Anna, I always felt the same way that you do. I used to get spooked by the black racers that popped out of no where when my dad took us fishing. I would scream and run for the car.
All that changed when I moved to Florida and got married. My snakehunter husband taught me enough about snakes that when I would come back home for a visit I could pick up garder snakes without worrying about getting bit. Milksnakes I was a bit leary of and stayed away from the poisen ones.
My husband showed me the proper way to pick them up and also how to feed and care for them.
As for wearables, my husband made them from dead snakes he found along the roads and got from wildlife attractions.
I designed snakeskin earrings and we made batches of them. I even wrote articles that were published in magazines about the items he made. I didn't wear them because I don't wear earrings, but they sure were pretty.
So, now that I am back in Pa, I let the snakes be and am quite happy they don't come looking for me either. lol
