You know it's a crazy day. . .

. . . when you find a snake in the dirty clothes pile in your bathroom!!

It happened a few weeks ago. I was taking Helena tot he bathroom, and noticing the dirty clothes taking over the bathroom. So I started sorting it to wash a few batches, when all of the sudden I saw a TAIL! I was startled, and my first thought was a REALLY BIG lizard. And then there was the thought, "What if it's actually a mouse? Or some other unknown entity??" So I carefully lifted a piece or two of clothes, and there was this snake, about 8 in. long or so! It quickly exited the clothes pile and the bathroom, while Helena was sitting on the toilet saying, "What's that? What's that, Momma?" and Isabelle was on the floor in the living room (!). The snake scooted across the hallway into Phelan's room, where I pursued it, telling Helena, "It's just a snake! Momma will take care of it!" Meanwhile, I was thinking, "How the heck am I going to take care of it? I can't kill it! (I like snakes) Maybe I'll get the dust pan!" But that was one heck of a fast snake, and likely wouldn't have stayed in the dustpan. So I saw the snake, making itself inconspicuous along Phelan's baseboard. I went into the living room and saw a shoebox. Then I remembered the sticks Helena deposited outside of the front door. I grabbed one and the box. The snake hadn't budged. So I scooped the snake into the box & took it out to the patio.
In no time, it discovered that the side panel of the box was coming unglued. . .

. . . and wiggled out!
Here it is, heading for freedom:
I did show it to Helena before it escaped!