A lot has been going on around here. But don’t worry, Marlene, I’ll put the snake story after the jump so you don’t have to see it…lol!

• Monday night, we finished the religious education program for the season. We now have a few months off before it starts back up again in September, and it is a welcome break. We ended the year with a song that I think we all really enjoyed doing (Let Us Pray by Steven Curtis Chapman).

• Have I mentioned I have three new “epals”? I found this site and I’ve been email chatting with three very nice ladies from England. As far as I know, they don’t know each other, but they’re all around my age and have kids, so it’s fun to talk to someone far away. Before LG was born, I used to be involved in an international community through an internet radio station that I DJed for and I was kind of missing that, even though I’m still in touch with some of those people that I used to talk with.

• Yesterday I spent doing crafty things. I made some cards with flowers and plants from my yard that I had dried…

And some onesies for a first birthday gift for a friend’s daughter…

• Starting Saturday, I have 10 days of craziness. Now don’t get me wrong, I know everyone is busy this time of the year, but other than last weekend’s religious education program, I have nothing else going on this month other than those 10 days. It would be nice if it was a little more spread out through the month, but I guess it’s also nice to get it all over with at once. Saturday we are singing at a wedding, then going to Rochelle’s graduation party. Sunday is mass as usual. Tuesday we have two rehearsals. Wednesday we have the last mass of the year at the local Catholic high school. Thursday is a confirmation mass at our church. The next Saturday is another confirmation mass at our church that I won’t be going to, because of so much other stuff already going on. Sunday is again mass as usual. And finally, that last Monday night is the baccalaureate mass for the local Catholic high school. Lots. of. stuff.

• Okay, now it’s time for the snake story. There is a photo, so I’m warning you now that if you’re squeamish about snakes, you might not want to click!

Saturday morning we were all outside. Mike was in the garage unloading/loading his truck. I was wandering around taking some photos in my continuing efforts to document all our plants. LG was running back and forth between us. Melody was running around chasing animals, digging in gopher holes, being a dog. Well, at one point, she was standing by a dirt mound on the front acre, barking her head off. This is very unusual behavior for her. Usually she digs in the hole and then shoves her head down as far as she can. (Our yard is full of holes that house ground squirrels, gophers, rabbits, what have you.) Mike had an inkling, though, and went to investigate, and this is what he saw…

Say hello to your friendly neighborhood (non-poisonous) Gopher Snake. Gopher snakes are good snakes (I know some of you think there is no such things as a good snake, but humor me). They are non-poisonous as I mentioned and they feast upon the varmints that cause problems in the garden. They also feast upon rattlesnakes (which are most certainly not good snakes). So, we didn’t want to kill it. On the other hand, they are constrictors, so we didn’t really want it around the kid or the dog even though they’re a little too big for it to eat. We also didn’t want the dog to get into the habit of chasing snakes, since there is always the possibility, however slight, that a rattlesnake could take up residence on the property (and no, we would not be sparing a rattlesnake’s life - too dangerous).

So what to do with Mr. (or Ms.) Gopher Snake? Well, Mike managed to wrangle him into a garbage can which he was NOT happy about. Did you know that gopher snakes try to act like rattlesnakes? They flatten their heads, vibrate their tails, and their hiss has a rattle-like quality to it. It’s quite fascinating really. And no, I don’t particularly like snakes, but as long as I know they are not poisonous, that won’t stop me from checking them out. My old roommate actually had two snakes when I lived with her. At least they didn’t get loose and come into my room in the middle of the night like the hamster did - getting into my garbage can and making noise and freaking me out. But I digress.

Anyway, the snake went in the garbage can and there he stayed until Mike had time to take him to a new home. S, the band’s sound man, and his friend were over working with Mike on some band equipment and they actually took him out of the can and were holding him. He is actually a very nice and well-behaved snake. He wasn’t aggressive at all, and I actually, believe it or not, touched him at one point! Didn’t hold him, though. I’m curious, not crazy. They named him “Guinness”.

And Mike happened to be helping his brother move a big-screen tv to his house and his brother (who has a snake) happened to have a rat that his snake didn’t eat, so he brought home some snake food. Guinness was hungry. I didn’t watch that part. Ewwwww.

Today, Mike finally had some time and took good old Guinness up to the Rock Art Center to release him. He got there not long before closing time and one of the maintenance guys and the Native American guide were there and helped him release the snake. The guide said he was a healthy one and thanked Mike for not killing him. They have all sorts of snakes on the property and lots of other animals for them to eat, so it will be a good home for Guinness, away from houses and cars and kids and dogs. So, the snake story has a happy ending and I’m glad.