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Wednesday, April 3, 2024

THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Well, sometimes it's a mixed bag...

THE GOOD:

Finally seeing some wildflowers this season, this is across the street from the farm.  2nd Man said he wants us to designate some wildflower areas in the future because it's just SO pretty!

THE BAD:

'Tis the season for a snakeskin in the middle of the bedroom floor.  Sigh.  I looked around and didn't see anything but honestly, I didn't look TOO hard because, well, who wants to come face to face with a snake in their house?  Not this heart patient!


THE UGLY:

More wild/feral hog damage!  They are staying more toward the front of the property, so it's a few acres away from the house and orchard/front yard.  2nd Family's dogs bark when they see something in our front yard so hopefully that is keeping the hogs elsewhere.  However, I do have to admit, I was a little nervous mowing the trails because I wasn't sure if I'd round a bend and come face to face with a family of them...they can be very aggressive.

13 comments:

  1. Snake-shed in the bedroom? Yet another reason to build a completely new house!

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  2. The wild flowers are beautiful! Maybe plan for multiple beds at the farm!
    Snake sheds inside the house! 🤦 No way!
    Do you two guys like a pig roast? Hint! Hint! Do you think the Zen machine could either outrun a pig or take one out? BBQ time! 😋

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  3. A snake skin shed in the house is a good reason for me to move. And feral hogs, while there are people who do kill and eat them, there are just too many pathogens carried by them to make me want to eat any.

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  4. Oh, and a snake skin shed in the house indicates that they may be living under the house. Check the perimeter of the house to make sure there are no indications of them. They do establish "dens" for breeding under older farm buildings and can pose a significant risk. How far away is your nearest medical facility that stocks anti-venom?

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  5. I don't like snakes but thankfully there are no around here

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  6. I suppose you do need a new house!!
    The flowers are beautiful. My 94-yr-old neighbor bought and sowed seeds in a triangular area as she was on a corner and the driveway made the third leg of the triangle. She showed me how to do it. She opened the packet and strewed them out. Then, she took the next package and did the same thing, but overlapping just a bit. She went on this way until the resulting flowers were not in straight rows like the ones in the picture filling out the row. One row might start with one flower sown and then in the same row another flower. It was like a painting. Somewhere I have a picture of that flower garden with her in it, beaming.
    Take measures to rid your place of those hogs. They are dangerous and destructive

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  7. Hogs are out more at night and early morning. My son goes to the farm early morning to shot them and they stay away a day or two. We live in a farming area with some really needy families, they are always happy to get the hogs, not the best meat but if you know how to cook it, it is ok. My daughter can cook up a nice roast from the meat and grind the rest into sausage. I think the sound of your mower would scare them away, just go slow around bends on the trail.

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  8. Love seeing the fields of the wild flowers. Now that the bluebonnets and other wild flowers are in bloom; some are concerned about their wild flower fields being trampled on when the solar eclipse comes Monday.
    May need to mount a loud diesel horn on your Zen machine and blow your it before going around a bend. May need to check into companies that take care of feral hogs or check into what is called; 'Wild hog Scram'; ( a Granular repellent that you can put out on your yard.) Don't know if it will help or not.)
    Thank goodness We don't have to deal with snakes or hogs here.

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  9. Beautiful wildflowers! You can easily plant wildflowers at the Farm with seeds. When they come up the next year, you’ll need to hold off on mowing them until after they have seeded out. So it needs to be an area that you can tolerate not mowing until the seed-out.
    Snakes like to find a safe, quiet area to shed their skin. After they have shed, they move out of the building. They can get in through pretty small openings.
    Feral hogs are most active at night. When y’all move out there permanently, all the activity around your house will help to keep them away from your house, although they will still probably visit the more remote acreage. It would be a good idea to install a couple of security lights around the house.
    Before I moved to town, I lived out in the country for over 20 years. So I learned about the wildlife out there.

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  10. In a rental house in Italy we kept hearing quiet music, especially at night when things quieted down. Turns out there was a small natural cave ... maybe 3' x 3' and wild hogs like to go in there so they played a radio to keep them away ... we weren't there long enough to know if it really worked!!

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  11. Eek! on the snake shed in the house, especially the bedroom. I'd not be able to sleep in it. And UGH on the hogs. As long as you are mowing during the day, you shouldn't run into any. And even they were there, they'd most likely move farther into the long grass when they hear the mower coming. They save their aggression for protecting their young or themselves if they are cornered and can't get away.

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  12. I would get some at that foam stuff that plugs up every little nook and cranny under your house! Start with the plumbing pipes and go from there. Next, get a product called Snake Away or Snake Stopper and cover the perimeter of the house. I particularly like Snake Stopper. It's a more natural product and is safer for the environment. - Last summer I opened my front door and a snake was there trying to come in my house. I accidentally had shoes on that day and stomped it to death. At the time I didn't know that it was good snake, nor did I care, but I felt bad about it later. It was King snake. I had not seen one or even knew they were still around since I was kid. Anyway, I have a perimeter around my house and my perimeter says don't tread on me.

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  13. Oh! Those wildflowers are so pretty! I think you should seed a lot of your grass area with wilflowers! Less mowing, and it would attract bees & pollinators to your garden. You could always mow a walking path through it. :D

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