk, but the other one very bravely I might add, dropped a box over the snake and slid a piece of poster board to me. My goal was to slip it under the box and then, escort Mr. Snake out that way. My usual weapon of choice, the dustpan, was not within reach. Just as I got the poster board under the box, the same coworker let out a bloodcurdling scream. The snake’s tail extended out from underneath the box. The yell so startled me that I screamed and knocked the box away leaving the snake exposed and wiggling towards my other co worker’s office. I threw the box on top of him, but it landed on its side. The snake was covered, but not trapped. In the meantime, the coworker in the office was on the phone with a fellow employee who agreed to travel the four blocks separating our offices and rescue us from the snake. I stood guard with a shovel to make sure that the snake did not escape while we waited for him. Every once in a while, my coworkers would scream again and even though my brain knew it was less than six inches, not poisonous and I probably could have killed him just by stepping on him, I screamed, too. This week, I have been meeting with some of my staff, and we have been talking about morale and how each person’s attitude affects the whole office. I have been encouraging them to take responsibility for their own words and actions to see that they do not have a negative impact on their co-workers. Attitude is contagious. The fact that my throat still hurts from all that screaming is proof.
I’m laughing really hard right now but not AT you just at the thought of everyone screaming. I’m a snake screamer too! Your snake is a lucky one though because I would have killed him in a minute. And little or not – a snake is a snake is a snake LOL
Who knew the life of a historian could be so exciting? I’m sure that library never heard such noise in its 90 years. The snake was actually frozen when finally pulled out from under the box. I think he was paralyzed from fright.
Poor snake. When my children were small, we put in an inground pool. Often ring-necked snakes could be found swimming around. The first time that we saw one, we jumped out and let him swim.
Another time I was in with the kids and I looked over at the skimmer, and I could see about five or so in there.
We finally had the pool screened in, so they did not continue to be an issue.