I Really Need to Quit Smoking...

I type, as I sit here puffing.

I don't smoke in the house. I have a cool garage, complete with couch, 'frig, stereo and tv. I spend many evenings in my garage, in part so I can smoke, in part to watch tv independent of my repeat-sit-com fan husband. Tonight, I'm trying to focus on the debate. Even take a few notes.

I went to the 'frig for a beer during Obama's first response and before I made it back to my seat, I noticed something on the concrete floor next to the couch. What was that? A necklace? I started to lean over...and...it was a snake! Look at the date of this blog, folks! October 15! Yes, it's hot. It got up to 88 today in NC. But come on. It's October!

It wasn't a big snake, maybe 6 or 7 inches long. I am not sure what kind it was.

I opened the garage door while grabbing the broom and yelled for my daughter to "Come Here! Quick!" She did - she's a good girl, she knows when I mean it. I swept him into the middle of the floor before he made it all the way under the couch - right where I had been sitting before I stood to get a beer - right where I was about to sit back down - right where I am sitting now - but cross-legged, with my feet on the couch instead of the floor!

I told Camille to grab the camera and tried to use the broom to keep the snake in the middle of the garage. Then I noticed an empty shoe box my husband had left in the garage. I decided to try to catch the snake so I could show it to Ken when he got home. Ha. When I tried to sweep the snake into the box, he dashed under the cabinet the stereo sits on. Thank goodness it has wheels. After unsuccessfully trying to use the broom to swish it back out, we rolled the cabinet out of the way, and the terrified (?) little snake was curled in a little ball. Camille grabbed the box and the broom and swept the snake into the box. "Gimme the lid, gimme the lid" and I obliged. As soon as she had the lid on the box - the snake came out of a hole in the bottom! We screached and sreamed and swept him out the door. He slithered away into the grass. "I hope we didn't hurt him," Camille said. "He seems to be moving kind of wierd."

Lord have mercy. Just keep moving wierdly AWAY from my garage!

I need another cigarette.