Transcript
Alma May Representative (0:00)
Today's episode is brought to you by Alma May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I've been thinking a lot about how much therapy has helped me over the years. Not just showing up, but finding the right therapist. And honestly, that part used to feel overwhelming. I didn't always know where to look, how to find someone who took my insurance, or if they'd actually be the right fit. That's why I really like what Alma is doing. They built a network of over 26,000 therapists nationwide, and you can browse their directory without even making an account. You can, you can filter for things like insurance, background and approach so you're not just guessing. Plus, 98% of their therapists accept insurance, and clients with insurance pay $20 on average. There's even a free cost estimator so you know what you'll pay upfront. Most people find their match on the first try, and 95% connect within a week. Over 80% feel better within six months, which says a lot. Get started now@helloalma.com moth that's that's helloalma.com
Alltrails Advertiser (1:02)
moth we all belong outside. We're drawn to nature. Whether it's the recorded sounds of the ocean we doze off to or the succulents that adorn our homes, nature makes all of our lives, well, better. Despite all this, we often go about our busy lives removed from it, but the outdoors is closer than we realize. With Alltrails, you can discover trails nearby and explore explore confidently with offline maps and on trail navigation. Download the free app today and make the most of your summer with Alltrails.
Alistair Bain (1:47)
This is the Moth Radio Hour. I'm your host, Alistair Bain. In this episode, we'll be celebrating the bonds between people and animals. I live in Colorado with an assorted pack of dogs and foster dogs, including two formerly feral dogs and a pit bull that carries his teddy bear with him wherever he goes. I've learned so much from my own pets about courage, resilience, loyalty, and I even developed some some fairly advanced reupholstering skills because sometimes a sofa will be mistaken for a rather large chew toy. In this hour, we will hear seven storytellers share stories about themselves and their relationship to the animal kingdom. Katherine Palmer told this first story at an open mic story slam we produced in Pittsburgh, where we partner with public radio station wesa. Live from the Rex Theater, here's Kathryn Palmer.
Katherine Palmer (2:52)
I'm a city person. I wasn't born in the city. I moved to the city, to the south side of Pittsburgh as an Adult. Now, city people expect a couple things, light and noise. And we get pretty nervous if it gets too dark or too quiet. Now, we're the only people in our family that live in the city. My husband's four sisters live in dark, quiet places. And the darkest, quietest home is my sister in law who runs a hostel with her husband and her two little girls in the middle of nowhere. Now, this kind of nowhere is where there's no cell service, no Internet access. And I found myself there one night after having been in a meeting in Philly, which is a very nice, noisy, bright city. We had a lovely dinner and we were waiting to check in the next hostel guest. And it was getting later, and that was a problem because my niece was going to have a performance that night and somebody was going to have to stay behind. So I volunteered. What could go wrong? I would be in a very dark, quiet place with no cell reception, letting strangers into the house. Perfect. So I waved them off and I went to the living room to read a book. Turns out I can't read if it's completely quiet. I need a little bit of noise. So. So I headed to the kitchen to get a drink, because you can do that in the dark and quiet. And I stopped in my tracks because there was a snake in front of me. Not a big snake, like a foot long, like maybe a baby snake. And the cat was pawing at it on the kitchen floor. So this is one of those moments where you stop and you're trying to make sense of something that absolutely does not make sense. So I assessed the situation. There was a baby snake on the floor. At least I assumed it was a baby. It was very small. The cat seemed to be involved in how it got there and oddly familiar with it. And my nieces were known to have strange pets up in their room, so I had to assume there was a mother snake that had a baby. But at this point, I realized I know very little about the reproductive habits of snakes. And with no Internet access, this wasn't going to change. So the only reasonable explanation is that this was a pet snake or the baby of a pet snake, and I needed to keep it safe from the cat. So three things were. I was not going to touch this snake. I did need to do something to keep the cat away from it. And this was a perfect opportunity to become the favorite aunt. I could save the pet baby snake. So I got a clear casserole dish out of the cabinet and put it over the snake so the snake could see out. But the cat Couldn't get at it, problem solved. So I headed back to the living room with my drink. But I could not relax because I got thinking. How much oxygen is in a casserole? And how much oxygen does a baby snake need? And to this day, I don't know the answer to either of those questions. But I decided it would be safe if I went back like every 10 minutes and just lifted the casserole. There'd be new oxygen, we'd be fine. So I headed back to the kitchen and there were four baby snakes. One under the casserole, three loose. So I got three more baking dishes and sequestered the snakes. And right then there's a knock on the door. The hostel people have arrived. Now the good news is they don't need to come through the kitchen. So I get them settled. But now it's been like 15 minutes. I've got to get back and get oxygen to all the baby snakes. So I'm back and there are five new baby snakes. Okay, so I realized two things. One, snakes have litters of babies, clearly. And two, I don't have any more clear baking dishes. So I go over to the hostel to raid their baking dishes and I come back with an armful and there are two more baby snakes added to the crowd. So at the height of this, there are 11 baby snakes in glass cages all over the kitchen floor. This is now a full time activity, just getting them oxygen. And furthermore, it's not a big kitchen. So I'm using the baking dishes as stepping stones as I navigate this space. I am all in. But it's okay, because really all I have to do is wait for my nieces to come home and shower me in love and praise for what I have gone through to protect their pet baby snakes. I'm kind of growing attached to my charges and I hear the car. They're home. And my older niece comes in the door and she says, oh, not again. This is not the greeting I expected. And she and her sister unceremoniously lift up the baking dishes, grab the snakes and throw them out the kitchen door into the forest. So later I would find that adult snakes come into their basement and lay eggs. Now I know how snakes reproduce, and the cat can't resist just depositing them all over the house. So as we're starting to clean, clean up, my sister in law turns to me and says, now if this ever happens again, the look on my face must have made it clear this was never going to happen again. So I settled in to wash 11 casserole dishes and look forward to going back to the city.
