Always an Adventure

Walking to work.
As I was headed to school today, I noticed a woman walking toward me on the road. She was still a ways off when I saw her glance to her left and all at once her whole demeanor changed. She started to run, leaping quickly and bringing her knees way up, barely touching the ground with each step. She held her arms out in front of her, palms out and fingers spread wide. And she screamed, "Ahhhh, ohhhh, ahhhhh, ohhhh!" She looked like someone who'd just discovered a demon was following her. There were cars blocking my view from whatever it was that frightened her. A man walked up from the other street that T's the road I was on, gasped at whatever it was, and then waved hello at it! A crowd was quickly gathering. I finally reached the group and saw what the fuss was about.

It was a snake.
A BIG snake.
Easily the largest snake I have ever seen out in the open.
It was brown and red arranged in a pretty diamond pattern, and it slithered unhurredly up into a drain pipe while I fumbled to pull my camera out and commanded it to hang on a minute. It didn't listen. Stupid earless snakes.

And all I got was it's tail headed into the pipe. That long thing in the foreground isn't a snake.

It turns out that maybe the snake lives in that pipe! I visited my pharmacist friend right after (I say "I need energy juseyo" and he gives me a bottle of something vile with another tube of something vile squeezed in it) and I told him about the snake. He said people have been talking about that snake for a few days! It's the time of year that the snakes wake up, I'm told, and sometimes they come down off the mountains. Looking to eat me. And my cat. Damned snakes! Why aren't they on a plane?

Meanwhile Buddy showed up while I was at the pharmacy. My pharmacist friend pointed out the door and said "Look! You're friend!"

Buddy: The Good Boy is sad.

"Where are you going, Jelly? Are you going in the store? Are you going to be long? I can't go in there. They don't like me following you in there. They yell at me and make like they're going to kick me. I've learned my lesson. I'll wait here looking sad."

Buddy: The Good Boy cheers up!
(Look at his SMILE!)

"There you are! You're back! Do you have sausages? In that bag? It looks like there might be sausages! I think there are! Sausages! Sausagessausagessausagessausages!"