I used to own an antique shop. The corner I was on was a great location for getting lots of people to bring in stuff to sell. I had one couple that I'm afraid my dh was not too fond of. They had inherited "her" gm's old estate. ( I had checked that out so as not to be buying stolen goods.)
One morning I was in the shower when they came by with two boxes of "stuff". Well dh knew I'd be mad if he didn't buy it from them. They would usually just want ten bucks a box. I always made out like a bandit with their boxes.
Well, it was winter time and dh stuck the two boxes under the counter. He failed to mention the box purchases to me. I always kept a small electric heater down by my feet (under the counter).
I went in to open the shop and saw what I thought was a pretty silk scarf on the floor. Walking closer to the scarf it started to crawl off. Well those of you who know me, know I am a very large lady. I climbed on top of the counter (tempered glass) and screamed for all I was worth. My dh finally heard my screams and came in. He and my daughter caught the snake. It turned out to be a calico king snake. My daughter took it to Lamar university where it went into a cage with others of it's kind.
The following night I went into the shop to do some work on a chandelier. I turned on the light and there was another snake. Even though I knew it was harmless, it scared the %#* out of me! DH retrieved and removed it and we began to wonder why for Pete's sake in the middle of winter were we having an invasion of snakes.
The next day, I noticed the two boxes under the counter. I asked dh about them and he told me about his purchase. I began to excitedly dig into the boxes. Low and behold there were more snakes. He removed the boxes to the outside and removed the snakes to a better home (the woods).
We finally realized that the snakes had been in hibernation and the warmth of the heater woke them up. I never allowed an unpacked box to come into the shop again.
Charlene
p.s. I have never like snakes, but I have to say those were the prettiest snakes I have ever seen before. Black with neon green polka dots on them.
