Nice quilt! The receiver of this gift is going to be very happy. Now, about that snake ..... I also am not fond of snakes but do know that they are important to the balance of life. Still don't like them though. People in my area often kill black snakes and they are very beneficial to the area, eating rats and mice especially in barns and out buildings. And even though I walk waaaaaay around any snake I see, I did have to hold one while my dh tried to disentangle it from some netting we put over our blueberry bushes. My dh always like to tell the story of a garter snake that was on a hiking path and as I came upon it, it curled up and acted like it was going to strike at me. Guess he wanted to grow up to be a rattler. I was no impressed and walked waaaaaaay around him!!!