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Friday, November 29, 2013

The Tupperware Problem and the Thanksgiving Snake

Thanksgiving is a time of abundance. We prepare more than enough food, but it's okay, because the leftovers last for several days.


There is the turkey and the pumpkin pie, the stuffing and the yams, and the cranberry sauce.


We eat until we are stuffed, and still there is plenty left over. This year, even Bow realized he did not need to finish it all in one sitting. He did not really work that hard on the turkey and the stuffing, focusing more on the cranberry sauce and the sparkling red grape juice.


When everybody has had their fill and they are just too sleepy and tuckered out for any more digestive effort, that is when we break out the Tupperware. I have to dig deep to try to find the covers to all the containers, so that everything is properly put away, ready to be eaten slowly over the next week. 

Invariably, some containers are found for which there are no covers, and some covers are found for which there is no container. Nevertheless, I managed to put everything away last night, with only a few mismatched items of Tupperware remaining, when I spotted that ribbon in the hallway that seemed out of place. 

I think I actually walked over it first, then did a double take. Not a ribbon. A snake!


Of course, what I normally do when I find a snake I need to transport from one location to another is to break out the Tupperware. I usually look for a container that will easily accommodate that particular snake. But this was Thanksgiving! All my really good Tupperware was in use and filled to the brim with goodies. I had just put everything away in the refrigerator! The only thing left were the badly mismatched containers and lids. And here was this snake!


By the time I grabbed the best container and lid I could find, the Thanksgiving snake was already making plans to escape my clutches. But I had my mother and daughter to think of, neither of whom are particularly fond of snakes.


I had to capture the snake and transport him outside before he hid somewhere in the house, only to emerge at the worst possible moment. So I pushed him with my badly chosen rectangular lid into the the circcular opening of the container I had and gingerly held the lid over the container.

I don't have pictures of this, but at one point the snake's tail was hanging outside the container while the head and majority of his body were inside. Luckily, he decided to cooperate and tucked his tail into the container, accommodating himself to its shape, so that I could press the mismatched lid firmly onto the container.

Then I transported him outside and a little way from the house. When I removed the lid, he seemed happy to escape into the night.

Any other time of the year, I have plenty of Tupperware for snakes. But on Thanksgiving day, there is only that mismatched Tupperware left. Luckily, the snake was understanding, and he cooperated even when my containers were not absolutely right for the task. That is something to be thankful for!


14 comments:

  1. You are braver than I because I probably would have been calling someone to get that snake out of my house. It seems like there are a lot of snakes in your area. We have snakes in the mountains, but they usually stay away from houses and people, and like to hide out.

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    1. I don't consider myself particularly brave. If I called for help every time I saw a snake, I would have to employ a resident snake catcher.

      We do have a lot of snakes out here but they are not usually in the house. I think they are confused by the bizarre weather we have been having. One day freezing, the next day very warm.

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  2. Cool tupperware story extended onto your Blogspot Aya, I see what has occured now, and will still await for the story to unfold there on Bubblews. Nicely written here as well. Tupperware to the rescue! Bow looks cool up there drinking up the sparkling red grape juice :)

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    1. Mike Pugh, thanks for dropping by! That is really all there is to the story for now, The snake was released safe outside, and we still have plenty of leftovers to eat in our well matched Tupperware.

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  3. Not pleasant! How did the snake get in your house? Was it like I earlier suggested, that they get in the back of the dryer from the outside vent? All snakes and other reptiles should be in hibernation this time of year. Forget the Tupperware for snake handling, I would use a five gallon bucket with a lid, and even then wouldn't be very comfortable.

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    1. I am not sure how the snake got in, Pam. It might be as you suggested through the back of the dryer from the garage, or it could have been through one of the heating vents the led up into the house from the crawlspace. I like to use smaller containers that are somewhat transparent to catch snakes, because they can double around and surprise you if you are not sure exactly where they are and in what position. Thankfully, this snake cooperated with me.

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  4. What a surprise!! I don't think I would have been able to think so level-headed as you. Of course, I would rather have a snake than a spider sneak into the house. Glad you found a container. We have had such weird weather. I am not surprised that the snakes are still out and about. Love the picture of Bow!! :-)

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    1. Hi, Susan. I think I'd rather it be a spider than a snake, myself, as the container required would be smaller! It has been very strange weather! Glad you liked the picture of Bow. He is so suave and debonair drinking from that glass, I think.

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  5. Oh my! I would have jumped upon the table and screamed until someone got that snake out of my house! No kidding, I actually did that one time, many years ago!

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    1. Hi, Ruth, I guess that strategy might work if there were someone in the house more adept at catching snakes than I am.

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  6. Just out of curiosity, what type of snake was it? After your experience, I started looking at my entryways with more vigilance and discovered there is a small hole in the back door crevice that a snake could get in to my house, so I am going to fill it in with insulation tape.

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    1. It was dark, so it was hard to see the markings really well, but I think it was a Prairie King snake.

      I have not discovered the entry point. I hope your precautions are successful.

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  7. I hate snakes but will not back off if I see one. You are kind to transport them outside. I can't say I would have done the same but my hubby would have done as you did.

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    1. Hi, Dianna. Most of the snakes I encounter are rodent eaters, so I am grateful for their help. I just don't want them in the house.

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