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Author Topic: Snakes in my Grow-beds!  (Read 547 times)
Johnny-Max
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« on: April 18, 2012, 06:58:39 AM »

Snakes in my Grow-beds!

I ran to the dollar store yesterday at lunch and was in luck. They had a few rubber snakes for a buck each.
I bought four to put in my garden, especially around my strawberries.
They should help keep the birds away.  Smiley
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BoatGuy
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« Reply #1 on: April 18, 2012, 11:05:42 AM »

They'll keep BoatGuys away too!
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« Reply #2 on: April 19, 2012, 09:09:39 PM »

I just have the real ones.  LOL but they love chicken eggs!
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Wagoneer
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« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2012, 11:59:19 AM »

This one was free and moved in all by himself.  I guess I will have to be careful around the wood pile.
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Johnny-Max
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« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2012, 12:17:24 PM »

Wow! He is wearing the new trendy desert camo Cry
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« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2012, 12:31:45 PM »

I figure a snake is a great sign - they're eating up all the vermin I don't even want to think about.

Once startled a big snake in the garden eating a smaller snake. Boy, was that small snake glad I cam along, because he made a break for it!

I just prefer that the snakes do their job and remain incognito. They can leave their old skins as evidence they're working.

And yes, if you're wondering -- we have venomous snakes here. The thing is to make a racket/stomp around and move slowly enough that they can vacate the area. They don't really like us, either. But I sure do like the work they do.

(But I don't have chickens, either.  Wink )
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« Reply #6 on: May 16, 2012, 02:33:37 PM »

Wow! He is wearing the new trendy desert camo Cry

This one is cooler, he has PINK desert Camo  Cry (Grand Canyon), this one was in the path to the bathroom  Shocked at Clear Creek campground.

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fritz_monroe
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« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2012, 05:26:42 PM »

Johnny, you have to move the snakes around pretty much daily.  At least that's what I had to do with the crows.  They stayed away as long as the snakes were not in the same place each day.  If I forgot a day or 2, the crows came right in.

This guy was in my garden the other year.  I was very torn on this one.  It was so cool to watch him catch and eat the toad.  But I hated that he ate one of the members of my slug patrol.
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« Reply #8 on: May 17, 2012, 07:46:13 AM »

This one was free and moved in all by himself.  I guess I will have to be careful around the wood pile.
That's a baaaaddd boy.  I've taken care of several patients in the ICU with bites from copperheads.  Gave $50,000 worth of antivenom  in one afternoon once!!
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« Reply #9 on: May 18, 2012, 05:57:29 AM »

The guy I bought the house from got popped once working in his woodpile.  It doesn't sound like a good time.  I didn't kill the snake though just moved him VERY carefully far up in the woods.  This is the second one I have seen since moving in and the neighbors say they are pretty common in the valley.  I did start closing the sunroof at night in the summer after a somewhat harrowing ride to work with a black snake that ended up on the dashboard.  I got about 15 minutes down the road and noticed that somehow the car grew a second stick shift.  He must have curled up under the dash at night to keep warm.
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Wagoneer
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« Reply #10 on: May 27, 2012, 11:56:15 PM »

They'll keep BoatGuys away too!


I hope this won't deter you from stopping in if you are in the neighborhood......

BTW need to pick your brain sometime about old wood boats, epoxy and spar varnish.
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BoatGuy
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« Reply #11 on: May 28, 2012, 12:06:06 AM »

Wagoneer, I love the old sailboats. But, I'm afraid that my expertise lies more with steel and aluminum hull crewboats and workboats in the Gulf of Mexico oil patch...

I do have a friend, Ginny Lea Filiatrault, who is a lifetime Commodore of the Seven Seas Cruising Association, that could probably give you a lot better info than I could.
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« Reply #12 on: May 28, 2012, 09:25:55 AM »

It is a 14' Mahogany runabout.  I am looking to restore it as a usable boat.  I know that the antique guys go nuts when I tell them that but I want to use it and have it last a long time with minimal maintenance.  I was wondering how to get kevlar cloth under epoxy and still be able to see the wood grain.  It would only be on the outer hull.  I have seen it done with smaller pieces like canoe paddles and I am sure it is done on bigger boats, I just don't want to muck it up because I am sure I am only going to get one shot at it.  The hull is solid with no rot.

If your friend knows something about that, that would be great!   There is an antique boat club on the Eastern Shore I can ask as well, just asking in case you knew.  It isn't on the front burner right now but will be in the works.
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BoatGuy
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« Reply #13 on: May 28, 2012, 11:46:23 AM »

I'm a big fan of West Epoxy (although it does seem to be overpriced, it also seems to last and work well). I have to say that I've never seen a clear kevlar fabric. From my past work in fiberglass, I'm thinking that the fabric would have to be pretty thin to transmit the wood grain. But, I can't say I've ever tried, either. I do think it would be easier in glass. But, I'll bet your wanting the kevlar for hull protection?
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« Reply #14 on: May 28, 2012, 06:12:46 PM »

The only reason for the kevlar is that I have seen it done in canoe paddles, I just got some more info today.  It came up in a conversation with a guy that is a woodworker (we started talking about sharpening axes and hand hewing logs, but you know how that can go...) and he put me onto a guy in Annapolis that makes kayaks and coats them with epoxy and glass.  I agree with the West system, have heard many good things about it even though it is some $$$$. 

Second question (or topic) how familiar are you with vintage Evinrude outboards??  Just kidding.....got that covered, it only has a couple hours on it and needs a regular PM.  Not bad for a '62.  I have a guy that will go over it for a case of beer.  I am not worried, his hobby is building airplanes and what I saw him do with some basket case mini-bikes was amazing.
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