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Life in the Big Thicket

Started by tcsmpsi, September 25, 2006, 12:37:26 PM

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tcsmpsi

One of the projects on this year's agenda required changing the tractor from log mover/loader to power shovel.  In this part of the country, rain, Real Rain, is always a distinct possibility.

Since the year is in the wane, it was as dry as I figured it was going to get and other projects abound, I took the running leap at the pond project. 







After class Sat., I had a little daylight left, dug in intermittent light rain, got it about as good as it was going to get with grandiose promise of rain to come.  And come, it did.  Had a sure enough frog-strangler come in Sat. nite and filled it complete, as it is the catch-pocket for two watersheds. 

So, a couple small things, and I can go back to milling for just a short spell.   ;D
\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

bitternut

Tcsmpsi...........those sides look awful steep. Must be they don't have any slope requirements for ponds in your area. Ours are required to have a 3:1 slope in case someone falls in and can't swim. Probably saves a lot of lives.........children especially since water is like a magnet to them. Will the pond be stocked with fish and hold water all year? Whats it look like full of water? We like pictures. Always wanted a pond, someday maybe I will have to get one built.

tcsmpsi

bitternut

Down here in the Thicket, we still enjoy some Private Property application, though paying The Man (or Woman) ownership tax is becoming notably more burdensome.  And, certainly, there are those continually wanting more and more regulation.   But, presently, I am not constrained to my own digging, providing I do not adversely affect the property of another.

It is a bit deep and steep in places, though some of that will 'round off' in time, knowingly and intentionally.  ;D

Through much intensive labor on my own part, the entire property is fenced,  with conspicuous, personalized WARNING KEEP OUT (Shooting Range) signs placed about every 75' around the perimeter.  As well as personal encounters with those who have tresspassed with lasting impressions to relate to others who may entertain similar behavior.  Having been given effective notice not to enter the property, brings the necessary element of criminal tresspass to those uninvited persons who may venture in.  Any of my own who are or who might be invited in, are never left unattended or unleashed.  Or who, as many have who live in this part of the world, were thrown unattended into a large deep body of water as a very small child to see if they would make it or not.   ;D


The 'pond' is a multifunctional application, serving as an erosion control, watering hole for critters around the area (including my own), log holding tank from time to time,  and of course as the natural aspect of the design of the property would determine.

It is actually a rebuild/remodel of what I dug many years ago. 
\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

D._Frederick

One thing that gets under my hide is seeing people with deep pockets picking up a piece of country property, then putting keep-out signs on every other fence post. I wonder if they think that they are going to take thier piece of  property along to the grave yard?

Radar67

They may not be able to take it with them, but as long as they own it, they can do whatever they want with it, regardless of how deep or shallow their pockets are. Just my 2 cents.

Stew
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

tcsmpsi

Well, it is certain that I surely don't have any deep pockets.  Took me 20 yrs to pay for the property.  I have taken very good care of it as a measure of equality with Life.
It is my responsibility.  I've had my share of vandalism. 

I do operate a Texas Department of Public Safety shooting range on the property, and have, in the past, had folks meander on the property during qualifications. 

It is all a matter of responsibility. 

I have no idea what folks with deep pockets might do, or might think.

Since I, personally, have no inclination to wind up in a grave (natural 'rot' giving back what I can, as I can), I wouldn't know about taking anything.   ;D

Now, if folks would all behave themselves and use just a smidgen of common sense, I wouldn't mind at all them venturing on and off the property.

Folks these days also have a tendency to want to sue a fellow (and certainly, a state) over every little stumped toe (or spilt coffee).

Ultimately, it becomes a matter of stewardship. 

One of the bottom lines, is that I am also looking out for other's best interests.  My darlin' little blonde headed female partner, is not nearly so...diplomatic as am I.   ;)
\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

UNCLEBUCK

Thats a great looking pond tc , looks like it will be a great place when its done !
UNCLEBUCK    bridge burner/bridge mender

Stephen1

Nice pond,  I like being able to what i want on my own property.
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Don K

my .02. tcsmpsi, it's sad that a man has to fence and post his property, but I have found that it all boils down to respect which in my opinion is severely lacking these days. Probably half of my generation ( I am 42) ain't got it and with each new generation it is getting worse (apples don't fall far from the tree). If I had much of my own property and I do live in the country, I would probably fence it too. Enjoy what you got and continue to be a good steward of the land.  :)
Lucky to own a WM LT40HDD35, blessed to have a wife that encouraged me to buy it.     Now that\'s true love!
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Mr Mom

     My dad all ways told us if it is not yours and you dont have permission to be there then you should not be there. Well he said it loud and with a few less words that i cant say here. Dad is still old school.



     Thanks alot Mr Mom.

tcsmpsi

That frog-strangler brought it up to 28-30" below the first overflow.
Here's your picture, bitternut.   :)





\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

getoverit

D._Fredrick,

When you own property in the country, it is a different world. People who have hunted ont he property for years have no idea that the property has been sold, and on opening morning of hunting season you will find your yard filled with pickup trucks of hunters scattered all over your property. You will also find that your driveway is lined with teenagers on friday and saturday nights who feel that it is their place to park and explore each other (ahem...). Some people will come onto your property and cut down your trees ,without asking first, to be used as Christmas trees or firewood. Of course, uninvited guests on your property can be a liability if they were to get hurt.

It's not that most people want to be harsh about their ownership of their property, they just want others to respect the fact that it is owned by someone and to treat it accordingly. These are the reasons for the fencing and posted signs.

tcsmpsi,

Nice looking pond !!! Looks like a good place to cool off after a hard summer day's milling :D
I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok, I work all night and sleep all day

SPIKER

Nice looking pond!   

How deep do ya think?  appears to be 20+ feet at the dam, unless that is a miniature boata up there ;)     how far back up the ravine does it go?  think you will have much leave troubles in the pond? 

stocking fish?

Makr M
I'm looking for help all the shrinks have given up on me :o

bitternut

Thanks for the pic tcsmpsi. Must of been quite a rain storm. One reason I haven't built a pond on my land is that I don't live there so would have little control over who used it most of the time. Its hard to tell from your picture just how deep and large the pond is. Can you raise catfish in that pond?

Engineer

You guys talk about 'keep out' signs, I've never been a fan of either posting my property or seeing the signs, but today I sure was all set to head to Home Depot and grab a bunch of No Trespassing signs and some steel cable. 

I have a piece of land that abuts a local State park with a lake and a beach and plenty of places to park.  I rarely visit the property, but I have an old semitrailer with some lumber and miscellaneous crap in it and today I had to get some things out of it.   I get there and there's a beat up little black car parked way down by the trailer, hidden from the road.  I pull in and see the car, get out of my truck and walk up near the car.  Guy sticks his head out of the passenger window and says "hey we're just hanging out".  Having never seen this dude before, I say "well you're on private land, the park is just across the road, suggest you go hang out there."  So the car starts up, I see that the guy's wife or girlfriend is driving and there's a baby seat in the back with a screamer in it.   

I go up where the car was parked and there's a nice fresh soiled diaper sitting on the ground, tossed out of the car on the way out.  Also notice that there apparently has been several others 'hanging out' for a while, the place has trash, beer bottles, coffee cups, cigarette packs, new and old, all kinds of stuff floating around.    I guess it's time to let people know that I don't appreciate them trashing my property.  Wouldn't be so bad but for the park across the road, which has all kinds of places to hide and is free to the public after Labor Day.

Sorry to hijack the thred, but the bit on posting land made me wanna rant a bit.

Don_Papenburg

People with out deep pockets have to post their property because of lawyers who want even deeper pockets.    Most people do not respect others property   care less what they destroy .   Then get pizzD  if you sugest they entertain them selves elseware.    Oh the lot of them can't read , well at least a no tresspass sign.
Frick saw mill  '58   820 John Deere power. Diamond T trucks

PineNut

I had a plot logged several years ago. There were the usual low spots that make good mud holes. Some of the local ATV riders thought it was a good place to go mudding. Of course that makes more mud. So had to post it to protect roads and prevent erosion. Don't like to post land but with the way too many people treat property belonging to others, there is often no choice. Since I don't hunt, I leased the hunting rights to a local hunting club. They do a good job of patrolling the property and helping to control unauthorized hunters.

tcsmpsi

The fence building/sign posting was the culmination of years of building 'problems', all stemming from the human factor(s).  I don't like fences or being 'fenced in'.  At all.  With all the other things, the final blow was after Rita.  After I got my initial clean up done (I had sustained 100-110 mph winds) around the immediate living area, I went to check out damage around the property one day.   Over on one side, where a fellow had bought some property, I noticed trees down and as I got closer, I noticed they had been cut down.  Some were his felled on my property, and some were mine.
Continuing on around through the property, as I approached one of the back corner areas, I heard dogs start barking to all get out, and just being able to see a little through the woods, I saw people come out of some shack looking object and they started barking to all get out, and turned two of the dogs loose.  Two pit bulls came running up to me, but fortunately were not as dumb as their people, and their senses kept them alive. 
Then, one of the male humans came up and started ranting about property, and going to be a fight, threw down his phone....even though he kept ranting, evidently he picked up a little of what the dogs sensed and went back to his...whatever.

I finished my tour of the property, and come Monday, went to a surveyors' and ordered a new survey done, in prelude to building fence and posting.  I don't want to have to break some idiot's fool neck just because he's plain stupid.   

Talked to the fellow who had downed the trees, and he was sincere in his willingness to compensate and very apologetic.  I can work with that. 

I had a hundred signs made specifically for my particulars.  The fence is 3 strands of non-barbed wire (don't want critters, human or otherwise to be injured on the fence).

Not really planning on stocking the pond with fish, though one never knows.   It is small (I suppose), but serves particular purpose.   I don't really know what it ended up being depthwise.  I just kept digging until the rain stopped me plumb.   ;D  I would venture somewhere around 16-20'.  As loose stuff washes in from time to time, that will decrease somewhat, though I had already gotten down the major water path to good clay.  But, there's always some coming in when there's those sure 'nuff frog-stranglers.  And, certainly, leaves/needles. 

And, engineer, I don't know anything about hijacking any threads.   ;)

\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

rebocardo

that looks like a great little pond.  8)

i wonder what you can stock it with to make it viable and scum free with plants? would cutting back more trees and giving it sunlight help? can you stock it with dragonflies?

if i lived on my property i might fence some in and sign it too. though in central ME people tend to exercise common sense and respect when going over other's land. hunting club and atv trails cross mine.


tcsmpsi

Not too sure about stocking it with dragonflies ('sketeer hawks), but it already has a goood supply of waterbugs.  And frogs. 

And, several species of small furry critters I see have found it already (by the tracks around it).

Of course, the canines are convinced it was installed, quite thoughtfully, for their explicit use.   ;D
\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

tcsmpsi

Well, between Sunday night and Thursday, we had about 18" of rain.  Most of it in short periods of time.  Lots of flooding.  Lots of water.

The pond held up well, with only a small breech barely down to first overflow level.  It ran a LOT of water through it, cleaned it out and filled it up.

The canines are even more convinced.



The pond is now at the level at which it was designed.





I have the small breech quick-patched, and will have to make it permanent, but other than that, I'm done with that project for a while.

Got posts and roofing yesterday to start on the millshed, which the permanent female partner says it is ok to build first (so I can mill in smaller segments of time), before I get back to the house add-on/remodeling.   ;D
\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

wiam

Some days I think the only property rights we have left are to pay taxes and throw people out.  I am not against hunting but I was taught to ask before I went on other's land.  I have run into the atv deal.  They got one stuck trying to cross a brook after they had gone through 3 electric fences.  I parked my truck in the way of them getting out and said no respect for others property.  The kid said in NH they have trails for atvs. I said go to NH because deals like this will not get landowners to open trails.

Will

DomR

Last fall I got chewed out for walking through the neighbors woods.  Lived next to him for 40 years.  The discussion that followed ended with you stay in yours and we'll stay in ours.  Opening morning of Rifle season I'm watching a buck walk toward me when BOOM, it goes down. A minute later I see him walk through the hollow up to the deer.  Igot down to see who was in the middle of my woods and low an behold it was him.  Said he had shot it at the line fence and saw it drop here.  Funny, no blood trail and I had seen it drop.  After I told him I had seen it when he shot he still wouldn't fess up.  So I guess I'm the only one who knows where the property line is.  Funny thing- he has his woods in a forestry progrm where his property is open year round to hunters ect in leau of property taxes.  Legally he can't tell anyone they can not hunt or walk on his land as long as they ask.  The next day 13 hunters were roaming his woods at my invitation.  They were happy and he wasn't.  Whats good for the goose..........
Dom
life is a merry go round and I'm getting dizzy

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