We have a problem at our house. Its the rattlesnakes. Up to this point, Patrick and I have been very effective at preventing all sorts of creatures from disturbing our home: we simply do not allow mean dragons, angry giants, or scary monsters. They can't come in unless they play nice. Apparently our powers do not apply to rattlesnakes, which Mariel is certain are a deadly threat in suburban St. Louis. Mariel's concern with rattlesnakes comes and goes; we might manage to forget about them for a few days, and then one morning wake up to her yelling and screaming in her bed, unable to get out until we make sure there are no snakes underneath. I have put invisible rattlesnake traps all around the house, especially under the porch, installed rattlesnake alarms, and Hudson and Marley have been fully trained in rattlesnake prevention (which, according to Mariel, primarily involves eating them). My parents even helped research rattlesnakes on the computer and at the zoo so that she could learn about their normal habitat (ie- remote desert!) and such. All this, to no avail. Today, we took the next step and posted warning signs all around our house, on the playhouse, and under our beds. Here is Noella's sign for the playhouse and Mariel's for her bed:
We also made a public service announcement, just in case those snakes can't read.
Now there is no excuse for the snakes to miss the warning, and we hope that the entire family wakes up tomorrow to a quieter house.
