Cahokia- A Place and A Pet

It's true we now have a pet. My kids have been begging for one for years but with Jason gone so much and me busy having babies that was the last thing I needed on my plate. It all came about without with a trip to Cahokia Mounds (once the site of an ancient Native American city) We were just walking along when Jason spied a snake slithering on the sidewalk. He immediately grabs a stick and picks it up. At first I thought he was picking the snake up to show the kids. But then he wouldn't put it down. (Despite my urgent pleas)Jason grew up with snakes in his pocket. But I kept telling him that was in the country in Oklahoma, not a subdivision in Illinois. "It will teach them responsibility", he says. I was outnumbered. So now we have a pet snake named Cahokia. In my mind the snake was only going to be staying with us for a few days. Wishful thinking. Actually, it's not a bad pet. The kids are having a great time with it, it doesn't cost any money and it's low maintenance. Don't get me wrong, the snake and I have not bonded nor do we intend to, but I'll let the kids have their fun for the summer. Gopher Snake (obviously non-poisonous)In the back of my mind I'm thinking a dog might not be such a bad idea. Maybe that was Jason and the kids plan all along.In front of Monk Mound. After we found the snake we didn't explore too much. The kids were too excited to get the snake home.
Native American workers moved more than an "estimated 55 million cubic feet of earth in woven baskets to create this network of mounds and community plazas.
View of other Mounds from on top of Monks Mound.