WTWIZARD: Thanks for your little story about your grandmother and the snake in the asparagus. You are very kind to the little creatures. As much as I hate them in the house, I have no desire to hurt them when they're outdoors. I accidently ran over one with the riding mower and actually felt bad about that. Maybe there's hope for me yet. As far as spiders go, the only ones I remove are the ones in the bedroom. I have been bitten on the face a few times in the past and awakened to an eye swelled shut.
Emptyinside: Nightmares about them too.
Scott 77: Thanks for the link. I will check it out in the daytime lol. I really want to get over my fear of them. There are some snakes that have exceptionally beautiful markings (crap why do those colorful markings have to be on a snake) I did a bit of research today about garter snakes. I have trouble looking at the pictures but perhaps if I learn more about them I will fear them less.
RIP: lol@ Kingdom Hall 'snakes'
Nancydrew: I can't understand why people want them as pets, but I guess to each his own.
Wannaexit: Yup, agree totally worst nightmare for me too. Have had nightmares about them since around age 5.
Keyser Soze: Sorry to burst your bubble of security but cities have snakes too. We have had stories here of people in apartment buildings finding a snake in their apartment after someone's pet escaped. But yes, you would likely have less of a chance of encountering them in a highly populated area.
Thanks all for your responses.Leslie