Christmas 2010

My favorite memory of 2010 will always be the visual of Colleen and me standing on milk crates in the laundry room of Dad’s old house, she with a broom and I with a sponge mop, trying to kill a snake. Let me explain…
Dad bought a new house this summer three doors down from me. We had spent June and July getting it ready, and he moved in the middle of August. Then we began getting the old house ready to sell. By the end of September, we’d had a yard sale, donated to charity, and filled a dumpster with what was left. In final preparation for putting the house on the market, we were cleaning it from top to bottom.
Colleen was sweeping under the dryer in the basement laundry room, when I heard a blood-curdling scream. I figured she’d disturbed a mouse. Would that that had been the case! No, my friends, she found a snake, and if there is anyone on the planet more afraid of snakes than me, it is Colleen.
I will spare you the details, but suffice it to say that knowing we couldn’t put a house on the market with a snake in residence under the dryer, we mustered up all the courage we could find and proceeded to try and kill it. The only weapons at our disposal were the broom and the mop, as all the other garden tools had been shipped to Dad’s new house earlier in the week. So there we were, standing on milk crates, trying to put this snake out of our misery. We were unsuccessful, and in the blink of an eye, it got away.
For the next 3 days, we searched for it. We moved boxes with caution. We refused to bring anything in our vans. We lived on fear and adrenaline every time we set foot in the old house. Finally on the third day, on my last trip to bring things up from the basement, I saw it.
Did you know snakes can climb up carpeted stairs?
It wasn’t pretty, but Dad and I, yes I, rid the house of one black snake. By this time, we had more substantial weapons at our disposal. I caught it with a shovel, and he cut off its head. Quite the bonding moment between parent and child! It wasn’t pretty, but we got it done.
And that’s kind of been the theme for this year: “Getting things done.”
Kirk started 2010 in Haiti after the earthquake and ended in Afghanistan with trips to Ecuador and Washington D.C. in between. He’s really enjoying his job and is happier than I’ve seen him in a long time.
Kyle started St. Xavier High School and is having an awesome experience. He played freshman football, is wrestling, and getting wonderful grades. In October, he went on an Honor Flight trip to Washington D.C. with WW2 veterans and was written about in the paper.
Claire continues to thrive at Holy Trinity. She is playing basketball and dancing tap, jazz, and ballet. She participated in the 6th Grade Academic Showcase for science and won the Geography Bee for her grade.
Emily has been bitten by the drama bug (don’t know where she gets it) and performed in Music Theater of Louisville’s production of “Annie” this summer as part of the Orphan Chorus. She also plays basketball and dances and gets good grades.
I continue to hold down the fort here. I see Dad much more now that he’s closer and help manage his house along with my own. It is really nice to have him so close. I’m starting a business called Kentucky Wonderful, hoping to market my photographs in a variety of formats. I’ll keep you posted.
I hope that 2011 brings peace and prosperity for all, but please, no more snakes!