Depressive heat
June 10, 2011
I don't know about the rest of you, but when the mercury is predicted to hit at or near 100 for consecutive days, I get depressed. I always hope that by checking the forums I'll get some degree of relief. I know that if I was in colorado, Utah or the Sierras and Cascades I could still be skiing. But, truth be told, I'm not, can't afford to and hate the heat. What do the rest of you do to avoid this feeling of the hopelessness of hell on earth, knowing relief is still six months away? It's to the point that cold brews only help but so much...
Kim, you need to head to the hills. I was up at DCL last night and it was in the 50's. I almost had to put my sweatshirt on to stay warm.
Looking forward to the Ride@Five on Thursday.
You want depressing, try living near the swamp of DC. At least you live in the foothills away from the city heat island and air pollution.
I'm less worried about depression than dehydration. I've been pretty active outside the past few weeks and I've had a hard time staying hydrated. Only so much water you can drink.
Mtn biking on the trails. Typically I ride 60-90 minutes per day and take it easier on hot days. Being retired I enjoy a nap after my ride & shower. The trails like the cross county (Fairfax) follow stream valleys and are deeply shaded. Angulation and upper/lower body separation are much like skiing. With a little imagination you can still enjoy that lovely feeling.
I just paid the neighbor kid for mowing my lawn and as we were standing by my front door talking, we saw a snake about 5 feet long. It was very dark but had a faint diamond pattern. It was also not afraid of us which worried me. No rattles and very thin, no more than 2" in diameter and maybe less. I have seen rattlesnakes and copperheads many times and they are much thicker bodied and I've never seen one so long.
Any snake experts out there? It went into my flower beds that line the front walk. Should I be worried, or do anything to get rid of it?
Black Ratsnakes often retain some of their juvie pattern as an adult. My call would be that species. Completely harmless. (:^O)>>>
The other species that comes to mind is the Eastern Kingsnake. They are black with a white chain-link pattern. Also completely harmless and will eat other snakes including Copperheads.
It's to the point that cold brews only help but so much...
You really need to develop a summertime G&T habit. Hops can only go so far...
The other species that comes to mind is the Eastern Kingsnake. They are black with a white chain-link pattern.
^this.
The other species that comes to mind is the Eastern Kingsnake. They are black with a white chain-link pattern. Also completely harmless and will eat other snakes including Copperheads.
And eastern king snakes tend to be thinner as adults than the heavy-bodied black rat snakes.
Woody
Thanks folks. It almost certainly was an Eastern Kingsnake, long and thin with a faint white chainlink pattern. I did some googling and found pictures and narrative. The advice was let it be, it's harmless to humans and will keep mice away. We have had occasional problems with mice in the past. One comment said, if you feel you must get rid of it, put some mice in your neighbor's yard.
I am not a herpetologist by profession, but I play one on the internet. (:^O)>>>
I am not a herpetologist by profession, but I play one on the internet. (:^O)>>>
Tougher to get bit that way.
Trust me John, I've been bitten by non-venomous snakes 10 times more than the number of ski runs you made this past winter. Both in my own collection and from 40 years in the field collecting. (:^O)>>>
A monster indeed. And like you said, most of the ones I have seen were in the 2-3 foot range but then again, these guys live upwards of 20-25 years and they keep growing albiet at a much slower rate. As the bell curve shows, a very small percentage of the population will be unusually large or small. How many Shaqs are running around these days? And what about the WeeMan from Jackass fame? Still a pretty cool find. (:^O)>>>
