Critters

Today's post pretty much writes itself. Because critters.

Last week a small garden snake entered the library with the opener (staff person who arrived first and prepared everything to open, not like a can opener). She chased it around and finally got it out.

Apparently there was another snake in rhe building last night. It startled one of the cleaning staff who trapped it under a plastic tub. The cleaner texted one for of the staff (just happened to be the one who encountered the first snake, but there are only eight of us so it's not like freaky ofds) and left a very clear and concise note -- SNAKE -- on top of the tub. The staff person, okay her name is Wendy dammit . . . So Wendy removed snake number two from the library.

It's a rural library. Even tho we're next doir to the sheriff's office and the courthouse is around the corner, well, it's a rural town. Not quite Mayberry, but you get the idea. So I figured there's a nest somewhere nearby and the weather is just crazy doing something different every day and snakes don't deal well with inconsistent temperatures so, yeah, they're interested in the more or less climate controlled building.

But Wendy said last night's snake was larger and a different kind than the garden snake from last week. She also said last night's snake was less aggressive, but she did get him out of plastic tub time-out. And really it's only slightly less likely that we have two (or more) reptile nests near the building and the snakes want inside. It's just not a reassuring thought.

I carved my jack o'lantern and put it outside yesterday. His grin looked odd when I got home from work. Because his teeth are missing. Something spent the day nibbling on my pumpkin.

Did I pick ever tell you about the thievin' squirrelson crack that plagued my neighborhood many years ago? It's a long story. And I have pictures. I won't get into it all now, just accept that I know what ate my jack's teeth.

And finally, I'm home from my job at the Reptile House and cursed the squirrels as they laugh at my toothless jack o'lantern. I'm putting things away and starting supper and, huh I thought I got all of the pumpkin seeds out of the colander. And there are more pumpkin seeds, cooked seeds, on the floor and counter. It almost looks like someone with a very very small hand tried to scoop a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds out of the bowl but couldn't really hold many and just dropped them everywhere and made a mess.

And Torii won't let me measure or inspect her paws.

Oh, and a huge bird swooped down to land in the road just as I came around a sharp bend of said and it (the bird, not the road) soared back up and it wasn't the usual vulture I've gotten really blasé about because I see them all day of the time, no it was a freakin' eagle.