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Poet deVine
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Hurricane Alley

0 posted 2004-05-13 04:29 PM


Ok...someone forgot to tell me about the wild life here in Florida..not only have I seen more lizards than I ever did in Arizona, but this morning I saw a snake on our deck! To me, it looked like it was 20 feet long (objects may appear larger in relation to the phobia factor of the viewer!). I was told it was a garter snake (what? like the garter that holds up stockings?). Ok. So it's not dangerous (but that didn't stop me from RUNNING to and from my car to get past the deck. And I will guarantee there will be ONE high jump record broken if it ever crosses MY path!

Sigh...and now THIS:


From the Naples Times and the Sun Sentinel:

quote:

State warns Floridians to watch for giant African land snails
By Associated Press
May 13, 2004
TALLAHASSEE — Agricultural officials want Floridians' help in eradicating any giant African land snails that may have invaded the state because the pest is a threat to people and plants.
The snails, which grow up to 8 inches long, have been found recently in Midwestern pet stores and schools, which did not know the animals' dangers, the Florida Department of Agriculture said Wednesday.
"We must quickly determine whether these giant African land snails are already in our state and if so, eradicate them as quickly as possible," Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson said.
The snails can carry a parasite that causes a type of meningitis that can be spread through eating the mollusks or being infected by their secretions. The snails are also known to eat at least 500 different types of plants, officials said.
It is illegal to import the snails into the United States. They are native to eastern Africa.
The species plagued Florida in the 1960s and 70s, but was eradicated in a $1 million program.

***

Abandoned Burmese pythons endangering Everglades

By David Fleshler
Staff Writer
Posted May 13 2004

As Mike Mercier walked along a boardwalk at Everglades National Park, he heard a series of loud splashes.

His wife shouted for him to look, and he saw a stunning sight: a huge snake wrapped around an adult alligator. The alligator rolled over and grabbed the snake in its mouth. As Mercier ran down the boardwalk to keep up, the alligator swam off with the snake in its jaws.


His photographs confirmed what he thought he saw: a Burmese python, a native of Southeast Asia and one of the largest snakes in the world.

Since the mid-1990s, rangers and other employees have captured or killed 67 Burmese pythons at Everglades National Park, and sightings are becoming more frequent. Illegally released by pet owners who no longer wanted to take care of them, the snakes have begun to breed along the main park road, causing deep concern among biologists who want to protect the park's wildlife.

"They're eating native birds and mammals," said Skip Snow, a park biologist in charge of reducing the python population. "They're here because of the international pet trade."

Twice in the past two years, visitors at popular boardwalks have watched as pythons battled alligators. Each time the alligator won and carried off the python in its mouth. Rangers have learned to watch for the huge snakes, and when they find one they dispatch it with a pistol shot to the head. The park has set up a python hotline for visitors to report sightings ("After the beep, briefly describe what you saw, the date and time of your observation, where you saw the snake, and how we can contact you for more details. Thank you.").

In the past five years, the United States has imported 144,563 Burmese pythons, with the largest number coming from Vietnam, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Humane Society of the United States and other animal welfare groups have called for restrictions on the trade in pythons and other reptiles, saying it endangers people and subjects animals to cruel confinement, thirst and starvation during transport. At a minimum, they say people should have to get a license to own such a dangerous animal.

"We would like to see some type of control over what people are allowed to buy as private pets," said Richard Farinato, director of the Humane Society's captive wildlife program. "We don't think there's any reason to be breeding or dealing in constrictors that can grow big enough to eat your neighbor's kid."

Competitive edge

As the home of alligators, panthers and rattlesnakes, Everglades National Park has no shortage of scary predators. What makes the Burmese python particularly scary is that it's a non-native species, which means its impact on the park's environment is unpredictable.

Arriving with growing frequency through international trade and travel, non-native plants and animals can disrupt ecosystems that evolved for thousands of years without them. While many of these species turn out to be harmless, some have crowded out native wildlife. Fire ants from South America, for example, have spread throughout the Southeastern United States, killing small animals and out-competing native ants.

Pythons are capable of killing and eating every variety of bird and mammal in the park, with the exception of full-grown panthers, Snow said. In the digestive tracts of pythons killed at the park, biologists have found the remains of gray squirrels, cotton rats, black rats, opossum, pied-billed grebes and house wrens. And in an ominous development, pythons have been seen with growing frequency at Paurotis Pond, site of a rookery of endangered wood storks.

Aside from directly killing wildlife, pythons compete with them for prey and for space. By consuming small mammals, they're taking food from the mouths of native predators such as bobcats, hawks and other snakes. And by occupying the park's holes and burrows, they're taking valuable space away from native snakes such as the endangered Eastern indigo snake.

While attacks on human beings are rare, pythons have killed people. An 8-year-old girl died in 2002 in suburban Pittsburgh after her family's pet python escaped from its cage and wrapped itself around her neck. Also that year, a Colorado man was killed when his 10-foot python coiled around his neck and chest. It took seven firefighters to unwrap the snake.

Pythons found at the park are killed. Rangers shoot them on the spot. Snow and other park workers capture them with a snake stick, which immobilizes the head, and bundle them into a Martha Stewart laundry bag (favored because it's sturdy and has lots of small air holes). They kill the snake by putting it into a confined container and pumping in carbon dioxide, a method of euthanasia approved by veterinarians.

"The animals are fascinating," Snow said. "It makes me quite angry we have to be in a position of capturing and destroying these animals."

No license needed

Anyone who wants to keep a venomous snake such as a cobra or rattlesnake must obtain a state license, which requires a home inspection of the proposed confinement area and letters from snake experts attesting to the applicant's experience with poisonous snakes. But for constrictors such as pythons and boas, no licenses are required. Anyone can walk into a store and buy a small one for as little as $30.

"You get people who really want to have the biggest snake in the world," said Ben Siegel, owner of a reptile store in Deerfield Beach. "I think a lot of it is a macho thing. It's an impressive animal to look at -- a giant snake that could eat a large deer or a pig."

Aware that many customers may not know what they're getting into, Siegel tries to steer them toward more manageable snakes such as the ball python, which grows to only 6 feet or so. Siegel said it would make sense to require a permit to own giant snakes, say those that could grow to 12 feet or longer, so long as the requirements aren't as stringent as for venomous snakes.

Marshall Meyers, executive vice president and general counsel of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, a trade group based in Washington, D.C., said the industry supports the idea of requiring a license to own a large snake. But the group opposes a ban on the trade.

"The problem with total prohibition is that you drive up interest and demand," he said. "And you can drive the trade underground."

David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4535.




© Copyright 2004 Poet deVine - All Rights Reserved
Greeneyes
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In Your Poetic Mind
1 posted 2004-05-13 07:31 PM




I thought FL was so beautiful when I lived there, HOWEVER the wild life and bugs were far too much for me.....(we looked at a house when we first got there, it had a lizard living in the kitchen, the real estate person sore it was dead, so I poked it with a stick and it jumped) my daughters screamed and I jumped....needless to say, we didnt take the house...)LOL Hope you are enjoying your time there....

~~**~~
le vent chante avec le calme doux
calme de nuit
sien beauté sur mes lèvres
~~**~~

Ron
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2 posted 2004-05-14 12:03 PM


quote:
The snails can carry a parasite that causes a type of meningitis that can be spread through eating the mollusks …

Poetic justice? I mean, if they're going to dine on slime, they should sorta expect repercussion, don't ya think? Yuck.

Sharon, I can't believe you grew up in Lawton and don't know about garter snakes. It's probably the most common snake around these parts. Completely harmless, and far less irritating than those darn bunnies.



Mysteria
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3 posted 2004-05-14 01:39 AM


Yeah sure I will be hurrying to buy that ticket to come and visit you tomorrow NOT!  First I hear they have alligators in the sewers, and then I read some lady opened her door to be greeted by one.   Then, someone tells me those little green suction-cup footed geckos, a few idiots pay up to $100 for here, run loose there, and people actually like them as they catch the bugs? What bugs?  How big are these dang bugs?  Oh, never mind I don't even want to know.

I used to love escargot until you posted this, so thank you for taking away my appetite for them for the rest of my natural life and beyond.

Oh and Sharon ~ trust me if I was on that porch with you when you met a snake, I might just have won the "gold metal" not you!    

Poet deVine
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4 posted 2004-05-14 03:45 AM


Sigh...Ron, I know garter snakes..had an encounter of the 'third kind' with one. I wasn't watching where I was going and stepped on one...I think I achieved orbit that time! (They called me Sputnik)

Sharon! There are turtles running amok here. Armadilloes that come out at night to get warm on the pavement (that means a lot of dead armadilloes in the morning!). Every body of water of any substance is required to have a sign that says 'beware of the alligators' (they even have one in front of City Hall! - maybe that's just for the politicians?) OH! and they have moles..and fire ants...and squirrels (cute ones!)..and here they have Sand Hill Cranes that are protected. They can walk wherever they want and you can't bother them. And when it's mating season they have this horrible screech that will drive an ordinary poet insane!

Other than that it's an ok place!

I love the breeze - in Phoenix the breeze was HOT and would suck the life out of you. Here, the breeze is cool and refreshing. There are CLOUDS too! Didn't see too many of those in Phoenix!

Everyone is very nice here - all the neighbors wave to each other (not that one fingered Phoenix wave!). And the bank I put my money into was so sweet, they gave me a credit card with a $25,000.00 limit! (What WERE they thinking?)

There was a pretty good storm last week, the TV said there were 'funnel' clouds and we should stay vigilant. I called my daughter at work and asked where was the safest place in the house. So I spent a little over an hour just sitting on a kitchen chair in the hallway of the house! She said either the hallway or a closet...and I wasn't ready to sit in the closet! LOL...because then I'd have to come OUT of the closet. And really? I am not into THAT kind of closet if you get my meaning. (It's almost 4 a.m. here and I can't sleep!)

I emailed everyone at my old job and they all replied (even the Director of the Department) EXCEPT my supervisor! The one person I defended while I was there. What a slap in the face! Oh well! Live and learn.

Ron? Send me your bunnies, I'll feed them to the gators....

Kit McCallum
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5 posted 2004-05-14 07:13 AM


Sharon, you've got me smilin' over here. I guess with all of the wonderful things Florida provides, you've got to take a bit of the down side as well, lol.  

My parents are down in Bonita Springs 6 months of the year, and mom's not exactly a bug or snake person either, but she's learned to live with the salamander type critters and all the little oddities over the last 10 years - she's even gotten good at swerving to miss alligators when she's driving her little golf cart at night, lol (although she ran over one's tail this past winter, rofl).

Garter snakes are no problem, we've got them here too, but those fire ants can give a nasty sting I've heard. I know dad had to deal with them a bit.  Maybe make sure you've got a good bug and reptile reference handy, so you'll know which ones you should and shouldn't worry about, lol.  

I'm glad to hear the weather's been great. It sure sounds like you're settling in, and it's good to hear your co-workers all wrote back. Maybe your supervisor is missing you, and a little overwhelmed since you've been gone? You'll probably hear from them before long too.

Take care and watch your step!

Nan
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6 posted 2004-05-14 07:33 AM


About the snails... Most of them are hermaphroditic... Watch out!!!

The snakes... Those things have no redeeming value, as far as I'm concerned.  Burmese are scary dudes too.  They grow to be 20 feet long and tend to get aggressive soon after they reach 10 ft... That'd be why they're released by disconcerted pet owners.  Snakes are inherently pretty dumb - They strike at anything that seems to be the appropriate size when they're hungry (which can be as seldom as weeks/months from one feeding to the next)... Did you hear about the couple who had one as a pet in a city apartment and let it sleep in bed with them.  Lo and behold - once the thing got hungry - guess whose butt it bit and wrapped about in the middle of the night.  The people said "But we've had him for a month, and he's been fine till now..."  The trick to save yourself in case one should ever attack you is to submerge his head in water.  The snake will have to opt for breathing over eating... I'm glad the aligators are winning...

BTW - Ron's got some ugly gray slithery thing in his back yard.  I hope the bunnies and chipmunks have scared him away by now...

Um - Sharon?.. Watch out for the scorpions...

Poet deVine
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7 posted 2004-05-16 08:39 PM


So far, no scorpions or palmetto bugs. I have seen some beautiful Egrets though. They live near the water here (there is a LOT of it, not just on the ocean). They fly around too..they are lovely to look at in flight.

There is a phenomenon here called the 'poop pickers'. We had them in Phoenix, but not nearly as many as here. Every day they walk the streets, plastic grocery bag in hand. The other hand usually is leading a dog (or two). The walk around a bit, then when their dog squats and leaves a 'gift' on someone's lawn, the 'poop picker' uses the plastic bag to pick it up. They then carry it home and deposit it in their garbage. There are very FEW fenced yards here. The dogs cannot run around free so most of them are house dogs (a few are tied up outside but not many). I vowed I wouldn't get a dog here. I can't see life as a 'poop picker'.

I almost changed my mind when I read an ad in the local paper from the Humane Society. It had a picture of a beautiful blond labrador dog. The dog's name was Ben. The ad was written as though Ben was talking. He said he was looking for a good home. He was 16 years old and had lived with his master all his life but the master just died (tears started here). He said he only has 3 legs as one was cut off because he was hit by a car (more tears by this time). He said it doesn't slow him down, he still loves to go for walks and can make someone a loyal and loving companion (at this point I started crying!). I wanted to adopt this dog! My son-in-law asked me where I'd keep it. I said I'd live in my car with him! But I knew it wouldn't be right. I'm not employed yet - living with my family...it wouldn't be good to bring Ben here.

I hope he finds a good home.

I guess it proves that there is hope for anyone who's older, is a bit less spry and has a defect. Maybe there's hope for me?


Poet deVine
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8 posted 2004-05-17 10:54 PM


Today I realized that the white birds I see flying are not all seagulls. Some of them are egrets. They look stately and elegant when at rest by a body of water (their hangout) but flying, they look like something Alfred Hitchcock would have cast in 'The Birds'. I have a 'thing' about birds. Can't stand to have them loose in the house (we've had a couple pet birds in my life time and hated when the little suckers were let loose. One bird was named Rutherford Bird Hayes.)

And this afternoon, I met my first Florida turtle. He was sitting under my car in the driveway. A few minutes later he was gone so I went out to scout out his escape route. Suddenly he was running towards me through the grassy lawn. I thought turtles were SLOW but this one must have been jet propelled! He came within a foot of me then turned and went back to the lawn. Maybe my feet smelled? I watched him zoom off on his turtle legs and wondered how he knew where to go? He couldn't possibly see over the grass so how did he know where to go? Later on, he was headed back towards the driveway. I hope he made it home so I won't have to scoop him off the street in the morning. I feel an affinity for that turtle (I named him Ninja). We both have shells and seem to be going in circles lately. I hope I don't end up smushed in the road some day.

Jeffrey Carter
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9 posted 2004-05-19 12:24 PM


Reading this post reminded me of a show on Animal Planet called "Animal Precinct." The show is about the Humane Society and it's efforts to stem cruelty to animals in Florida (I think, there's also one called "Animal Cops" that is set in Detroit, Michigan) I watch that show and I curse at the idiots that let their animals suffer from starvation, and the fools that beat their pets? I think they should be put in a cell and treated exactly the way they treated their pets! I can't stand to see anyone mistreat an animal, it pisses me off!!!
serenity blaze
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10 posted 2004-05-19 12:45 PM


"Poetic justice? I mean, if they're going to dine on slime, they should sorta expect repercussion"

*wince*

I will keep that in mind.



OW.

Sunshine
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11 posted 2004-05-19 02:42 PM



Smiling all the way
through this thread...
and waiting for the next
"sighting"!

Poet deVine
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12 posted 2004-05-20 03:06 PM


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120465,00.html


The Headline on that link is 'Boy Fights Off Alligator'....in Deltona, FL!  Seems a 12 year old boy was swimming in a lake and an alligator chomped down on his head and was going to make a snack out of him. The kid punched the alligator who gave up and swam away!

They say the boy did the right thing by making noise/thrashing around and fighting back.

So I'm going out today to get some cymbals for my knees. You know the kind that a 'one man band' would wear? I think walking near a body of water with those things on would scare away an alligator. My knees shaking would do that! Heck! My knees rubbing together would be enough to scare away even the fish! I'll have to be careful around schools though...I don't want the high school marching band to think I'm their leader....but then..THAT would be enough noise to fend off an alligator!

And the turtle that I saw the other day left a little souvenir in the driveway...a little turtle poopie. It's so cute! (sarcasm here!)

My daughter saw a bunny yesterday so I'm waiting to see it too...it's probably too afraid to come near me with my knee-cymbals clanging so loud! (I'll be dateless for a long time just so I can avoid a 'gator confrontation'. Oh well, maybe Crocodile Dundee needs a date...

Ron
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13 posted 2004-05-20 05:52 PM


Freud would probably have a field day with your cymbalism, Sharon.
ESP
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14 posted 2004-05-20 06:50 PM


Really enjoying this thread...keep updating it pleeeease!
~Liz x

"Time has told me not to ask for more, one day our ocean will find its shore" ~Nick Drake

Poet deVine
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15 posted 2004-05-20 10:05 PM




Cute Ron, very cute. I thought I was the Mistress of Pun around here!

Mysteria
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16 posted 2004-05-22 12:18 PM


Now I found it funny I have to tell you that poop pickers are actually something new to you?  You either pick poop here or you don't own a dog!  There are fines for not picking up after dogs.  Can you imagine if everyone owned a horse and took it for a walk, eweeeeee.  As for your defense mechanism against the alligators, you really think they can hear because of Peter Pan right?  I think they smell a lot better than they hear, so leave it a pork chop on your neighbour's lawn and there's your problem solved see?

After talking to you today and hearing about the humidity there, let me know when winter comes k?  I am definitely not going anywhere if you are wringing wet out of the shower as well as in it, just doesn't seem "ladylike" somehow yanno?

How big was that turtle?

Kit McCallum
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17 posted 2004-05-22 08:30 AM


LOL, loved the visual of the cymbols and a one man band show Sharon!

As for poop pickers, we call ourselves pooper scoopers up here, and like Mysteria said ... if you live in Canada and own a dog, that's what you are, lol. I can't even imagine where that's "not" the law on public property anymore.  It's no biggy, you get used to it (it just looks pretty funny when you're walking down the sidewalk in the winter with steam rising from the baggie, rofl.)

inot2B
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18 posted 2004-05-23 03:42 PM


Don't worry about the gators right now, wait till Hurricane season comes around. The storms will bring in gators and all kinds of wild animals. Remember they are just looking for a safe place to ride out the storms.
Have you moved to Florida for good or just there for a long visit? I don't get on the computer very much anymore. The last I had read about you was you were going to do some traveling.

Midnitesun
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19 posted 2004-05-24 08:36 PM


LOL, I remember the gators in Wakulla Springs...in fact, everywhere you swim in FL except bathtubs and pools will have a gator nearby, and I don't think you can really exclude the tubs and pools.
Oh, but I never saw one while swimming in the Atlantic.
Good to see you on the board again.

Poet deVine
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20 posted 2004-06-02 02:42 PM



Wanna hear something REALLY wild? I may I have my very first PAYING writing gig! The employment agency is going to set me up with this guy from a mortgage company who is dictating procedures onto a tape. He needs someone to type them up and make them readable! YEA!!!!  And it's gonna be part time so it won't interfere with my new job! Double Yea!!

Poet deVine
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21 posted 2004-06-04 01:30 AM


quote:


Waiters and waitresses at a cafe in Port St. Lucie, Fla., got a shock when a customer moseyed in on all fours and started hissing at them.

The ornery patron at Cafe Creme was a 4 1/2-foot alligator that was apparently taking refuge from the dry, scorching heat, The Palm Beach Post reported.

Waitress Valerie Fox saw the reptile behind a back counter when she went to get coffee for some diners, according to the Post.

"He was standing there and he hissed, and I just freaked out," Fox, 47, told the newspaper.

Fox said she darted outside to call 911. Cops arrived on the scene with local animal control officers, who caught the gator, transported it to the Savannas Preserve State Park and let it go, according to Port St. Lucie police.

The gator, which may have come from the St. Lucie River, was likely looking for some respite from the heat and entered the restaurant through a back door when it was ajar, the Post reported police as saying.

Though Fox told the newspaper she was trembling after coming face-to-face with the animal, others at the cafe got a laugh out of the incident. Customers who arrived at the restaurant were told to stay outside until the reptile had been hauled away.

"They wanted to come in and give the alligator chicken," Fox told the Post.

Fox said she's glad the gator was taken back to the wild.

"I think it's really great," she said. "I mean, you just can' t let him walk back out the door."




Ok folks, this restaurant is about one mile from where I live. Sigh.

serenity blaze
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22 posted 2004-06-04 01:06 PM


I'm not sure if I'd told you this story before, but me and the family had gone fishing at local park a while back. Nothing fancy, just a few cane poles for "perch jerking"--we just wanted the kids to have some fun.

I'd brought a pack of bologna to "chum" the water to increase the chances of the kids actually catching something, and while they stood on the bank, I sat on the footbridge, absentmindedly tearing off pieces and dropping them in the water below.

My brother-in-law called to me, saying, "Karen...gator!"

I wasn't falling for that old trick.

grin.

So I said, "yeah, right..."

He said later it was like a bad horror movie, as I sat dangling my legs and cooling bare feet, kicking the waters occasionally.

"Karen...REALLY--Gator!"

"Bull-sheets" I answered.

(ya'll get the idea)

then I heard that distinctive splash of tail, and yep, he (or she) must have been about seven foot from tail to snout--so I tossed the pack of bologna a bit away and this thing jumped for it---WHOOSH SNAP SPLASH--while I ran.

Once upon the bank, I sat on the trunk of an uprooted tree and I swear that gator turned to watch me, one eye following my every move.

I could have sworn I heard him thinking, "I want the lady with the bologna."

But yep, you kinda learn to live with the idea of these reptiles after awhile.

As you know, my house is built parkside near a pond, and it's not unusual this time of year to see "animal control" chasing strays through the sewers on our street.

When the rains come, it tends to wash them away from their more natural homes, and yes, when the waters recede, those sticks of driftwood quite often turn out to be a critter looking for "lunch".

Fortunately for me, though, they seem to prefer bologna.


Michael
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23 posted 2004-06-04 06:50 PM


I could have warned you about Florida, Sharon.  I saw more insects and reptiles than I ever thought could amass in a single continent there, let alone a state.  Can't be all that bad though, Linda did come from there.  

Had to smile at this thread, even though I had a rather dismal day otherwise.  Thank you.  


Michael

Ron
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24 posted 2004-06-04 10:48 PM


My wild life is considerably less dangerous than 'gators, but no less inconsiderate. That's one of my garage doors in the picture, and an example of what can happen when you leave one open a little too long around here. Obviously, I won't be closing it any time soon.  

During the day, these swallows (?) are in and out of the garage all the time, and aren't in the least bit hesitant about displaying their displeasure should I have the temerity to actually enter my garage. They don't quite dive-bomb me, but I get the feeling they'd like nothing better as they circle and swoop nervously just outside the entrance. Their aerodynamics are pretty impressive and I'm just glad birds don't have WMD.

I got in from mowing a bit late tonight, with dusk quickly slipping into night, and noticed they were already roosting. They seemed to be much less nervous, so I grabbed my digital camera out of the house and took this picture from maybe eight feet away. Surprisingly, the flash didn't seem to bother them.


Poet deVine
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25 posted 2004-06-05 10:55 PM


Ron, sorry but birds DO have WMD. It's called poop! I've been 'bombed' by a pigeon..nothing more destructive (or yucky) than getting a splat of poop on your shoulder..unless it's on your HEAD! Grrr..

I saw some interesting birds here too! There were about 6 of them in a driveway as I was making a U-turn (still learning which way is North). They were buzzards! They had some kind of animal road-kill picnic going on. So? Another reason NOT to lay out to get some sun. Some old buzzard may mistake me for road-kill! (Of course if the old buzzard drives a van and wants to take me OUT for dinner instead of HAVE me for dinner, that's different! LOL)

Ron, you know those birds are going to have more birds and they'll ALL want to nest in your garage. Might as well give in and set up an aviary. Charge admission and make some money off the little darlings.

Or you could put up a directional sign:

Capistrano - THAT way!

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26 posted 2004-06-06 12:45 PM


Ok..I was told those black birds were buzzards..turns out they're vultures!
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27 posted 2004-06-07 08:45 AM


That really does it now!   Florida is NOT on my places to visit list, regardless of Disneyland and oranges, no way, no how!
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28 posted 2004-06-07 05:14 PM


Sharon I guess that means the men in white polyester pants are all mine? or


Mysteria
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29 posted 2004-06-11 02:49 AM


Absolutely, you lucky girl!
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30 posted 2004-06-16 09:28 PM




Signs -


There are a lot of signs here that we didn't have in Phoenix.

For instance:

"Traffic Calming Area Ahead" - HUH? Calm the traffic? Is that like parting the Red Sea? Actually it's nothing more than a little jig to the left in the street..with posts in the middle of the road! I almost hit the little things...that sure didn't CALM ME!

Then there are the Round-about signs...they signal that there is a traffic circle ahead..If you've ever been to England you'll know what these things are...and they have them in New England too...they're probably everywhere and I just never encountered one...

Anyway...there is no traffic light..the four corners of traffic face a circle and you get in one lane and have to 'shoot' out onto the right street. There's one that is called 'Confusion Circle'...I tell you I get in there and get so nervous that I'm going around and around, too scared to get out! I'm afraid I'll run out of gas and get stuck there...I've had to go around the block a couple of times to finally get on the right street. I've mastered the one coming into this suburb...but the others freak me out!

Another sign: 'Beware of Alligator'...they have to post these at every body of water no matter how small (but really, should my daughter have one near the toilet???). Anyway, I went to City Hall today and they have this pond out front with a fountain. And sure enough, there was the 'Beware of Alligator' sign. Now this is ONE time when I think it's appropriate. In fact I think every government (local, county, state and federal) should have a pond with an alligator in it. Then if the politican is doing a bad job..just run him out to the pond and let Justice Gator take over!!!

Some signs are logical...the hospital is on (you guessed it) "Hospital Ave."

The high school is on (ta da!) "High School Ave".

I kid you NOT....they sure weren't very creative when they mapped out this town..

Then finally, today I saw the sign that said "Slow Speed Bumps"....well DUH! How fast can they BE????

Mysteria
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31 posted 2004-06-16 09:38 PM


Oh I am sure there will soon be Devine Way in your honor.  Get Nan to tell you sometime the other time I was quiet.  Yup a round about thingeemajig, can't remember where exactly.  It scared the bejillies out of me, first time I ever saw one, so was actually speechless, and as you know, that does not happen often.

Keep those cards and letters coming - and now that I know they have "Watch For Alligator" signs that sure calmed my nerves about visiting you down there, NOT!

Seesh I got out of here and couldn't find my way back in to this thread, LOL - my ten minutes better not be up? I hate having a time limit to show how stupid I can be.  

Anywhoooo, here is a sample of a "calming section" for those that don't know what they are, (we have them here now too in some areas) so dumb too, we drive over them or short-cut them.  Think of a round-about as one of these that goes in a circle with "millions" of cars coming at it at the same time, trying to get on and off it -
     Scary, you bet it is!

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32 posted 2004-06-16 09:45 PM


I bought a placque today..for my bathroom..if I ever get a job and buy a place to live..

it's an outhouse and it says:

Essential to any homestead, this charming 'Privy' is centrally located with easy access to the main quarters.

LOL


I also bought 3 HUGE pencils...about 2 inches in diameter and a foot long....to hang on my office wall...if I ever get an office wall that is..

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33 posted 2004-06-16 10:01 PM




Try this:


http://216.234.165.87/stuart_downtown.htm



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34 posted 2004-07-15 09:32 PM


Wow...it's been a month since the last post here so I guess I should update it.

There was a tiger on the loose in Loxahatchee...south of where I live. It belonged to an ex-Tarzan star..never heard of him as Johnny Weismuller was and always will be THE Tarzan I love.

Well...it got loose and the Fish and Game dept. freaked out. The day after it walked away from it's home, 2 deputies with the F/G dept saw it and though they had tranquilizer guns, they said it lunged at them and so they shot it dead. The tiger's name was Bobo...now come on...can anything with such a cute name be threatening?

In a side note, I am now gainfully (as much as Florida's low wages can allow) employeed. Yea! And with a VERY secure employer. I work in a building with 90 people...and only 10 of us are women. I'm LOVING it...my boss is so darn good looking I could lick his shoelaces!!!! Sigh....

Ok...Now it's time for me to find a place of my own. And get my own computer connection..and be able to really settle here.

I was thinking of buying a huge 5 bedroom house...asking for donations for a MAJOR down payment and then those that kick in will be able to come and stay here anytime they want as they 'bought' a time-shared room in a great house!!! And I'd do all the cooking and stuff...(and point out all the wildlife and wild life..LOL). Oh well..maybe not so good an idea...


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35 posted 2004-07-15 10:23 PM


No kidding!  You don't cook!     Some bed and breakfast that would be.
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36 posted 2004-07-18 08:38 AM


quote:

PORT ORANGE, Florida (AP) -- A man hit his girlfriend with a 3-foot alligator and threw beer bottles at her during an argument in the couple's mobile home, authorities said.

David Havenner, 41, was ordered held without bond Saturday on misdemeanor charges of battery and possession of an alligator.

The alligator, which Havenner had been keeping in his bathtub, was turned over to Florida wildlife officials.

Nancy Monico, 39, told investigators that Havenner beat her with his fists, then grabbed the alligator and swung it at her as she tried to escape, sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said. She said the animal hit her at least once. She also told authorities that Havenner threw empty beer bottles at her, Davidson said.

Havenner's version of the story differed. He told investigators that Monico bit his hand because she was upset that they had run out of alcohol.




Now an alligator is a weapon? What next? Pummeled by a pup? Cracked by a cat? Decked by a duck?

Sigh...

Well, we've had some rain here so the many small bodies of water are filling up - guess that means the gators will be happy.

I went to the restaurant where they found that 4 foot alligator and the waitress said the few days after the article, they were swamped (no pun intended) with people asking questions. I guess that could be termed a marketing bonanza. Maybe more businesses should use this idea. Catch a gator and let him loose in the office. News coverage will be great and customers will flock in to see the place where the gator got caught. Hmm...wonder if it would work for getting a date? Maybe I could find a gator in my car, get the story on the news and find a date amongst all the people who contact me. Sigh...nah...no time for a relationship right now. Too busy trying to come up with marketing ideas....hmmm..

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