My Sunday treat from Shilo - 'Water Snake'

Okay so I have 3 kitties in the home at this time for I am 'cat-sitting' Hunters cat from his dads house since they are up in the Cape for the summer.  She is a super sweet and gentle kitty named Maddie.  

Well all 3 cats are supposed to be indoor cats, for they are all declawed and fixed.  However they love to sunbath out on my patio, or relax in the shade in the bushes or on the chase chair and they never go any further than my fence in my back yard (well except for Shilo).  Anyways, they are all so desperately wanting my attention and I am often giving it to the baby.  So lately and just about every day they bring me treats.  Maddie you have to understand this is her first time getting to play the hunting lion she is underneath all that fluffy girly looking fur.  So she recently brought in her first lizard.  You could see how excited she was and so proud.  Then a couple of days later she brings in a frog, yes a FROG!  

Milo he just brings in lizards to me (alive) and then he walks over to his food bowl because he knows I reward him with his own treat and Milo, like Garfield LOVES to eat. 

Shilo however is known to bring to me just about anything he can. He is creative and brave!  He in the past has brought to me snakes, but typically they are small in size and harmless.  Well lately he has been the one wanting most of my attention.  When I rock the baby while feeding her he will jump up in my lap, while trying to balance himself with the motion of the rocking and sit next to the baby and just look at me with these pitiful eyes.  So today he decided he would make me OH SO PROUD.... I look out my door and there is the BIG SNAKE.  OMG!!!

So the first thing I do is I make sure to get all cats in and away from it.  I put on my UGG boots (they are think and will protect my legs and feet), I grab my really thick pink cleaning cloves, Hunter's bug catcher net (from Easter Bunny) and cooking thongs.  Here I go.....

So I step outside and this thing sticks it tongue out at me.  Although all curled up, he is letting me know to not come near him. I am very nervous at this point, but my son is watching and I have to be OH SO BRAVE myself (dang it!). INHALE...EXHALE....

Okay so I take the net and in my head I count to three really fast and plop the net down over the snake.  Okay.... crap-hola...now what? So I then take the cooking thong and I grab his head and I hold on tightly on outside of net.  

Now this is the tricky part, I have to now turn the net over while keeping focus on my grip of the snake with the cooking thongs.  So I do this with graceful coordination and wah-la I have a net, with a cooking thong, with a snake.... now what? So I walk out to the back of my fence but I am too scared to let it go.  So I am walking around in circles looking for anyone near by to scream help to.

A few homes down I see a guy out cleaning his grill, minding his own business, probably just thinking what he was going to cook up on the grill later today.  Here I come, with my net, with a snake, with the cooking thong, as well as my fancy uggs and pretty pink gloves in my PJ's.  He looks at me sees the long tail of the snake hanging out of the net and he says "HOLY S---" you get it. 

So then he goes into the house and I hear him with excitement telling his wife that there is a girl out there with a snake that her cat brought to her.  They come out holding a trash bag and the thought goes between letting the snake go in the water or putting it in the trash bag and killing it.  My thought...I don't want to see this snake a few weeks from now back in my yard and twice it's size. A snake is a snake as a spider is a spider to me - simple!!  So we opt for the trash bag.  

So here we go, I have to take my net, with the snake with the cooking thong.... (can you tell I like to say that - HA!) and now place it in the trash bag.  Mind you the guy is looking pretty scared himself and so I do it, I take the snake and the net and I slowly toss the snake in the bag.  The guy jumps (yes he jumps back two feet) and DROPS the bag, with the net with the snake... I still have the cooking thongs in my hand.  So I act quickly and I press down on the trash bag and snake with the thong and take the net out and as I hold down the snake the guy then grabs it, ties it up and we all take a deep breath.  Actually I was sweating by then.  

He says he doesn't want to kill it but doesn't want to let it out either, so I said "its your now do what you want" and I leave to go back to my kids at the house.  So I assume he killed the snake, I don't know...but I do know this, SHILO is going to get some much needed luv'en when he comes back in.  My brave, brave.... kitty. 

So how is your Sunday going so far?  

It's not even noon here yet and already I have gotten up with two kids, we took a little Sunday ride to Mc D's for some pancakes and hash-browns. Come home start a load of laundry (washing all sheets on beds) and Hunter is playing hockey on xbox 360, while I just fed and put Morgan down for a nap and I take a moment to share my snake story.  Now the whites are done....gotta run!!!