Watch out for sticks that slither

The nice weather we've had lately makes for perfect walking conditions. I love looking up at the tall trees, the white puffy clouds, the singing birds and across the clear ponds. Seeing the scenery always makes me appreciate where I live. What I don't like is looking down when I walk. But I knew for a month or two that it was only a matter of time before I had to pay attention to the underbrush. So the last two weeks, I've been looking down on my walks, wondering what's under the bushes, trees and ground cover bordering sidewalks and trails. Just like the groundhog traditionally comes out every Feb. 2, snakes in my neighborhood traditionally appear by mid March. My fears were substantiated again this year. I saw dead snakes last week and this week. Plus my neighbor told me that she saw a baby snake coiled on the sidewalk. Which means that the reptiles are finished with hibernation. While I have a snake phobia (seeing rattlesnakes at my front door and in my backyard doesn't help), I always relax when snakes are hibernating. However, the hibernation period seems to get shorter each year. I remember when I didn't run into snakes until June. Now I run into them starting early spring and I have to be prepared that these reptiles could be around the corner or worse, near my front or back door. On Saturday morning, my dog was looking at something stuck in my snake fence that definitely looked like a viper's head. But was it? I was hoping it was just my imagination. So I Googled "snakes and hibernation" and was not happy with what I found: "Reptiles, including snakes, and amphibians brumate over the winter. It's not hibernation, which warm-blooded animals do. Instead, snakes stop eating as the temperature drops, their metabolism slows down, and they look for an underground place to hide from surface temperature changes." That means the slithering creatures could have been around me every time I walked the trails or relaxed in my backyard without paying attention to the ground these last several months. Now I'm looking out all the time for sticks that end up slithering on the trails, sidewalks and even my driveway as I start my walks. Those sticks take on an ominous warning as I accept the fact that snake season is here again I can't give up walking though; that's one of my favorite parts of daylight saving time. So my dog received his rattlesnake vaccine. And I cut my bushes as much as I can to expose the reptiles' hiding spots. When stepping outside in the dark, I carry the brightest flashlight I can find. And I'm always checking the front and back doors in case another viper wants to establish residence at my home. I also have to flood my front yard with more solar lights this week so I can see what's on the ground when outside at night. I hope my neighbors won't mind if my yard is lit up until snake season finally ends in October. This time of year, I repeat a mantra that snakes were here first, although that doesn't make me feel any better. So until snake season is over, I will keep looking down near my feet and my pup's paws just in case a viper is too close for comfort. It could be worse. I could have mountain lions near me. Oh wait, I now hear about mountain lion sightings in the area throughout the year. For the next few months, if you see me walking, I will alternatively be looking down at the ground and then standing tall to protect myself and my dog, just in case snakes and/or lions are around.