I Don't Like Snakes

I try to be a helpful person. The men's group at church collects and recycles aluminum cans and uses the proceeds for mission works and I support that. There is an alley behind my house and on my "dog walks" with Juneau, I make note of the discarded cans tossed in the bushes along the way. I go back later with a bag and collect the cans and on Sunday's I drop the cans in the recycling bins at the church. This morning I went out early to gather the cans. I wanted to do this before people arrived for work at the businesses on the other side of the alley. I don't like people watching me pick up cans. Some pride, somewhere, I guess. Anyway, there were a lot of cans to pick up today. Most of them were empty. Some had a little liquid left in them and I was able to shake it out. Every once in a while I find a can that is heavy and has been stuffed with garbage. They are hard to empty and usually so disgusting that I just throw them out. One of the cans I picked up this morning was heavy and the contents wasn't easily dislodged so I decided to just put it in the bag and clean it out later. It was one of those super sized beer cans. When I got back home I opened the bag and took out the heavy can and placed it on the ledge by the porch. I tied up the bag with the other cans and put it aside. As I turned to look at the can on the ledge some movement from the opening caught my eye. I thought it was a little worm trying to get out of the can. I looked closer and saw a forked tongue instead. I stepped back quickly. What to do, what to do. No wonder it was heavy. There was a snake hiding inside. I picked up the can (where did I get the courage to do that?)and ran (yes, I can) down the alley and threw the can into the bushes, far, far away from my house. I didn't want the snake near me but I didn't want to hurt it either. Actually, I just didn't want the snake on my lawn. I don't like snakes. I just don't. Sorry snakes. Don't like you. Never have. Not likely to change in the future, either.