USPS Snake Patrol

I live in a quiet residential area of St. Petersburg near an elementary school. I feel very safe in my home though I have no alarm system or even a dog for security. All I have is my confidence in the integrity of my home. My safety was challenged though one day while sitting at my computer checking my e-mail. I was sure I heard a rapping in the front part of the house. At first, I ignored it, thinking it was perhaps the refrigerator which frequently emanates gastronomic sounds from its innards, but then I heard the sound again. Getting up, I followed the sound which lead me to the front door. When I peered out the peep hole, I saw my mailman. Figuring he must have something from the post office that required my signature, I began to unlock and open the door. From the other side, I heard him shout, “No!” I quickly pushed the door shut again, wondering what in the world was going on. Shortly, I heard “Okay, you can open it now.”

When I opened the door, there was my postman holding a stick he had obviously picked up in the yard. He began to tell me that, as he walked up to deliver my mail (I have a mail slot in the door), he saw two black snakes on my front porch. Knowing they are basically harmless, he picked up the stick and tried to scare them away from my front door. In the process, the stick knocked up against the door which was what had drawn me to the door. He said that, if I had opened the door, one of the snakes might have come in the door. Eureka!

I will always have a warm place in my heart for the postal service and especially for those who do snake patrol to protect us citizens.