spring?

Apparently spring is really here.
I was walking Mattie, the naughty Jack Russell terrier. She was sniffing around at something near a cluster of pine trees. Out slithered an 18 inch garter snake. (*see photo I took with my camera phone)
Mattie acts like little miss tough guy at first barking like mad. She then runs behind me when she realizes that "it" is now moving towards her.
My cousin reported to me she found a couple of ticks on her clothes, as well as on her dogs and even on her shower curtain.The ticks are out in full force now.
I just knocked down the beginning makings of two hornets nests on the south side of my house. Those little bastards built those nests really fast. At 7:00am there were no nests but by 10:00am two nests were forming into  honeycombed paper hives.
My husband has been sneezing like mad. He suffers from seasonal allergies.The rubbish bin is filling up with used tissues.
My birds have been fighting like mad. They also have been tearing up paper trying to make nests. I caught "Patches" in the lutinos (yellow cockatiels) cages. He was making a racket screaming and ripping up newspaper. I reached in to get him out .He bit me really hard and lunged for my face.He meant serious business. The odd part is that none of the females are interested in his advances. I got him out of there because he was attacking all the other birds in order to claim territory in that cage.
The day-light is changing as well. I find myself cringing from mid-line light triggering "summer" migraines.(Winter and summer migraines are a little different)
Don't get me wrong. I prefer summer over winter anytime. I feel like a flower emerging from the soil reaching upwards welcoming the sun. But like the flower, I have to be careful to make sure I get enough water, shade and to make sure insect pests don't take over.