That is quite a (snake) story, Lin. I have never brought a snake in.
Here's a story that I have told before but it is fitting with the "bringing in critters" posts. I promise to keep it in a shortened version.
Two (perhaps it has now been three) years ago I shipped a fiddle leaf ficus to a nice lady in New York City. Because of the large root-ball, those ship (sort-of) bare-root, having some potting media but that's supplemented with moist sphagnum moss. The day she got the plant I got an email from her telling me she found a large pest in the root-ball, donned latex gloves, and that she flushed it down the toilet. I asked her to describe the "pest" and she described an earth worm. I patiently explained that earth worms were good and not pests (I can be patient
). Living in the concrete expanses of New York City and having always lived in apartments, she had never seen an earth worm.
I thought she was joking but she swore that's the first one she had ever seen. I assured her that it was fine to leave earth worms in the potting soil but she said she could never do that. She said she was sure she would have nightmares with thoughts of an earth worm escaping the pot and crawling up on her bed. I kid you not.
After all this time I still chuckle thinking about this lady and her fear of earth worms.
