A couple months ago there was a garter snake on our stairs leading down to our lower yard and dock; fortunately the neighbor was out mowing his lawn so I made him come try and get it (he failed). Doesn't matter that it is a harmless garter snake, I'm now afraid to use the stairs and go down (or back up :-) to our dock/boat. I so badly want to work on the hill plants/garden bed but am "sure" I'll meet the snake again; I'm hyper alert even in the upper backyard now (we live in a little townhouse) and that kind of ruins my experience too.

I don't even have a true phobia; if someone is holding a snake and others are around "petting" it I don't have any problems with petting it too and have even held a small snake for a moment in such conditions.