Like Suzi, I was definitely a city girl all my life.  Moving to the country in my early 40’s changed all that.  I have some memorable experiences with critters that did not belong in the house.  I am not a snake person… not at all.  If I would see one taking a snooze by the pond or under a rock I happened to lift up, that space was theirs.  I was not going to intrude …. not within 50 feet.  One evening I happened to be alone in the house and was peacefully baking a cake.  Doing some work in the back of the house, I remembered I had better check on it.  As I turned the corner into the kitchen, there it was.  I could not believe my eyes.  A creepy little snake was slithering around on my kitchen floor.  But what to do?  I really wanted to turn around and ignore it, but my mind quickly said “nope… you’ve got to face it or you may never find where it will go and then what will you do?”   So I looked around and the first thing I see is a flashlight on the counter.  That became my weapon, my snake-slaying weapon.  I slowly crept up and started bashing it.  But snakes don’t just give up or at least they don’t look like they do.  So I bashed it until there was no movement at all.  Then, I found a pair of tongs to pick it up with.  I carefully put into a plastic bag so I had proof to show that I did have a snake in my kitchen when my husband came home.  I couldn’t believe it and I didn’t think anyone else would.  He was not nearly impressed as myself; questioning why I would kill a little garden snake.  I said I happened to think it was a pretty good size garden snake, especially for one being in the house. 

Of course, I do know in my logical mind, I should have just picked it up (with the tongs) and thrown it outside.  But my emotional self just wasn’t thinking like that and I wanted that snake gone, out of the house forever, never to return.  I truly didn’t think I had it in me to kill it like that so you never know what you can do.  I do feel bad about it now because I know snakes do serve a valuable purpose….. but please…. just not in my kitchen!