Building Lake Corona

[buckeyefarmer]

Another reason not to live in the south, lol

 

[workinonit]

There IS no reason to not live in the south.

 

[bindian]

Another reason not to live in the south, lol

Yeah, but Y'all have ice snakes up there.
hugs, Brandi

 

[deezler]

ice snakes? lol

I'm currently starting to get nervous that we won't have a severe enough winter up here this year. We need some solid 0 degree nights to kill the invasive plants and bugs! You guys can keep all those poisonous critters down south.

Plus, snow is beautiful and so fun to play in. Sledding, snowmen, x-country skiing, downhill ski/snowboard, etc. I could never live somewhere without all the seasons, I love them all. The only true bummer about Michigan winters is how it's cloudy almost every day from Dec-Feb. No one likes cloudy days....

 

[jk96]

ice snakes? lol

I'm currently starting to get nervous that we won't have a severe enough winter up here this year. We need some solid 0 degree nights to kill the invasive plants and bugs! You guys can keep all those poisonous critters down south.

Plus, snow is beautiful and so fun to play in. Sledding, snowmen, x-country skiing, downhill ski/snowboard, etc. I could never live somewhere without all the seasons, I love them all. The only true bummer about Michigan winters is how it's cloudy almost every day from Dec-Feb. No one likes cloudy days....

Same here. Past mid January and no daytime temps in the teens and few 20's. Several days in the 40's and some 50's this month. 43 degrees today and 53 tomorrow and Thursday. I think the bugs will be worse than normal this year. On another note no worries on the dock suggestions. I enjoy the discussions and even those that go off topic. It's what makes this forum great. Still no plans for a dock. Just don't want the expense or maintenance of one. If this pond works out I would like to do another in an area that is visible from the house in a few years. That one would be around 3 acres and a dock would be in the works for it.

 

[s219]

Probably ten feet from the water. I mow around it and it takes two passes with a 60 inch deck. That's also where I had the closest encounter with a water moccasin!! We where cleaning up the shoreline real good for a party at the gazebo and I was trying to weed eat what was above water line. I would cut down a bunch, then pull it out with a rake and load it into the back of the Mule. I was standing in about a foot of water cutting with the weed eater and it came out from under what I had just cut and swam by my leg, just inches away!!! Makes me jittery just remembering it.

We have them around here too. Scary. Last spring my wife came and got me out of the shower because she saw one near our back deck. It was as thick as her arm and about 5-6' long. I went and got my shotgun and shot it. The detached head was still wiggling and shooting venom out of the fangs, so I shot it a second time because it was so freaky looking. My wife thought I missed the first shot and was giving me a hard time and I had to tell her, no, it just took a second shot to finish it off!! She secretly took a picture of me in t-shirt, boxer shorts, and workboots while I was holding my shotgun and I expect that to be used to blackmail me at some point (or maybe it can be my funeral photo).

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Yeah, but Y'all have ice snakes up there.
hugs, Brandi

I’ll take the ice any day, I hate snakes.

 

[bindian]

ice snakes? lol

I'm currently starting to get nervous that we won't have a severe enough winter up here this year. We need some solid 0 degree nights to kill the invasive plants and bugs! You guys can keep all those poisonous critters down south.

Plus, snow is beautiful and so fun to play in. Sledding, snowmen, x-country skiing, downhill ski/snowboard, etc. I could never live somewhere without all the seasons, I love them all. The only true bummer about Michigan winters is how it's cloudy almost every day from Dec-Feb. No one likes cloudy days....

When you sit down on the ice, they are the things that crawl up your butt and freeze you to death:laughing:.
hugs, Brandi

 

[dragoneggs]

We have them around here too. Scary. Last spring my wife came and got me out of the shower because she saw one near our back deck. It was as thick as her arm and about 5-6' long. I went and got my shotgun and shot it. The detached head was still wiggling and shooting venom out of the fangs, so I shot it a second time because it was so freaky looking. My wife thought I missed the first shot and was giving me a hard time and I had to tell her, no, it just took a second shot to finish it off!! She secretly took a picture of me in t-shirt, boxer shorts, and workboots while I was holding my shotgun and I expect that to be used to blackmail me at some point (or maybe it can be my funeral photo).

Yikes... I feel blessed to live in the PNW. Not too hot, not too cold, no big snakes and other poisoness critters. Could use a little (a lot) more sun though.

 

[pmsmechanic]

We have them around here too. Scary. Last spring my wife came and got me out of the shower because she saw one near our back deck. It was as thick as her arm and about 5-6' long. I went and got my shotgun and shot it. The detached head was still wiggling and shooting venom out of the fangs, so I shot it a second time because it was so freaky looking. My wife thought I missed the first shot and was giving me a hard time and I had to tell her, no, it just took a second shot to finish it off!! She secretly took a picture of me in t-shirt, boxer shorts, and workboots while I was holding my shotgun and I expect that to be used to blackmail me at some point (or maybe it can be my funeral photo).

Your lucky! If my wife would happen to take a picture of me in the same situation it would be ****!

 

[fried1765]

Yikes... I feel blessed to live in the PNW. Not too hot, not too cold, no big snakes and other poisoness critters. Could use a little (a lot) more sun though.

Yup ......nice temperatures, but so many days of just plain dreary.
If you can see Rainier, it is about to rain.
If you cannot see Rainier, it is already raining.

 

[jk96]

The pond continues to slowly inch up as we loose what little snow we had. Good sign as it means the bottom of the pond that penetrated the bedrock is sealed up well.

2021-01-20_09-50-27

 

[EddieWalker]

When my pond was full, I put a plastic yard stick into the ground so it was all the way in the water. When the water dropped an inch, the yardstick stuck up above the water an inch. I was able to monitor my water level this way to see if it was dropping during cool weather, and how fast it dropped during hot weather. For the first two years, I was always afraid of a leak. I knew of one area that I hit sand that might be an issue. I dug out the sand area several feet and then filled it with clay and compacted it, but I always worried that there might be another sand area just inches under the clay that I didn't know about. Eventually from watching the yard stick and comparing the water loss to the temperature, I became satisfied that all of my water loss was due to evaporation.

 

[EddieWalker]

We have them around here too. Scary. Last spring my wife came and got me out of the shower because she saw one near our back deck. It was as thick as her arm and about 5-6' long. I went and got my shotgun and shot it. The detached head was still wiggling and shooting venom out of the fangs, so I shot it a second time because it was so freaky looking. My wife thought I missed the first shot and was giving me a hard time and I had to tell her, no, it just took a second shot to finish it off!! She secretly took a picture of me in t-shirt, boxer shorts, and workboots while I was holding my shotgun and I expect that to be used to blackmail me at some point (or maybe it can be my funeral photo).

That's about as big as they get!!!!

While getting ready for my wedding, my wife's daughter mowed the grass on the dam where everyone would walk from the wedding gazebo to the reception area. The day of the wedding, while people where walking to the reception area, they came across a water moccasin that had been killed from the lawn mower. She never knew.

A few years before that, I was on the zero turn, and mowing along the top of the dam, when a water moccasin came out of the water and stopped right in front of me. At first, it just laid there, so I thought I would run it over with the mower, but then as I got closer, it curled up into a striking position, and all I could think of is it going OVER the mower deck, and being on the mower with me. I chickened out, and backed away from it until it went off into the trees!!!!!

I now carry my pistol loaded with snake shot with me while mowing.

 

[fried1765]

That's about as big as they get!!!!

While getting ready for my wedding, my wife's daughter mowed the grass on the dam where everyone would walk from the wedding gazebo to the reception area. The day of the wedding, while people where walking to the reception area, they came across a water moccasin that had been killed from the lawn mower. She never knew.

A few years before that, I was on the zero turn, and mowing along the top of the dam, when a water moccasin came out of the water and stopped right in front of me. At first, it just laid there, so I thought I would run it over with the mower, but then as I got closer, it curled up into a striking position, and all I could think of is it going OVER the mower deck, and being on the mower with me. I chickened out, and backed away from it until it went off into the trees!!!!!

I now carry my pistol loaded with snake shot with me while mowing.

Are water moccasins deadly...... like rattlers?

 

[turnkey4099]

That's about as big as they get!!!!

While getting ready for my wedding, my wife's daughter mowed the grass on the dam where everyone would walk from the wedding gazebo to the reception area. The day of the wedding, while people where walking to the reception area, they came across a water moccasin that had been killed from the lawn mower. She never knew.

A few years before that, I was on the zero turn, and mowing along the top of the dam, when a water moccasin came out of the water and stopped right in front of me. At first, it just laid there, so I thought I would run it over with the mower, but then as I got closer, it curled up into a striking position, and all I could think of is it going OVER the mower deck, and being on the mower with me. I chickened out, and backed away from it until it went off into the trees!!!!!

I now carry my pistol loaded with snake shot with me while mowing.

I had a lot of garter snakes when I first bought this place. Wife hated them...especially the one the cat brought in alive and dropped on the couch!. I took to carrying myi 22 mag revolver. Got pretty quick on the draw. Then one day I was out in the garden came on one suddenly, Draw, Blam!. Geeze right in front of me. How close was my toe to that shot!!!??? I quit carrying it after that.

 

[dodge man]

I believe they are like a rattle snake in terms of venom. In think most adults will survive a bite but they can kill.

 

[pmsmechanic]

We have rattle snakes here in southern Alberta. It's said that no one in Alberta has ever died from a bite but you do get sick from the bite. The latest medical is just to let your body clean up the venom. No antivenom. The closest I ever came to getting bit is I stepped on one in the workshop. Ya if I could have gone straight up I would have.

 

[jk96]

I had a lot of garter snakes when I first bought this place. Wife hated them...especially the one the cat brought in alive and dropped on the couch!. I took to carrying myi 22 mag revolver. Got pretty quick on the draw. Then one day I was out in the garden came on one suddenly, Draw, Blam!. Geeze right in front of me. How close was my toe to that shot!!!??? I quit carrying it after that.

Garter Snakes: The Gardener's Friend | The Old Farmer's Almanac

 

[ponytug]

I believe they are like a rattle snake in terms of venom. In think most adults will survive a bite but they can kill.

Cottonmouths are regarded as less poisonous than rattlesnakes, though they are all vipers. Cottonmouth bites are almost never fatal unless there is an allergic reaction to the venom. Still, bites are treatable with antivenin. The common rattlesnake antivenin in the US is a mix of antibodies to the venoms of three rattlesnake species, and cottonmouth.

I'm not saying I would want to get bitten by a cottonmouth...just that it is less of an issue.

If you are concerned, you can get an app for your phone, Snakebite911, that will let you know where the nearest hospital with antivenin is.

And now back to jk96 and the wonderful Lake Corona.

All the best,

Peter