Be Thankful for the COLD

[ohwell]

I always try to see the good in everything. Just call me an optimist. This cold spell is cold enough and has lasted long enough to kill next summers fleas and ticks. Yes, there is some good in the cold.

[cadillacdude1975]

if only it would take down the damn mosquitoes and flies as well.

[Ringleman#5]

Heck, it killed the traffic through Chattanooga today. I can't remember a better Friday afternoon commute.

[ohwell]

Wasn't it wonderful ! ! ! Just think of the medication cost you will save at the vets. Just think of the beauty of frost. I really don't know Jack. But somethings I know about.

It will also kill ants.

[Police Moderator]

It will also kill ants.

But I kinda like my aunt.

[el Gusano]

Too many houses protecting ticks and fleas for it to get rid of them, unless it stays that cold for a while. We don't have fleas and ticks up here. Nor roaches.

But we do have skeeters. Big 'uns, little 'uns, and lots of 'em. (The little 'uns are the worst; they're called whitesocks, and they HURT.)

And spiders. We have plenty of those. Dang it.

[Warkitty]

Isn't the mosquito the Alaskan state bird?

[ScarlettP]

I'm thankful that we WAITED for cold weather to find another wasp nest.

We have some carpet padding and an old quilt that I stretch over the top of our home made dog house in the winter to help keep my 4 legged babies warmer. In the summer, hubby had rolled it back because they didn't need to keep the heat in and he needed a 'table' for his out door crafting. The first night the weatherman said it was going down to 17, we went out to wrap the outside facets and I unrolled our red neck dog house insulation. In the dark, I noticed it was kind of dirty, but figured it was just a year's worth of yard debris caught in the fabric. But dirty and warm beats clean and freezing for doggies. The next day, hubby found a wasp comb about the size of a bread plate inside. I'm so happy all the residents were long gone.

[el Gusano]

Jan 9, 2010 6:57:30 GMT -5 Warkitty said:

Isn't the mosquito the Alaskan state bird?

Yes. I set out a trap line for them.

[LimitedRecourse]

The cold now should also help flowers/trees produce better in the Spring.

[ohwell]

To catch mosquitoes, get frogs. Toads might do it, but I recommend frogs. OK, bull frogs. I love to listen at night at the chorus. Beautiful.

[el Gusano]

We used to have frogs here. But the skeeters got most of 'em.

[cadillacdude1975]

Jan 9, 2010 6:57:30 GMT -5 Warkitty said:

Isn't the mosquito the Alaskan state bird?

actually, it is the Alabama state bird. the Telephone pole is the Alabama state tree.

[rstewart]

I thought black flies were the state bird of Alaska?

[mikeydokey]

Willow ptarmigan Lagopus lagopus

Actually this is the state bird of Alaska, read more about it here: www.classbrain.com/artstate/publish/article_361.shtml

[ohwell]

Thank you, milkdokey, for bringing some common sense to an otherwise useless thread.

If you are a plumber, its colder than a witches t*t in a steel bra. Or colder than a welder's knee is a puddle of pis*.

[frayne56]

I hate the cold !

[el Gusano]

A baby:



All grown up:



But, the cold won't get rid of the skeeters, although it will get rid of the fleas and ticks, unless they have somewhere out of the cold to shelter. And y'all have lots of houses and pets.

[ohwell]

I don't have lots of houses, just pets. And, they don't know what a flea is.

I'm just thankful that I have an inside bathroom. I can remember trips to the OutHouse. Sears and Roebuck catalog. Sprinkle the lime. Warm up to the stove.

[JC]

Just moved into a new place Saturday.
Had the water turned on late Friday night.
Water was froze by early Saturday morning.
This morning half my driveway was covered in ice from a busted pipe.

i say he hell with all this below freezing weather!

[el Gusano]

Bury your pipes six feet deep and they won't freeze.

[mikeydokey]

I've always tried to bury my pipe as deep as possible.

[ScarlettP]

Hubby got tired of replacing the Dog's water every day. He put one of those little coffee warmers under a large stew pot full of water. Danged if that little warmer didn't keep that stuff so hot it was STEAMING! He complained that it was now to hot to put his hand in it... but the poor pups were trying to drink it. I figured it would be much like me sipping my hot coffee.

He was afraid that wasn't good for them, so he went to the store and got a 2nd heat lamp. Now the Doggy Hilton in the back yard has one heat lamp in the back they can lay under and another in the 'front' over their water bowl. It looks dreadfully red neck out there now... but how many other dogs have a heated dog house?

[Deleted]

I wonder what the little birdies drink when all the water is frozen.

[Bob]

Jan 11, 2010 7:53:19 GMT -5 @yodanbr2 said:

I wonder what the little birdies drink when all the water is frozen.

They migrate..

[Deleted]

except for the ones around my feeder, so that's why I have a bird bath warmer on order from Amazon.

[Bob]

Most of the birds that migrate, migrate TO here. There is still LOTS of water around

Birdbath warmer would attract birds that would normally just pass up your house in favor of one of the nearby creeks.

It and the feeder would, however, make a great hawk buffet...

[Deleted]

Are hawks tasty?





There's a bunch of geese at ChattState that I've been eyeing.

[ScarlettP]

Try putting out dry cat food. It seems to attract a lot of birds.

[Bob]

Hawks taste gamey, kinda like the great horned owl...
**just kidding ALL birds of prey are protected, it is a FEDERAL offense to harm one** besides why would you want to harm such a cool bird.


legally, a hawk can kill anything it wants, including your cute little dog.

or cat.