the black rat snake
If you had asked me last week if I am scared of snakes, I would have told you that I wasn’t the kind of person to go running from a snake (well, unless my life was endangered). And there is evidence of this— I have been around snakes in the past without absolutely freaking out. But then this weekend happened, and, as it turns out, I am the type of person to go running from a snake, even if my life is not endangered.
Here’s the story: We have four enormous oak trees in our yard, and BF is obsessed with picking up all the crap they drop every weekend year round (which, by the way, is totally fine by me as I have zero interest in picking up anything they drop and they drop a crap load of stuff).
oak flower collected after just 2 minutes of sweeping the driveway
As he does this, he comes in and out of the house– getting water, changing his sweat-drenched shirt, etc. You might recall that BF and I set resolutions for each other at the beginning of this year. The resolution that I set for him? Shutting the door.
So on Sunday afternoon, BF was hard at work on his yard project, and baby was hanging with him in the front yard. I thought I would use the time to do a little laundry in baby’s room. Just as I rounded the corner into baby’s room, I happened to look down rather than keep my gaze at eye level. And what do you know? There is a snake crawling underneath baby’s crib. A long, black snake.
So, what did our heroine do? Well, she ran out of the house like Phoebe in Friends. Screaming at the top of her friggin’ lungs. I kid you not. I know some of you don’t KNOW me, but, seriously, running out of the house like Phoebe screaming at the top of my lungs is so not me. I am more of the I Can Rescue Me type. Or so I thought.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_0Ta_DIWuU]
Anyway, in the yard, I found BF who asked why I was yelling.
“There’s a snake under baby’s bed,” I screamed. And he looked at me like I was hallucinating.
“Can you get it?” Then he looked at me like I was crazy. Because BF– though he does not look like it– is the kind of person who would run away from a snake screaming, and he’s the first to tell you that.
“No, I can’t get it.” So I cajoled BF over to the neighbors’ house. Mike, Carly’s husband, was in the yard, and I heard BF say, “How are you about snakes?” And Mike said, “Not good at all, but Carly doesn’t mind them.”
Sure enough, Carly, who is equally gifted with cupcakes or raptors, came right on over to our house (in running clothes and shoeless!!!), marched into baby’s bedroom all by herself and when she didn’t see the snake, looked under the crib to find where it had coiled itself into its smallest shape in the corner, reluctantly took the running shoes I made her put on to protect her toes, moved the crib by herself because I was standing on baby’s bathtub (with a camera) and BF couldn’t even be in the house, picked up the snake, identified what it was, and then moved it across the street after holding it up on display and telling us all about it in the yard (‘he wouldn’t have hurt the baby, Rosie, I promise. He just wants to eat mice’). That, my friends, is a steel magnolia. And I am absolutely confident that she will be baby’s favorite person while he’s growing up. As Carly nonchalantly went back to her own yard chores, I hollered out to her, “You cannot ever move away from us, Carly.” She laughed like I was a funny girl, but I am even thinking about asking her to spend the night. It’s going to be a long time before I can go barefoot again in this house, and I cannot even think about what would have happened had I not walked into baby’s room just at that moment to see the snake making its home under his crib. Yikes!
Carly picks up the snake
Carly escorts the snake out
Carly talks snake while showing it to baby.
On another note, snakes occupy not one iota of my thinking and, yet, coincidentally, this morning, I wrote an article on summer safety tips and one line that is sticking out in my head now from it is “don’t reach blindly into spaces where snakes like to hide” as they often retreat in the summer to places where they can cool down. It’s 90 degrees this weekend in NC, and Carly’s sure that Mr. Black Rat Snake wasn’t expecting it to go from 60 to 90 in a day and moved inside, with the help of our open door policy, to regulate his temperature. Close your doors, people. Put your shoes on. And don’t reach blindly into spaces where snakes like to hide which, I will have you know, is everywhere.
PS: BF has now fully committed to closing the door.
EEEEEEEEK!!!!! OMG OMG OMG!!! Even though I’m sitting here laughing…I’m freaking out!!! Snakes belong out in the desert. A desert where NO babies or baby cribs reside! Thank GOD for neighbor Carly! I’m cracking up even harder that BF wasn’t even IN the house! Ba ba raaaa baaaa ba ba raaaa. Ba ba raaaa baaaa ba ba raaa raaa raaaaa! lmao.
*applauding Carly for not hurting the snake*
So many people kill those black snakes and they are harmless. So not nice. Great job Carly!
If BF doesn’t stick to the pact, I’ll come to NC and kick some butt!!!! ROFL
FREAKING OUT FOR YOU!!! You are SO allowed to do the ‘Phobe run’ for that!!!!!!
When we had a “garden snake” in our yard my mom called up a “Carly” living down the street and she came right over and scooped it out of the yard and wrapped it around her wrist and drove it home to her house and released it….we all need a “Carly” in our life!!
Mika, yeah, black snakes have a free pass around here! I can’t even kill a bug around here– they all have to be escorted outside.
Jillian, you are so right. We all do need a Carly in our lives. But here’s the deal. Mine cannot move. If people want to share my Carly, you have to move here!
I had to put on shoes every time I went to baby’s room last night in the middle of the night. Just couldn’t bare to walk the house barefoot!
ROSIE! OMG!! Carly is the BOMB!!!
Hey, how old were we at the lake that time when we got ourselves trapped on the dock by those water moccasins? 10ish? As I recall we said, and I quote, “Calm. Cool. Collected. And READY TO RUN!” That still gives me the shivers! 🙂
I think we were 10ish, Jenny! And let me tell you, I was far more calm, cool, and collected at 10 then I am at 35.
Oh My God!!! I would have freaked out!! yep the Phoebe run would have been my style 2..lol
Glad it all turned out ok.. and yes Carly can never move.. if she does Id move with her if I was U rosie 😉
Carly Rocks!
I gotta be honest, I’ve not met a lot of people willing to hold snakes especially women. Carly is awesome, I would have been scared out of my mind. I wear shoes for weeks if we find a live bug in our house. So, I agree, you can never move unless Carly does. Cupcakes and snakes, you must be in love!
Funny (and true) story – One summer, I was about 10 years old living in Charlotte (near Carowinds – I’m sure you’re familiar) and I came inside for a minute to use the bathroom. I was in our half bath under the stairs when a baby black snake (probably the same species, I’m not sure) wriggled out from underneath the bathmat and I. flipped. out. I ran outside and had my Dad trap it in a bag and set it free in the backyard.
You’re not the only one. 🙂
I rescued a black rat snake from a Sam’s parking lot last Wednesday. I asked for a bag from a Sam’s employee and she brought me a plastic super thin bag. The snake was pushing against the bag and I thought he would suffocate himself. So I put a small hole in it and put it in my trunk. When I got home he was gone. Finally today he crawled out from under the dashboard, I caught him and put him in a pillow case, took him home and had my son come over to take pictures before I released him
Bob, Stop it! Were you driving when he crawled out from under the dashboard? Oh my. I might have to drive with my feet up frow now on– but that would be awfully hard, wouldn’t it?
I am so the type that would’ve done the Phoebe run….rofl….my little girl almost stepped on one by accident in the back yard yesterday while playing in the sprinkler, and I was doing research on them because of my own fears…when I came accrossed your post…I so wish I could be like your Carly…but I’m too petrified of them…we’re in NC as well, I so scared of the day one of my 3 or 5 year old boy try to bring one in the house…I will have no idea what to do…I so need a neighbor like this!!!
Oh no, Heather. I can’t believe your daughter almost stepped on one. She might have to start running through the sprinkler in Crocs to keep her toes safe! Yeah, I’m hoping our little boy isn’t a snake collector. If he is, he’ll have to do it at Carly’s house.
Just found your post and I thought it was great 🙂 I can see the BF cowering in the bushes, we keep snakes and I went downstairs to find one was out and having a little wander, if it had been wild I can’t say I’d have been so calm thats a great story our rat snake is about 6 feet they do grow to a good size I can imagine finding that under the babies bed would give you a shock xxx
I’m sorry but there would have been another one of equal length right beside me if I saw that.
On Easter Sunday I encountered a SNAKE in my washroom.A few weeks prior to that my husband said he saw the exact snake outside on the back porch,he went to remove it well it crawled up between the door frame and the brick on our little closet that houses the ht water heater.W e never saw in until Easter Sunday,it was behind my washing machine,the top of it’s head was looking right at me.All i could do was get the pets and kids outside.I called my husband in tears,casue i’m very afraid of snakes.He caught and killed it thank God .i know it was a RAT SNAKE but still a good snake is a dead snake.My only concern is how it could’ve gotten in the house,any suggestions.
Oh, Mandy, I am so sorry! That’s totally scary. The only suggestion I have is for you all to check all the crevices he could have climbed through and caulk them all shut. Ours was an easier fix since we’re fairly certain he came through the open door. Hope you never have to go through that again!
the only other place i think it may have came in at was thru the dryer vent outside ,i really don’t know.i’m always on the look out when i go in there.hopefully this will be first and last time.I’ve lived in this house for 5 yrs. only snake we’ve seen .