Heroic Daddy

My husband has totally redeemed himself from the pajama-mishap from the previous night. 

Like I mentioned yesterday, I had to work late again last night, so I got home right around 7:30 pm.  When I walked through the garage door, I could see that my husband and Ella were snuggled on the couch, but she was awake, and immediately did the sign for "Mommy" when I walked in the door, which totally warmed my heart.  But that joy quickly turned to panic when I saw a snake slithering towards them!

It was small, and I'd like to think that it was harmless (because the thought of having a harmful snake in my house freaks me out even more), but I really don't know what kind it was.  My husband initially couldn't see the snake from where he was sitting with Ella, so he handed her to me, and and got the broom and dustpan from the garage.  He pinned the snake to the carpet--but then didn't know what to do next.  He joked that he might just have to stay there all night in that position, but eventually asked for the needle-nosed pliers, and broke the snake's neck (do snakes have necks?). 

We put it in a zip-lock bag for closer inspection.  Around this time, my dad happened to call, and mentioned that venomous snakes typically have a pointy head so that they can unhinge their jaw.  I admit that I haven't looked very closely at many snakes, so I don't have many comparisons, but it sure seemed to have a pointy head, and it seemed like it's jaw was unhinged (on it's last, dying breath).  We couldn't detect any fangs through the plastic bag, and we definitely did not see a rattle, but perhaps it was a different type of poisonous snake, or maybe it was just too little to develop a rattle.  Either way, I'm completely freaked out that we had a snake in our house.  I just feel so vulnerable.

I recognize that we live in the desert, and that snakes are part of the terrain.  After almost stepping on a snake on our front porch a couple of years ago, I'm always so extremely careful to always look outside before I go out.  But I never thought that we would ever have to worry about them getting into our house!  I think it came through our front door.  We've known all along that there was a little gap, but perhaps it's gotten bigger than we realized as the house has settled.  Needless to say, my husband has planned a trip to the hardware store this weekend to fix the gap (and we have a dishrag stuffed under there for now).  I admit that now I'm worried that perhaps another snake got into the house when we didn't know it, and it is now chilling in a closet somewhere, getting bigger and bigger.  Ugh...I don't want to think about it.  (Please pray that we don't have any snakes living in our house!)

And I don't want to think about what could have happened if Ella had been playing on the ground and had reached for it!  That just freaks me out!  And it makes me sad that we will have to raise her to be cautious when she is playing outside as she grows up (as long as we live here in Arizona).  I want her to be adventurous, but I also want her to be safe.  How do you teach a curious child to explore the desert when you're worried that they might reach for something that is potentially life-threatening?

What a blessing to have worked late, and to come home at a time when I would see the snake.  On any other day, I would have been cleaning up dinner or giving Ella a bath or chasing her around on hands-and-knees.  Praise God that He put me in a position to notice the snake before it could do any harm.