Next, I'll be eating grits

When I moved from Chicago to Nashville for college, I definitely experienced some culture shock. Sample first-week conversation:

Freshman-in-college Erin: Wow look at that huge bug up there in the lights!
Freshman-in-college Southern friend: Erin, that’s a bat.

Even though I’ve lived in the South for going on seven years now, I still don’t know much about critters. When we moved into our house last year, we inherited a beautiful, semi-wooded backyard. Since then, our cats have enjoyed bringing many critters into the house, including:

1. bird
2. bird (the difference being bird #2 was ALIVE and FLYING)
3. salamander (which I initially thought was a twig, because of rigor mortis)
4. grasshopper
5. large earthworm
6. small snake

That’s right, folks. Last night they brought in a real, wriggling miniature garden snake. I can’t describe with words how that made me feel, except to say I had Noah do a sweep of the bed before I’d sleep in it last night.

Also, Noah broke some serious news to me. The critter list should actually read:

1. dead bird
2. live bird
3. salamander
4. grasshopper
5. large earthworm SMALL SNAKE
6. small snake

Yep, so what I interpreted to be a large, dead earthworm under the kitchen table was actually snake #1. When I asked Noah how he could tell, he said (if truth be told, with unnecessary sarcasm), “Earthworms don’t have scales and little eyes and mouths.”

Well, forgive me for NOT INSPECTING A DEAD BUG IN OUR HOUSE UNDER A MICROSCOPE.