Luna went out the kitchen door right before me-- and only then did I see the snake making its way off the covered patio. I could tell it wasn't venomous, right away, but it was still startling! Luckily, Luna obeyed my panicky commands to come back inside.
I came back outside with the camera, but by then, the snake was mostly hidden:
I went off to turn off the soaker hose for the vegetables (the reason I'd gone out in the first place), and when I came back, the snake was nowhere to be seen! Either it skedaddled out of the yard or (more likely) found a better hiding place.
As long as it keeps out of sight and away from us and the dogs, I guess that's alright. There are worse snakes to play host to than this. ;o)
