Author Archives: John S. Quarterman

Snake of the week 2026-08-07

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I was watching the dogs to my left.

Then I turned to my right, and about five feet away….

[Straight snake]
Straight snake

Not all that big, 3 or 4 feet, but a well fed Crotalus horridus, timber rattlesnake. Even with the strip down the center back like a canebrake rattlesnake.

I like ’em. They eat mice and rats, and I’m allergic to those.

-jsq

PS: Have I mentioned my snake-handling club?

Every deadfall rootball is a dog digging opportunity 2026-07-12

One of the few bright points after Hurricane Helene and all the trees it blew down is that every rootball is a dog digging opportunity.

[Movie: Sky emerges; Blondie declines to go in (20M)]
Movie: Sky emerges; Blondie declines to go in (20M)

Sky went all the way under.

In this video she comes back out and shakes off dust.

Blondie declines to go in.

Here’s the video:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/875264315273243/

https://youtu.be/LSz3DcxtLQM Continue reading →

Hole drilling with tractor augur 2026-07-12

Even the tractor augur took a while to dig that deep.

[Movie: Auguring (9.3M)]
Movie: Auguring (9.3M)

The drought means dry ground, hard to dig. I never would have had the patience to dig that deep by hand.

The hole is for a six-foot 4×4, to which I then screwed the 2×6 you see lying there. The 2×6 had ironically enough rotted off at the ground. It’s a mast to hold the electric fence wire from the fence charger up above the drive path.

Here’s a video snippet.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/796414230160200/

https://youtu.be/Pyw62CiPFyM?si=wbvFs9zW1Silsl7k

-jsq

Praying Mantis 2026-07-10

Large as the span of a hand, an insect-eating insect.

They’ll also eat anything else they can catch with their stereo vision, including frogs, lizards, and small birds.

[Hand-span Mantis]
Hand-span Mantis

Gretchen likes mantises.

Blondie is paying no attention. Continue reading →

Dry cypress swamp 2026-07-09

Looking up in the middle of the cypress swamp, you might think there was no damage from Hurricane Helene.

[Looking up]
Looking up

But there was.

Also, the drought continues to make this cypress swamp crunchy dry all the way across. Continue reading →

Pipe cutting wheel 2026-07-06

I never heard of this device until a couple weeks ago.

Then I ordered one to cut the PVC pipe I broke under the edge of a house foundation, where the usual hand-squeeze knife-cutter can’t reach.

[PVC Pipe Cutter Drill Tool]
PVC Pipe Cutter Drill Tool

Worked pretty well.

Took me two tries to get deep enough to be beyond where the pipe had split.

[Split pipe]
Split pipe

-jsq

Halberdleaf Rosemallow 2026-06-22

Summer is here.

[Halberdleaf Rosemallow, Hibiscus laevis]
Halberdleaf Rosemallow, Hibiscus laevis

NC State Extension: Hibiscus laeveis: Common Name(s): Halberdleaf Hibiscus Halberdleaf Rosemallow Halberd-leaved Hibiscus Halberd-leaved Rose-mallow Scarlet Rose-mallow Smooth Rose-mallow

Halberd-leaved rose mallow is a rapidly growing perennial in the Malvaceae (mallow) family and is native to southeastern Canada and central and eastern United States. The genus name Hibiscus means mallow in Latin and Greek, and the species name laevis means smooth referring to the leaves which are hairless.

It grows to Continue reading →

Okra, tomatoes, squash, cucumber 2026-06-10

I’m afraid the few ripe tomatoes and the okra ready to eat never made it to the house. Something ate them; I can’t say what, although it was on two legs.

[Tomatoes]
Tomatoes

We’re eating yellow squash daily.

Should get cucumbers big enough to pick now that they’ve been thoroughly watered.

And the okra is starting to come in. Continue reading →