Single Woman vs. Snake in Dining Room

     As I prepared to go upstairs for the night (last night at 9:45), a good song was on the radio, so I started to dance around the dining room. Then my eyes beheld a slithering snake on the floor about 3 feet from the french door. Oh no! What to do? (I'll stop here and say it was about 12 inches long, about the size of my little finger in diameter, but his head kept coming up like they did in those snake charmer scenes when I was a kid.)
This was what came to my mind.


1. Cover with a pot cover? No, Mamma did that for a mouse one time.
2. Smother with salt? No, that's what I did for slugs in Texas.
3. Squirt with ammonia? No, that would damage the hardwood floor and might upset him.
4. Douse with clorox? No, that, too, would damage the floor.
5. Call the fire department? Can't find the number. Too nervous.
Aha, call my sister. She'd call a friend of hers. She called me back and told me her friend suggested I call "311" and ask for animal patrol. If that didn't work, call 911. I did the 311 call. Nothing. I called 911 and explained the situation. "Is he aggressive?" 
"No."
"Is he outdoors?"
"No, he's in my dining room."
"Dining room??"
"Yes."
She would send someone over to help.


Sister called back. She was coming over, but before that, put on her L.L. Bean boots. I went to put on my green gum-rubber style boots. All the time, watching Sammy Snake slither around trying to get out the door to the patio. He first slid into the space at the bottom of the door and the threshhold, but I could still see him. Then he slithered up the door between the door and the frame. At times I couldn't see him but then his head would poke out. I tried to do the dishes to make use of the time I was having to stay up, but I really wanted to know where he was at all times.


My sister arrived and felt my lounge-around-the-house-cotton-shirt was too short. I agreed. She went up to get me something longer and the doorbell rang. I let my sister's friend and one of his boys in, grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around my waist. The guys took my broom, opened the door, and scooted said snake out! Whew!! 


There we girls were with boots on and me with a blanket around me looking pretty foolish. The "boy" is a visiting young man from Japan and my sister told him my get-up wasn't "normal" American garb! It was his 30th birthday and we all got a good laugh over the incident.

Thank God for sisters and friends.