It keeps me awake at night.

(The only snake I want to see.  A commissioned ring.)

The other day my husband said the neighbor stopped by and told him there was a big black snake crossing the road (with eggs..... what ever that means) behind our house.

We've lived in our house for over thirty years and in all that time I've only seen a snake twice.  (That's two times too many in my book!)

The first time my husband had just left for a weeklong fishing trip and I was getting ready to head out the door for a full week of shopping,  eating what I wanted and having the TV all to myself.   As I headed out the door I saw this long black snake heading up the driveway toward the house.  There was about an inch crack under the garage door and I envisioned him slipping right under the door so I stuffed something in there to close up the gap.  He just laid out there in the driveway (a barrier to me and my freedom.  Would he lay there for the full seven days?)   I called my neighbor and asked him if he was afraid of snakes.  "No........(long pause here)..... Why?  I told him what I wanted and he said he would be over to take care of it.  He showed up with a copper pipe (about eight feet long) and something else that I can't remember.  (I'm not sure he really wanted to do this.)  He really didn't have to do anything as the snake slivered away as soon as he saw him.

Now I lay awake at night.  Is the snake under my back porch where the amount of weeds growing around it would help him hide?  (I want to pull those weeds and plant mums but now I'm not sure.)

Or...... is he hiding in the ceiling of the garage (where my husband installed a dropped ceiling and I know there is some kind of critter up there.)  I use to think it was a chipmunk but now I'm beginning to wonder.

What keeps me up at night is seeing Zoe Nelson's picture of a black snake climbing the wall of her shed.   There is no reason why a snake couldn't climb the block wall of the garage and crawl into the garage.  Tomorrow I'll tell you about the second encounter I had with a black snake "in my garage."  (At least he was on the floor!)

I would never hurt a snake.  (I try not to hurt any living creature..... except ants when they come into my house.  I am not going to catch an ant in a jar and release him outdoors.)  But, I don't want to come face to face with a snake  either (just stay your distance and we will be okay.  Let me rephrase that..... I will be okay.)

Remind me sometime to tell you about the Boa constrictor that lived at our house for awhile before it headed off to my husband's classroom.  And the "what ever made me think I could feed a dead mouse to a six foot boa" story.

Finally a face

Not only was the conference informative and fun, but it was also a time to hook up with current and old friends and finally put a face to those we've only known from a picture on the web.  (Which made it all the more sad to realize that we may not get the chance to share time together again.)

I met many new friends but will share just a few pictures from Saturday night's Gala.

Zoe Nelson was one of the friends I've made over the Internet.  She reads my blog and I read hers.   We comment often on each other's blogs (just to let each other know that someone out there is reading us.)

Zoe was as nice as I envisioned her.  Visit her at zoenelsonartwear.blogspot.com/ 

Coral (on the left...... and darn I can't remember her last name.  It's a good thing Jeanette Landenwitch is sending us an updated list of conference participants.  I won't accidentally delete this one!)  Anyway, Coral is from Pittsburgh and one of Carol's students.  (Strange that I have to go to Kentucky to meet her.)    Carol Scheftic is on the right.  I've mentioned Carol in a previous post.  If you want to know anything about metal clay (particularly the base metal clays and firing) Carol is the one to ask.  

http://convergentseries.wordpress.com/

Saturday's Gala included a photo booth where friends could wear an accessory and have their photos taken.  Dona Miller  http://www.donamiller.com/ is someone I met at the PMC Connection Retreat at Arrowmont last year.  She is now a Certified Instructor with PMC Connection.  We both took Holly Gage's class in metal clay repousse' and I was interested in the piece she worked on in that class.   Dona and her husband own and raced Siberian Huskies.  (Search for her finished piece in a previous post on this blog.)  I too am a lover of huskies (RIP Sasha Mariah and Hanna Jane!)  Besides the Arrowmont class we are both alumni of Tonya Davidson's first Artful Success class.  

Through Face book, blogs, websites and special interest groups we can all still stay connected.  But it was sad to see the conference end and everyone go their own way.   Was much fun while it lasted!