A hair-raising snake story from the Atchafalaya Basin

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By Helen Boudreaux

    Bonjour!

    I’ve talked of the abundance of snakes here. The water is high in the basin and they are looking for higher ground. I have a large bird cage on my screened-in-porch with white pet doves. I recently gave away twelve. Two more hatched since. Sunday mornings I get up at 5 a.m. to go to church. Last Sunday I looked out at the cage I could see by the porch light and break of day the little ones were missing. The four bigger ones were perched in their regular spots. I saw a dark area in the cage. Walked out on the porch to check, it was a snake. So my porch is not snake proof!

    I didn’t want to use the machete and hurt the doves. It had eaten the babies. I looked around for a weapon. I was freaking out. There was the shop vac and I thought, why not? So I set it up, made a small opening in the cage door, slipped the hose in the cage and when the snake struck at it the vacuum sucked it up a few inches. I figured to get it in there all the way, but it was too fat. I held on for a while making sure it would stay in. But when I’d move, it would curl its tail in the wire and try to pull itself loose from the suction and I’d have to hold still. I’d move it again slowly until finally it kept still enough for me to cautiously walk out the door onto the deck and began hitting the hose against the step until it came loose.

    I’d picked up a four-foot iron pipe by the door and when I shook the snake loose from the hose, I held the pipe on his stomach. The snake was not moving and its head was limp from the air being drawn out of it. I was going to hit his head with the pipe but it came back to life and slipped down the steps and out of sight under the house. I am a capon!

    Hey y’all, the Petit Paris Café in St Martinville will re-open on Sunday’s beginning Fathers Day. They’ll serve beignets for breakfast and serve brunch at noon. And early afternoon we’ll start an acoustic Cajun/Country/Gospel jam session. Call 342-2606. On va parle Français. See y’all there!

    Myrtle Lasseigne fais le meilleur crawfish bisque this side of Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi known as Heaven.

    Brasseaux’s Nursery is having a clearance sale. I got a Vitex tree, sweet potato and lantana plant. They’ll close thereafter to reopen in the fall.

    I especially enjoy singing in church et pour nos vétéran who gave their time and lives to give me this freedom to do so. My journey to the Veteran’s Home in Jennings recently for their annual Memorial weekend event was loads of fun. I was joined by horn player John Pousson from Sulphur. We were enjoyed by everyone there. He had no problem playing every Cajun, Hank Williams and gospel songs I sang and in every key I played. His wife Melissa was there and gave free lessons of art painting to all interested. A very talented couple.

    The Farmer’s Market and the East Baton Rouge Parish Library featured their One Book/One Community program Saturday June 6. That day they highlighted Rheta Grimsley’s book “Poor Man’s Provence” in which she wrote about the wonderful people of Henderson. I played Cajun music for them plus I had the honor of speaking with Mayor Kip Holden.

    How did Butte La Rose get its name?
Parle Français au enfants. Amétie à tout.

     Cousine Hélène
    helenboudreaux@juno.com, or 228-1714.