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Yeah, that would have been insane. The Big Easy is what...8' (maximum) below sea level? And many areas 6.5' below sea level with the highest elevations ~20' above sea level. This thing is basically stalling out right at the coast. It's going to be a nightmare...argh.
About the only snakes that we caught when we were kids, were the green grass and garter snakes. Had a Garter snake get loose in the garage once, dear 'ol mom wasn't too pleased about that. Never did see him again. We spotted a blue racer once down by a creek, nosed a little closer to have a look, and he came after us. we ran about 50' then climbed a 8' tall fence to get away. That damn thing kept pace with us. Fast. Chris, I think that the pygmy rattler that you mentioned, is a Massasagua, which usually go from 18" up to 3' in length. Never seen one, but a golden Retriever got bit by one at the Muskegon State Park about 30 years ago, and died. My understanding is that they are not much of a threat to humans, as their fangs a very short, and not long enough to inject venom efficiently. Coldwater, Mi. is supposed to be a hot spot for them.
Well, My guys got the roof on the boat House just in time. Not gonna be alot of hammering for a few days while Sally comes through
Mike, Do you know where John is for round 2 of hurricane season
My Uncle [ who recently passed away] always said How lucky we are when it comes to weather. No hurricanes.very few wild fires just an occasional tornado
I'm sure most of you have read about the amazing growth in Florida with people fleeing troubled cities. I wonder how many of them have ever experienced a hurricane
Dan - I've seen a fair number of Massasauga while residing in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. They'd have no problem digging their fangs into you. I never saw a Pygmy until this spring in the LH ditch on Hole #1 of our golf course. I hit an errant tee shot into that ditch. The grass was barely coming in yet (it was spring). I'm always cautiously aware of where I step and place my hands. While attempting to find my ball I can barely see just a little movement from the corner of my eye. Upon closer examination I bent over to watch this little dude barely scurry away further along the ditch. It wasn't very warm and I suspect he hadn't reached an optimal body temperature quite yet - moving pretty slowly. When I got home, I looked it up and sure enough it was a Pygmy - the first one I'd ever seen. I kept double-checking to convince myself and sure enough we're at the edge of their range along the coast here and numerous sources have identified having found them. It was ~1.5' long. Time to find another one - tee time this morning is 8:36am.
James - Do they have paper and shingles on the roof or just the underlayment? Looking forward to seeing the final product.
Chris, I think that the pygmy rattler that you mentioned, is a Massasagua, which usually go from 18" up to 3' in length. Never seen one, but a golden Retriever got bit by one at the Muskegon State Park about 30 years ago, and died. My understanding is that they are not much of a threat to humans, as their fangs a very short, and not long enough to inject venom efficiently. Coldwater, Mi. is supposed to be a hot spot for them.
Dan - Now that you say the name Massasagua, I think you are absolutely correct. Like I said before, I've never seen one either, and I spent a lot of time in the woods and fields hunting. I believe what you're saying about Coldwater, I had cousins that lived in Marshall only about 15-minutes from there that saw a couple. My Uncle even caught a small one and had a DNR officer identify it just to make sure it really was a rattlesnake. Thanks for bringing the real name back into my memory banks!
Good morning all - My thoughts and prayers go out to all of you who have loved ones in the Gulf and in the path of hurricane Sally.
I just got back from running my oldest grandson to his virtual learning center this morning because my daughter had a work conflict. He has regular school two days a week and virtual learning 2 days a week. What a cluster! I feel sorry for the kids and the parents!
It's our oldest Bulldog Monty's birthday today, he's 4. He will be spoiled all day (pretty much like everyday) with new toys and treats. Hope everybody has a great day!
Norm, The only thing worse than a shingle roof is a built up one
I'm a metal roof guy, set it and forget it
The guys who re poured my parents front steps said they killed some pygmy rattlers, when they demoed the old ones. I remember seeing little dead snakes but was too you to know if they were telling the truth.
Looks like I was only partially right on the Massasagua, the short fangs part, otherwise as stated here by Michigan's DNR site. Potent venom, just not as potent apparently as other U.S. rattlers. "These rattlesnakes avoid confrontation with humans; they are not prone to strike - preferring to leave the area when they are threatened. Like any animal though, these snakes will protect themselves from anything they see as a potential predator. Their short fangs can easily puncture skin and they do possess a potent venom. It is best to treat them with respect and leave them alone. The few bites that occur to humans often result from attempts to handle or kill the snakes. Any bite from a massasauga should receive prompt professional medical attention. When compared to other rattlesnakes found in the United States, the massasauga is the smallest and has the least toxic venom". Another article from WXYZ in Detroit last year, indicated that there have not been any fatalities from one in 50 years. I would assume that they were referring to Michigan.
Last edited by 1969w3155; September 16th, 2020 at 12:33 PM.
Remember when I said that I lost my edit button on here a while back, well, on Firefox, that is the case, but I just came back on here using Chrome, and the "edit, Quote, Multi quote, and quick reply" tabs are all there. Go figure.
Remember when I said that I lost my edit button on here a while back, well, on Firefox, that is the case, but I just came back on here using Chrome, and the "edit, Quote, Multi quote, and quick reply" tabs are all there. Go figure.
That's peculiar, Dan. I'm going to guess on this, but you will catch my drift. Have you ever, like I have, hit the Ctrl, or the Alt, or the Shift by accident while attempting some other 'function' on the keyboard? You could have hit any key to be honest, then all of a sudden screen font is completely messed up, or the screen is sized incorrectly or whatever. At some point you can generally figure out what it was that happened but other times it's baffling and you can't figure it out. There's a chance something like that happened.
Uninstall your Chrome Browser and then reinstall Chrome. There's a chance you may have hit a key combination much like creating a Macro or removing a Macro or some mysterious key combination from the Pleistocene era.
Well, I have those functions on Chrome, but not Firefox, which is what I use most of the time. I decided to check using Chrome just for the heck of it, and it's there. I may have to reboot Firefox. the way that I fat finger, or hit the wrong key while typing, it wouldn't surprise me if that's what happened.
Oh heck, I read your post incorrectly. I meant Firefox when I said Chrome, sorry about that. But, you got the idea. If rebooting doesn't address the fix, uninstall Firefox and reinstall the latest version. GL
The family is doing okay in Florida, though they are all without power. And my Mom says the tap just barely trickles. The wind is dying down and no one is in the way of storm surge. I guess the whole place is a mess and the downtown is under water. I was going to go there tomorrow but with no water and no power Mom doesn't need two extra bodies taking up resources. If she needs anything immediate my sister is there and my niece is there. I think they're all crazy for staying in any hurricane, but this is the second time they lucked out. There'll be no getting them out now for anything.
Rain here most of the day but it isn't raining now. I'm sure it will come back. Its cool, not even 70. Looks like it will warm up a little this weekend with some sunshine.
Jamesbo I haven't heard from John for awhile. The last hurricane that went through I emailed him and said if he needed some extra hands I'd run down there but I never heard back. This one really shouldn't affect him other than some rain. I may give him a call.
Work wasn't too bad today. We finished up a little after 12 and my workwith asked the lead if he needed to see our faces after break, the leading catching his drift and said no. So the two of us left at 1. Nice to get out a little early and the rest of the crew didn't even know it.
Okay dinner then bed. I haven't been sleeping well the last few nights, I'd love for that trend to reverse. Hope everyone had a good Hump Day.
Dan - It certainly looks like what I thought I was told was a Massasauga while residing in the Ozarks, but I'm second guessing myself at this point. These snakes (both Massasauga & Pygmy) both belong to the same genus: Sistrurus - which makes identification extremely difficult. There exists three extant species of the genus Sistrurus: Pygmy, Massasauga, & Mexican Pygmy. There exists three subspecies of Massasauga: Prairie, Western & Eastern; and, three subspecies of Pygmy: Carolina Pygmy, Dusky Pygmy & Western Pygmy. In many of these species their ranges overlap significantly and in some there remain isolated pockets. At this point, I believe I'm not 100% certain the snakes I encountered which I was told were Massasaugas were actually Massasaugas. I'm just drawing a blank, honestly. When I review maps, the far Western edge of Arkansas (essentially the Ozarks) was once thought to be the extent of the Eastern Massasauga, but then others state it's the Eastern edge of the Western Massasauga, others stating what was once the Eastern Massasauga is really the Western Massasauga - so my mind is at this point twirling about trying to believe what I thought were Massasaugas some 30 years ago may in fact have been Pygmy rattlers? I usually try to be pretty specific about details of animals, but the entire Sistrurus genus is very, very confusing & difficult a nightmare to unravel for me. I am not certain if they were Massasaugas at this point, they could have been Pygmies. I do know the one I saw on Hole #1 was the Carolina Pygmy rattlesnake which I thought was the first Pygmy I'd ever seen - I'm calling it a crap shoot regarding my previous Massasaugas at this point.
Mike - Glad to hear the family is OK and weathering the effects of Sally - no power, but that's only an inconvenience. I'm going to start surfing for hurricane Sally reports after some dinner. I know a portion of the Pensacola Bridge has collapsed.
While searching for hurricane Sally news I have further deepened my disdain & hatred for news reporting in the U.S.A. - nothing new really, I've always hated the pitiful display of money mongers pillaging from the masses in their feeble attempts to report anything noteworthy of news. Nothing more than sensationalism.
Mike - Glad to hear the family is OK and weathering the effects of Sally - no power, but that's only an inconvenience. I'm going to start surfing for hurricane Sally reports after some dinner. I know a portion of the Pensacola Bridge has collapsed.
Mike - I'm piling on Norm's message to say I'm glad your family is ok!
Our Bulldog Monty had a big birthday with 3 new *****, 2 different nylabone chews, a big jar of Turkey Jerky dog treats, and a huge burger, cheese, and egg pattie as his birthday cake. What a life he has!
Got a big ride planned for Saturday if the weather holds. Right now it's supposed to be sunny with a high of 74, and essentially zero chance of rain. Going to ride all the way down to Mammoth Spring, AK to Shorty's Rib Shack (pic), which many claim has the best ribs in Arkansas. Long ride, 415-miles roundtrip, and will bring home.two sides of ribs for dinner. I rode down there once last year. They're the dry rub type of ribs, and the best I've ever had. Hope everyone has a great evening!
Last edited by Dream67Olds442; September 16th, 2020 at 04:45 PM.
Yep, AR, Alaska would be a helluva ride wouldn't it! That's an idea though, I'd love to try to make that ride if I had one of those Adventure type bikes!
North Carolinians are known for their vinegar-based pig pick'ns which I'll admit are delicious. There was only one place up North growing up which served a vinegar-based Southern style BBQ sandwich (Morris' BBQ), with cole slaw. Absolutely delicious. Our family and nearly all friends were raised on ketchup/tomato-based BBQ - which I also enjoy. The majority of which were always pork. But, after having resided in Oklahoma for 5 years, numerous friends in Texas, I became a super big fan of beef BBQ - especially the dry rub. In any case, you're making me hungry.
Quite a few BBQ places I know in southern Missouri put vinegar based slaw on their pulled pork sandwiches. Pretty darn good too! Ten Thousand dollar question, which do you like better, vinegar based or mayonnaise based slaw. My wife makes a vinegar poppy seed slaw that is absolutely killer. Are you on the way to the BBQ joint yet???
Meat lasagna is coming out of the oven in about 10 minutes.
If the slaw is going on a vinegar-based BBQ sammeech, it's going to be dry. Any other slaw when served stand-alone, I don't have a preference. I'd do well with a vinegar poppy seed slaw.
I think they're all crazy for staying in any hurricane
My Mom and Dad bought their first house in 1959 and didn't evacuate for any hurricanes until Rita in 2005. We rode out all kinds of hurricanes and tropical storms. Was hard to tell the difference between most of them. House never got any damage and never flooded, and it was on a bayou. Come to think of it, my Mom and her family didn't evacuate for any hurricanes when she was growing up, either, and they lived in the boonies out in rice field country that's flat as can be at single digit elevation. But back then losing electricity wouldn't affect them as they had only one light in the kitchen and no electric appliances.
Last edited by Fun71; September 16th, 2020 at 07:30 PM.
My Mom and Dad bought their first house in 1959 and didn't evacuate for any hurricanes until Rita in 2005. House never got any damage and never flooded, and it was on a bayou. Come to think of it, my Mom and her family didn't evacuate for any hurricanes when she was growing up, either, and they lived in the boonies out in rice field country that's flat as can be at single digit elevation. But back then losing electricity wouldn't affect them as they had only one light in the kitchen and no electric appliances.
True Grit is what they were. Tough to find many these days but they're out there telling us stories of their hardships and misfortunes - much to be learned from them. Is that where you learned to ride bare-back on alligators?
My Mom comes from a family of 14 - most of them swine & dairy farmers. It was so peculiar as a child growing up when we'd visit each of the farms. I remember having to learn how to use their phones - one ring for the barn, two rings for the house, click the receiver holder once to transfer, twice for the operator.
You guys are making me hungry. I'm gonna cook up a BIG pot of Brunswick stew [chicken and pork] The secret ingredient IMHO is Shoe peg corn
The I'm gonna fry up sum hoe cakes
You guys are making me hungry. I'm gonna cook up a BIG pot of Brunswick stew [chicken and pork] The secret ingredient IMHO is Shoe peg corn
The I'm gonna fry up sum hoe cakes
Have a great day Olds friends
Good morning Olds friends,
OK James - I'm going to bite on this one and ask, what the heck is a "hoe cake"?
September 15th, 2020, 06:31 PM
