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Homeowners Meeting Notes Four items the Sanctuary HOA Board would like brought to the attention of the homeowners: 1. It appears that a homeowner living on S. Carson St. has been throwing dog excrement over the split rail fence into the Park. This should stop immediately. Contact Steve Jeffries for more details. 2. Cars are not to be parked for long periods of time in the Sanctuary shared parking areas. If there is not room in your garage, you must park your car in your driveway. 3. Rabbits have been stripping the bark off of small trees and shrubs. This will kill them. Homeowners need to put up a wire fence around plantings or wrap the trunks to prevent this. Again, contact Steve Jeffries for more information. 4. The Spring Board meeting will be held on Thursday, April 26th at 7:00pm at the home of Allan and Winnie Kortz, 6242 S. Blackhawk Way. Social Committee News The 7th Annual Cup O'Cheer held December 10th at the home of Barbara Sydow was a wonderful evening of fun and fellowship. Approximately 50 of us brought delicious hors d'oeuvres or desserts and it was a great time to get together to nibble on that yummy food and share some stories, information and laughter. Barbara made a delightful egg nog, as well as providing a good selection of wines and beer, purchased by the Social Committee. One sweet advantage of being there was getting to meet the youngest resident of Sanctuary, Alicia Tan, born September 28th. This annual event is always a grand time - to get us out of our winter seclusion and mingle together, and we hope you will make plans right now to join us next year. The Social Committee is also soliciting a host home; if you would like to volunteer please call Joan Liebchen or anyone on the Social Committee. |
Shake, rattle and …..
Shortly after the Wenngrens moved in next door, Earl came out of his lower level one sunny Fall afternoon with a young snake he had found in the house. Together we tried to identify it. We did notice the diamond shaped head extending from a thin neck, but wasn't sure enough, at the time for a positive ID. He released it out in the common area (hoping for a passing Hawk.) Subsequently I did some research and was convinced it was a sub species of a snake very common to our area. One that is especially common to Colorado. I hadn't given it any further thought, that is, until my slave driving editor started hounding me for this article and I chose my topic. The Prairie Rattler (Crotalus viridis viridis.) All rattlesnakes have a bad reputation. No wonder! They look mean, they sound spooky, and we know about their nasty bite. Actually, though they are mostly just misunderstood. What are rattlesnakes? A group of snakes, which have what no other snakes have: rattle tip tails. They also have thick bodies, wide diamond shaped heads, cat like eyes and long hollow fangs that fold away when not needed. Their dull colors & patchy patterns help them blend in with their surroundings. Where do Prairie Rattlers live? This sub species has a wide distribution including Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Utah, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, parts of Canada and Mexico. Are they dangerous? To their prey, yes. To a person, their bite is painful and sometimes (but rarely) deadly, but it is very unusual for a person to be bitten. They would rather stay hidden or slither away, than attack. How do they propagate? Mating can take place in the autumn months beginning in August. Birth is in the fall. Females do not lay eggs but give birth to live young. Size and age of the female has a definite influence on the size and number of young delivered with 6 being the average. What is the rattle made of, and how does it work? The rattle is a stack of hard sections of skin that stays attached to the tail during shedding. Each shedding produces additional sections. Since the snake may shed more than once a year, and also lose sections, it is not a direct indication of age, as many believe. What do Prairie Rattlers eat? Most go for small mammals such as mice, frogs, lizards and sometimes ground nesting birds such as the Meadow Lark. They also will eat birds' eggs. The larger males can reach as big as 46 + inches (the record is around 62") and will also eat squirrels and rabbits. (Continued on Page 2.) |