Well, Northern Hemisphere, today leads me to believe…
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We were in Orland Park today (long story, ending with a snake) and it was SNOWING!
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We had a rainy day last week. First one in… what, nineteen months?
I don’t think I’m exaggerating.
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Details please!
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LOL!
I know @Wisconsin_Platt is in the Greater Chicagoland Area (yes, that’s a recognized geographical term around here) so he would know how far out from the city/lake I was. Winters and summers are more extreme the further you go, because of what’s known as the Lake Effect. So, it might not have been snowing in the closer-in suburbs, but it was where I was yesterday.
Oh, it’s not details about the weather you’re interested in? 
We were supposed to be picking up our new car yesterday from the dealership. I did a lot of comparison shopping, and this was the only place that treated me like a human being instead of a mark, so despite it being quite a distance, I decided to go with them. This means I did my research on what other stores I might run errands at while in the general area, since I know that it’s a good idea to do basic preventative maintenance at the dealership in the beginning at least, so that it’s all on record.
In addition to locating the Lowes/Menards/Home Depot stores, the Costco, the Aldi, etc., I also looked into the vast web of shopping malls to see if I could get rid of some years-old gift cards I’d gotten from people who don’t know me well enough to know I don’t shop at places like Pottery Barn.
And most importantly, my youngest has been lobbying for a snake for quite some time now. She’s responsible, has taken care of pets before, is doing exceptionally well in her academic and extracurricular pursuits, and her birthday is coming up in a month. Having also done a lot of research myself on the subject, I knew that the biggest, most respected store for all things reptile – including buying them – was in this general area as well. We’d already gone to more local places so that she could pick the brains of the employees, hold snakes, etc. But it was clear that when it was time to buy, this place out in the boondocks was the right place to go. Also, the right place to go to get answers that might lead us to realize that it wasn’t a good choice for her at this point in her life. In particular, the type of snake she got lives around 20 years, and she’s leaving for college (and thus a dorm room, with probably at least one roommate) in less than 2 years, after which she’ll be renting apartments, usually with no-pet clauses, for quite some years after that. Meanwhile, I’m planning on downsizing significantly once she’s out of the house, so keeping a 30- or 40-gallon tank with a 4’-long snake in it would not be high on my priority list.
So, we had a long list of errands to run in the general area, only to find out, around 10:00am, that the car wasn’t going to be ready any time that day. Technically we didn’t need to go to the area at all, since the car was the only must-do-in-that-location-on-that-date. But she had cleared her calendar with the expectation of spending the day in that area, and of course had her hopes up that I would warm to the idea of her getting a snake (she didn’t think we’d actually buy it that day).
We got through our list, mostly things that could have been found in the city versions of the same stores (sand for sandbags from Home Depot, for example), discovered that there really isn’t anything at Pottery Barn that we wanted to buy, even as a gift for someone else, and went to our last stop on the list: the reptile store. They gave us undivided attention and answered every question easily and completely. They agreed with our analysis that a corn snake was the best entry snake to get for our circumstances. There were two corn snakes there, but one was a hatchling so small that they wouldn’t even show it to us, let alone sell it, because it was too soon. But the other one was a little older, so technically a “juvenile” rather than a hatchling, and it was love at first sight. We also talked about and held a couple other possible choices that might fit for us, including for example a Kenyan desert boa, but the corn snake was just too cute and active to ignore. There were getting more in during the week, but that would mean driving out next weekend as well (like an hour each way) which might not even be possible for my kid depending on homework, etc. I decided it was time to act. My kid couldn’t believe it!!
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And yes, the markings on her head look like a skull. That was an endearing feature, not off-putting!
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For some reason I find snakes (and spiders) extremely cute.* This lil guy is adorable!
Wife does not agree. Fortunately we both luvs cats.
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Lovely Danger Noodle you have there.
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Probably not the smartest move to get a snake on the first day of snow, but that’s what under tank heaters are for!
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Wow! Your daughter’s lucky to have you as a mum!
Thank you for taking the time to answer my nosy request and good luck with the newest inhabitant of your house… and the new car when you get it! 
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Thanks!
I’m happy to provide a little bit of whimsy in our ongoing discussion about the weather and seasons changing.
Speaking of which, guess who shed 24 hours after arriving at her new home?!
So that’s our first milestone passed!
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Oh my, so soon after you got her home! How much bigger is she expected to get/how many more sheds?
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That’s a good question! I measured it (easier to measure than the actual snake) and it was 16", which puts her in the cusp between hatchling and juvenile (experts disagree on the cutoff). She should get up to full size in about 3-4 years, which would be about 4 feet long. No idea if she would still shed after that point.
Guess I’ve got some research to do!
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Four feet. Whoa, that’s more than a metre long. I’m not sure she’ll be so cute then, so it’s probably a good thing I don’t own her!
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Shouldn’t be a problem to leaf them there for a few months.
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Maple, I will.
I’m already pining for spring.
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C’est quoi cette merde blanche?
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Why though, when it’s almost time to spruce things up for the holly days?
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