Our Pal the Snake.

No, I don't like snakes. I do appreciate their place in our world, food chain and environment but I am very afraid of them. For personal reasons, of course. It was a snake in a garden that began a series of events in my young life (I was 9) that ended with the death of a very special person in my life. My grandmother. She was clearing weeds from one of her flower beds and came across a huge, brown snake---it sat there staring at her, it didn't move but it's presence was more than enough. (we never knew what kind it was) Later that day, she had a heart attack and by the end of the week, she was gone. I was in the room when this happened.

So, needless to say, I hold this against all snakes.

Or so I thought I did.

Recently, I have run into our new pet, a snake, over and over again. He's small. A 'Checkered Garter Snake'. I even almost picked him up in pile of leaves while cleaning around one our trees. I have watched him slither around my courtyard, bask in the sun, wrap himself around the base of a bush and just this last week, watched him make a meal out of frog.

I want to be ok with him being around. He's cute and all but still a snake...a harmless snake, but a snake, nevertheless.

So, in effort to overcome my ill will towards these creatures, I have decided to let him live in our yard. Our original plan was to find him a new home (as in moving him into the wooded area around/away from the trails around our home) but I have since changed my mind and want him around, roaming around freely in our yard and gardens.