True Turtle Rescue
This week, in the afternoon heat, while walking the dog, I noticed a 10″ turtle crawling along the street, off the curb, on the wrong side of the pond. It had probably come from Wimbledon, through our yard, and then kept on going towards the water but it had gone a street too far. I put Lani’s leash around the top of the fence and told her to stay. Then I walked to the turtle, lifted her by the edge of her shell with both hands and walked all along the fence (which is on top of a high wall), around it and back along the inside of the fenced wall, then down the slope towards the water. When the slope became too steep to be safe for me, I carefully put the turtle down. I wish you could have seen what happened. I have never seen a turtle run. But this little one ran so fast towards the water, his rear legs stretching out behind his shell, that I looked on in amazement and laughed out loud. When it reached the rocks, I expected it to go around to the water, but it ran straight onto the rocks, its shell scratching, then dove, and swam and swam, until it was out of sight. Every afternoon it sits on the side of the pond, basking in the sun.
A raccoon shuffled across the back lawn in the afternoon heat yesterday. I watched it from the bedroom window, too far from my phone to take a picture. It went to the little pond we have there, took a drink and then dove into the water and out of sight. Wildlife at the water hole!
Rain
It rained for the past two days and nights and the water in the pond reached a level as never before. The deserted goose nest completely disappeared and I had trouble locating the ducks. I saw them later, the four little ones already half the size of their mother, and mother duck, happily foraging in the wet grass.
My old garden hose, which I have always on standby, had sprung a leak last week, and today one of the maintenance men came to take it away and dispose of it. Just before he came, a new 50 feet hose arrived from Amazon. New to me, it was light weight and very small, then expanded as it filled with water. I keep it on standby, so I can easily water the plants I have in the front porch right now.
My pride and joy is this lily, a gift in a 4″ pot on Mother’s Day 2020, which lasted through the winter in the garage without light off water. I repotted it and this is how it looks now, more and more buds opening every day. Then I have a pot with lush basil, two tomato plants that grow tall and strong, one little tomato already larger than a cherry, and ginger, which is just now showing an inch of a green sprout coming up through the soil.
Hair
I found a hairdresser close by that is so good that I will stay with her for ever. I finally found someone who knows what I am talking about when I say I want a Dorothy Hamill haircut. The first time she cut it, now six weeks ago, I was not 100% happy, but when I talked to her yesterday, she did exactly what I asked and I am excited. The most amazing thing is that she does a shampoo, cut and blow dry in less than thirty minutes. She sure knows what she is doing after thirty years of experience. The first hairdresser who gave me this cut, Jay, in Pasadena, when I was in the acting business, took two hours every time for the precision cut! He was so good and so nice, that he even came to the airport hotel in Los Angeles when I flew back from Hawai’i to finish some business on the mainland. After that, I let it grow like all the Hawaiian women, and it went well with dancing hula.
Vacation Preparations
I am getting busy with preparations for our two-week reunion at the beach and I don’t know if I will have the time to write a lot until the middle of July. Our California granddaughter will celebrate her 14th birthday when we are there, and I am planning to give her an hour of horseback riding along the beach, with me, as a birthday surprise. We are staying in a beach front home on Hilton Head Island, and the tours are on Daufuskie Island, close by, so the whole tour includes a Ferry ride to and from the island and the stables, and one hour along the beach. I am so looking forward to this wish on my bucket list. The only time I ever sat on a horse was in Tretes, a mountain village on Java, where we went on vacation once. They had the small kuda’s, the mountain horses. So this will be a very different experience!
It’s a Wonderful Life!
Until next time,
Ronny
Ronny, I especially LOVE this post and your rescue of the turtle. It’s about observing and interacting with nature and life.
Thank you!
Thank you, Nancy! How wonderful to hear from you. Our cottage is surrounded by nature, and although a camera is not always right at hand, I can turn the memories into stories, so others can “see” my encounters. ❤️