Sugar and Spice and all Things Nice . . .

I just spent the last 20 minutes rescuing a garden snake from a window well in my backyard.

As you know, I'm a little on the short side. My drivers license says I'm 5'1" but that's about as accurate as what I listed for my weight. I figure all the REALLY pertinent information is correct, my age for example. Besides, the only time I use my license is when I'm carded for R rated movies--which is happening less and less.

Needless to say, climbing in and out of the window well was no small task. But really I only have myself to blame for the incident.

Just before school started our ward went on a Mother/Daughter camping trip. I wasn't excited about going but Maddie REALLY wanted to go. Madison is somewhat of a girly-girl. She comes by it honestly, though not through me. However, the love of fashion is evident in the family line. In fact, I am contemplating sending her to San Fransisco to live with her aunt when she hits puberty.

Though it took a while to pack for the trip (Madison needed to bring one of everything, just in case) we went. During dinner I was talking to another woman in the ward who had a daughter who was Madison's age. When I suggested they play together the other mom said, "Well, I don't know. My daughter likes snakes and stuff." I was confused. Madison may call her purple socks "grape" and her brown socks "chocolate" but does that mean she wont touch a snake?

About two weeks ago "the boys" came over. You know, the ones that often wait in the driveway for her return from school . . . . They were all in the backyard and came across one of our many garden snakes. I came out to check on the commotion just as one of them asked Madison if she wanted to hold it. She looked a little horrified. Resorting to peer pressure, I said, "Come on Maddie, snakes are COOL. You should totally hold it!" So she did (peer pressure is an awesome power that must be used responsibly).

This afternoon she had a friend from school over and while they were playing in the backyard they found another snake. At first her friend was a little horrified, but Maddie caught it and coaxed her friend into touching it. After a while I told them to put the snake down and let it go home. Instead, they put it down and started following it around the yard. The snake became a bit disoriented and fell through a hole in one of the grates that cover our window wells. The girls started freaking out, afraid the snake was hurt, or would die because he couldn't get out. So of course, I got to climb into the window well and rescue the snake.

So, good news! Madison can play with the snake girl in the ward. AND not only does she catch snakes, she even found an old snake skin. Whoo hoo!