Snakes.I hate snakes. I think I would faint if a snake slithered over my foot or something, let alone lots of snakes slithering over my face or whole body, like in this Fear Factor photo:
Unfortuntely, we have a ton of snakes in our yard. I grew up with snakes being an infrequent sight, and now I am seeing them on an almost daily basis. The problem: The dozens and dozens of old railroad ties we have in our yard. They're used for terracing and landscaping, and a lot of them are rotted out and need to be replaced. Snakes love them -- they're like snake magnets. *shudder* I've had nightmares about snakes since the weather warmed up. Not even kidding. Maybe I need to see a therapist or something.
The most disgusting sighting happened last week, when I saw a knot of snakes sunning on top of the chain-link fence in our back yard. They were all curled up together doing who knows what. At first I thought they might be dead, but as I moved closer I saw they were definitely alive. I later watched them slither down the fence and into the nearby rocks. *shudder again* Totally gross. I thought I got a picture on my phone, but it didn't save.
Unfortunately, replacing all the railroad ties with new lumber will be an expensive undertaking that we will probably have done by a professional landscaper. So I am resigned to deal with the snakes for at least a summer or two. I know, I know, garter snakes aren't harmful at all -- they're actually good for your lawn and garden and whatnot. I just hate them because they have a tendency to startle me, and, well, they just look gross. And since there are so many of them, I'm freaked out by the possibility of one finding its way into my basement. I proceed into my basement with caution now because I'm paranoid. I know, I need to get over it.
Pray for me! :P
