We got the new snake yesterday afternoon, and it's quite beautiful. It's some kind of Mountain Kingsnake - you know, the "red on black, friend of Jack (or venom lack)" kind. If somebody hands you a "red on yellow" snake, don't accept it, because the end of the rhyme is "kill a fellow". Anyway, the rather large cage is wedged into the corner behind the stereo, but will probably end up in our bedroom if we decide to ditch the crib. I just have to learn to say "no" to free snakes.

We hiked into the hills today, where we saw several skinks, an Alligator lizard, and some Fence lizards. In fact, there were all three kinds of lizards in one bush. For once, I managed to not catch any of them. I made up for it later by catching a small, blue crayfish. I also finally found the big anthill that the ants have been quietly building on the forest floor for quite some time (probably decades, from the size of the hill). The kids refrained from poking at it with sticks, but only after being asked not to several times.

Jen just informed me that Nate screamed so loud this morning after being denied Oreos for breakfast that one of the neighbors from the apartments in back of us yelled, "shut up, kid!" He complied with this rather rude request, probably more out of shock than anything else.

Now it's time to go be productive.

cds I listened to while once again being later than I wanted to be: The Tiger Lillies "Births Marriages and Deaths", "Low Life Lullabies", "Bad Blood & Blasphemy", and "The Brothel to the Cemetary", and Kathleen Yearwood "Ordeal" (she covers one of my favorite Leonard Cohen songs! Yay!)