On Wed, 22 Nov 2017 07:53:44 -0500, John H
wrote:

You sound like a condo man. I thought about it for about a nanosecond
when I had both but I decided to go with the house. I want more space
around me and a lot more privacy.
Irma did me a pretty big favor because it allowed me to appropriate
the FPL right of way behind the house and effectively triple the size
of my back yard although I was using a lot of it anyway.
FPL pretty much abandoned accessing that area when the gopher
tortoises took it over. It is a briar patch just north of me now that
a rabbit might have trouble getting through but between Irma and I
just hacking away at it, the whole area under the power lines is
pretty clear behind my house. I have been working on the exotic
vegetation from here to the river (another 250-300 feet) for years and
that is pretty clear too. I am thinking it will make a nice run for
the dog. There is a canal on both sides so it is really only
accessible from my yard.
I am going up there with my weed eater some day soon and start
whacking away at that area. It will give me an extra acre, tax free
;-)
Most of my neighbors up the street before the berm starts have been
using FPL as their own for decades. FPL says, as long as they do not
block the access, they don't care. It is about two houses up that have
let it go and in the last 3 or 4 years it has really gotten ugly.
Nobody comes down here anymore. We used to get hikers but the briars
stop them now. I may go north and fertilize the sticker bushes ;-)
I should have my niece send me some good old Southern Maryland
blackberry bushes. That is like razor coil.

What I really am is a 'retirement community' man. I'd like a single-family home, about three
bedrooms on the ground, with a community-maintained or no yard. Simple.

That would be a gated community down here like my wife used to run.
You can usually get in one for about $250k and up and that usually
will be a place with a golf course. The golf will be extra tho.


I think you're thinking of raspberry bushes. Those things seem to be planted by the golf courses in
the area just to keep folks from going after lost balls. I've seen places where there are a good 20+
balls in the bushes, but the 'razor coils' keep folks out - especially if they're wearing a golf
shirt which will snag on anything.

Nope blackberries. Southern Md was lousy with them. I just threw away
my "brush pants" that you wore to go in there and kick the rabbits. It
is sort of like a pair of high top waders without the feet. You tuck
them in your boots but I had a pair of military leggings I used to
hold the cuffs.
The wild blackberries are a little smaller than the commercial ones
and a little less sweet but they have a real strong blackberry flavor.
My sister used to make pies out of them that were pretty good but she
used a good sized dose of Karo syrup in there.
They look a little like raspberries before they get ripe tho. When
they are still red they are pretty nasty. Once they turn black,
everything eats them so you have to be quick if you have critters or
hikers.
The thorns have hooks on the end so if you get stuck, you need to push
back toward the base of the stem while clearing the branch. You
certainly do not want to just try to jerk away. If you are really
stuck, like you fell into the bush, cutting your way out may be the
best way and take the branches off one at a time.
They also will get infected pretty fast if you break the thorns off in
your skin.
I have a lot of "anecdotal experience" because there were always
blackberries around when I was a kid. (along with the normal
accompaniment of honey suckle and poison ivy)