The Goat Pen

anyone know what happened to Jan Hooks (besides "she died")

Who is she?

Forget it, I thought it was somebody of local interest, not national...

Sign of the times: The guy I work with, his wife just called. Their son, who is at the local catholic school (8th grade, I think) just got caught smoking an e-cigarette in the boys room...

Jan Hooks died.

hedge wrote:Sign of the times: The guy I work with, his wife just called. Their son, who is at the local catholic school (8th grade, I think) just got caught smoking an e-cigarette in the boys room...

I know two life long smokers who quit smoking (if you want to call it that) and switched to those things. Yes, they still get the nicotine hit from it but it has noticeably improved their lives.

I tried it. Meh.

I don't even smoke and I bought a few of the disposable ones. I kinda liked em. I get my nicotine from snus, though...

Vapor is the way to go not that Blu cigarette looking things.

LOL, and love her response, too.

http://theconcourse.deadspin.com/man-te ... 1645426530

Sad day in the Rat Household. I had to buy magnifying glasses just to waste my time reading your posts. My daughter hijacked my computer the day she moved in so I'm all mobile.

So, last week my beagle started tracking something when I was on the patio smoking a cigar. For those who have trained beagles, you know they have different alerts for different things. They will be quiet when tracking a game animal, a bay when the game animal is cornered or treed, and various growls, yips, and snorts for humans they don't know, other dogs, cats...and in my beagle's case, snakes. Anyway. She had a copperhead cornered near the back fence. Got the shovel and killed it. While I was taking its pic, she alerted to another copperhead coming toward me. Killed that one too. So, I've called the yard guy and got him to clear the leaves on the back 40, and bought 10 Cahaba Snake Traps for the area near the back fence. I'm not anti-snake. Just can't have venomous ones in my yard with an elderly dog.

I wonder if they are a mating pair?

I don't think I've ever seen two copperheads at the same time. Especially one coming toward an adult (while he was beating this shit out of another with a shovel no less)

That's straight out of Riki Tiki Tavi

Yeah, I assumed mating. And the males get more aggressive when mating which would fit what happened because usually copperheads freeze or run from trouble...not come toward it.


Part of my issue is I have pecan trees in the back of the property. These things draw squirrels, voles, chipmunks, and the like. And those things bring snakes.


Anyway, the beagle has earned her kibble.

I own a few acres of wooded land behind my house. Couple of years back I was working on the edge of it, moved a log off the 'trail' and found three copperheads and a King snake. Killed the copperhead with the .40 I had and left the King.

I really like beagles but as you said, they are noisy as hell.

I didn't understand that when I had one as a pet in a suburban neighborhood. My neighbors hated it and me for having one.

I really liked that dog though, I'd put him on the stairs while I was still on the first floor to give me some time to get ahead and take off running around the house. He'd bay like crazy chasing me around the house.

My ex gave him away to a farmer while I was out of town and didn't even ask me. Ol' Wilbur. I bet he was happier on the farm though.

My beagle is only loud, really, if she trees something. No cats, dogs, or other things really come by. The voles and what not usually vamoose when she's out, too. I live in a semi rural area, though. For city folks, they can be trained out of the loudness and baying. For the snakes she makes a low-pitched growl and her hair stands straight up along her spine and she starts hopping around and zig-zagging around the snake.


And these two were the 5th and 6th copperheads I've killed in my back yard this year. There has to be a den close. If the beagle were 10 years younger I'd bring her on the other side of the fence and let her track it for me....then kill 'em all with a combo of fire, anger, and ammo.

I'd be eradicating those rodents if you have that many.

Probably a good idea. I just hate setting poison out in my woods, or buying squirrel traps. If the snake traps don't work, I guess I will this spring. I need a couple of feral cats to take up residence back there, but the beagle, I'm sure, keeps those away.

And the Cahaba Snake Traps were as expensive as hell. They're made locally, though, and the guy at the co-op recommended them.

Also, copperheads will eat grasshoppers, frogs, lizards and the like, too. Not sure killing the voles will fix the problem at this point. Would keep their numbers down, though.