WELCOME TO THE FAMILY RICKY!

Is your skin crawling?

Well, Jake finally had a pet! He has been waiting for a LONG time! Waiting for me to approve really. Unfortunately they just don't make pets with my requirements.......

1. No Pooping
2. No Hair
3. No Pooping
4. No Maintenance
5. No Smell
6. No Pooping
7. No Need for Babysitters
8. No Noise
9. and No Pooping 

Turns out, snakes are probably the closest you can possibly get to my requirements....I mean, if you don't include Little Pet Shop Toys & Stuffed Animals! So, I said yes and he said, "I love you" like a lot!

I know you may think I have lost it completely, but snakes don't really bother me at all. I actually kind of like them. I like to hold them. I like the way they feel when they are slithering around your fingers. I DON'T like the way they look when their mouths open, but other than that, I am all good with them.

My little brother had a snake at his house while he was growing up. His Mom was all good with it. In fact, I remember it hanging out wrapped around chairs, etc. I think the thing was 10 ft long...I'm not kidding. It was a Columbian Boa. I remember my little sister coming to the door once when she was about 8 years old. Shaquil, the snake, was wrapped around her shoulder down her back and then wound around one of her legs. She wandered through the house like that without a care in the world. It was sort of crazy at first, but we all liked Shaquil. It seriously caused my friends to have a heart attack when we went over to play games! That was always funny! :)

Ryan also grew up with pet snakes. Big ones. He also had 2 HUGE Iguanas when I met him. They didn't make the cut! They had to find a new home...that wasn't mine. Poor ugly little things!

Ricky is lovingly named after Uncle Eric, whom all the kids call Uncle Ricky. He is the one that spotted and caught our baby garter. So Jake thought it only fitting to name his little guy after his AWESOME Uncle Ricky! :) Ricky also set Jake up with a cool little aquarium and everything he needed to get started. Feeding time is just around the corner. Worms. Fish. "Pinkies" or tiny mice. I don't know what it will be, but I don't have to know. That is strictly Dad's area! I don't even WANT to know!

The boys found Ricky while they were out at Strawberry Reservoir. Eric had promised to take the boys Salamander hunting. On Saturday they loaded up and went on their hunt. They didn't find one single salamander (not that I am crying about that), but they did manage to round up some craw-dads, which I heard was pretty entertaining!

At a gas station they found a pallet of Salt Licks for cows. Eric dared Tyler to lick one. Tyler agreed, if Eric went first. He did.

And then Tyler took a lick. GROSS!

Jake refused (I have taught him well! Not that we have had the "don't like a cow salt lick" talk, it's just a little something I would like to call common sense!). Eric made Jake stand by the pile of salt licks and "hang his head in shame". Hahaha! He did it.

What a fun day! And now, perhaps we will have this pet for a while. I hope so. Jake has a serious worry about him dying. Oh man! Let's hope we don't have to cross that bridge before Ricky lives a long, slithery, mouse carcass filled life!