No, I didn't get a picture of the snake I saw yesterday. Even if I'd had my camera, it was moving away too fast and I was screaming too hard to get a shot.

I've always watched for snakes as I've worked in my yard. Seriously, when I walk around it I'm always watching my feet, and I don't stray off the lawn or path unless I'm wearing jeans, shoes, and socks. Have you ever noticed how many items in the yard can look like snakes? Broken branches, electrical cords, water hoses that always seem have snake-like stripes . . . even my mouse cord is starting to look like a snake as I write this!

Anyway, I was dressed like that last weekend when I used a power hedge trimmer and pruners to cut my way through the jungle of 4-foot phlox, 6-foot prickly lettuce (weed), and tangled blackberry vines on the side of our house. (If our neighbors are reading this, I apologize for planting the vines next to the fence.) I was aware the whole time it was good snake territory, but I didn't see anything. By the time I finished, I had cleared the path through the area.

Yesterday I remembered I'd seen a ripe blackberry on one the branches (pathetic, I know, but that's another story) and decided to go pick it while my hands were empty. Even though I was wearing sandals, I decided it would be safe because I had that path cleared. I walked into the blackberry area, sticking to the path and watching my feet as always. I leaned over to look for the blackberry, but I didn't see it. Maybe the birds got to it first. I stood back up and glanced around—and there was a snake!

It was to the left of me, only a foot or two away from the path and my naked toes. It was moving away. I don't know—maybe it had stayed really still when I approached it and then decided to make a break for it when I stood back up. It was a garter snake and appeared big and muscular. It could have been the smaller garter snake I startled next to the front porch earlier in the summer.

I'd been planning to go back to the side of the house and wrestle those blackberry vines under control as soon as I had a chance, but I don't know if I can force myself to do it now, wearing protective clothing or not. Garter snakes hibernate, don't they? I'll wait.

I know most snakes are harmless. They still scare me to death, though. It's either a basic human instinct to be afraid of them or it's being startled by their sudden movement when you didn't know they were there. I know they are usually as eager to get away from us as we are to avoid them, even rattlesnakes.

The only other snake I've seen this year was on our back porch and was quite small with a white head. Apparently that's the description of a young bull snake. I've always been afraid of rattlesnakes here, but I haven't seen one so far (in 23 years). Many years I don't see any snakes at all.

As afraid as I am, the last thing I want to do is kill a snake. I think that even if I saw a rattlesnake I'd try to have someone come capture it and relocate it rather than kill it. (I'm not speaking for Phil on this, though!) No, I try to live and let live.

Which brings me to a related subject: A mole moved into our yard a few weeks ago, and I've been reluctant to kill it (or let Phil do the dirty work). But it's really making a mess. Garter snakes are carnivorous and eat rodents. Dare I hope our garter snake will eat our mole? I can choose to live and let live, but I can also let Nature take its course.