Cafe Hitch-hike

2024-02-26

Snake skin in the planter

After I watered my patio plants over the weekend, I pulled a snake skin out of it. I jumped when I had seen it because the plant was hanging up about 7 feet off the ground. I was a little scared thinking about how a snake could had climbed up and decided to choose that hanging haven to shed their skin, which is not easy for snakes. They tend to hide when that happens.

I used tongs to pull out the skin. It was wrapped around stalks of the plant. I didn’t touch it since I read they carry salmonella. I’m glad its pattern was not the same as a coral snake. I’ve seen their skin and it has distinct rings like on their body, and it definitely wasn’t a rattle snake from the shape of its little head. I took a picture and my friend told me it was probably a rat snake. Those are plentiful here and eat up the rodents that thrive in wetlands (and oh, yes they do).

One of my gardener friends said she sees them a lot but to be ware because maybe the snake laid eggs in the planter. I choked at the thought. It’s just my luck I’d have a nursery of snakes in my plant! Was that possible? Anyhow, I posted the pic of the skin on my social media. My nephews were wildly curious, so at least that made me smile.

I was helping some administrator colleagues with a personnel matter. Like me, they were on their own with a problematic employee. Their person sounded like a weasel, and the admins were known for being terrified of conflict. I wouldn’t say I’ve become a battle ax in comparison, but they knew I’d have some pointers with my own recent issue.

There’s something about our profession that just breeds awful leadership, said one of the group. It seems true. I give up on moaning about it. I think I’m going to secretly write satire, set up a comedy troupe, and then have us perform our schtick at professional conferences and get paid! It will be Second City but with civil service wonk matters. Or, maybe I should retrain my wrist and start writing graphic novels and cartoons like I did when I was a teen.

My buddy is coming over with their little doggies, hooray!!! I’d say I can use guests every 3 to 4 months. They usually help me recalibrate. They want to see warm weather a little earlier, so they are coming down. Their little Cassi (who I jokingly call Casserole) is now 13 1/2. She is a little ol’ lady, and still her spunky, rough housing self! Rosie is her mate, very tiny but with a growl like a hound of Hades. She was suspicious of me when we first met. She gave me this darting look with her big eyes that said, ‘I’m watching you!’. Rosie is used to me and she has snuggled with me many times.

Spring is around the corner, so this means we’ll have about another 2 months of mild weather before the heat and steam return. The patio door is open (and hopefully the snakes stay away from the lights on), and another winter cycles itself out.

Winters have quietly become a favorite time of the year here in the semi-tropics. Some of my happiest memories here happened in the winter. They have a type of silence and stillness that is different than the midwest, but still a similar effect. Winter here doesn’t hav the cold sting like they do in the north. However, everything feels slower, less intense, and I savor the coolness that I breathe in and feel around my skin.

Something about it gets my attention and it makes me feel so alive.

downwind | upstream