RELOCATING A RED-EARED SLIDER FROM THE STREET TO OUR BACK YARD.

My sister-in-law, who was staying with us overnight with her husband, saw what I thought was a Painted Turtle in the road but thanks to Linda at Linda’s Relaxing Lair, I now know that our little turtle is a Red-eared Slider (an explanation of the difference is below this post). Thank you so much Linda, I appreciate the correct ID.  It was near the drain in front of our house, and she asked her brother to come and move it to a safer location. Where she lives, my sister-in-law is also a trained volunteer who looks after the sea turtles when they come out of the water to lay their eggs. She and other volunteers take it in turn to guard those eggs until they hatch, whereupon those baby turtles instinctively make their way down to the ocean. 

The last turtle I saw around here was in our garden a couple of years ago, I can't remember exactly. It was in our flower bed in the front of the house. 

Gregg has never picked up a turtle before. He put it in our back garden, a short journey with plenty of room for the little guy to go a safer route than the street. 

I thought it would be a good idea to look through a few websites to know how to pick them up properly if it ever happened again. 

Below there are several sites for doing just that if anyone is interested. You can cut and paste the addresses for more info:

YouTube on how to properly pick up a tortoise:

https://youtu.be/Yz37w9ZNclA?si=pwk8tbYX_sq1xUqL

Websites:

https://www.matts-turtles.org/handling-turtles.html

How to pick up a snapping turtle.

https://www.ncwildlife.gov/species/common-snapping-turtle#

and a YouTube also on snapping turtles:

https://youtube.com/shorts/oUeGpqg5ig0?si=d04ylT4IPIlrjCT2

We ourselves are learning that we are never too old to learn something new, and I also thank Linda again for her ID of our little turtle. This is one of the many reasons I enjoy blogging so much. Our community is like a family and we are always helping each other out. 

Thanks for visiting and enjoy your day!

Invasive red-eared sliders are named for the streaks of red found along the sides of their heads. They also have dark-green skin with bright yellow streaks throughout. Native painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) look similar, but don’t have those same red streaks, and their shells tend to be flatter and smoother on top.

I got my information, and more, from a website called Wildlife NYC.

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - ARTSY PHOTO FUN ON THE DECK

I was drinking a glass of water when I spotted my dear other half after the last few sips, which started a trend. So, next thing, out came the cell phone.

Our sweet niece I have been close to and loved dearly since the first time I set eyes on her as a wee little girl, and…

honorary nephew. It was the first time we have met and by the end of their vacation he was one of the family. He also has a lovely sense of humor and had me laughing out loud several times (I love a good laugh). Of course, we mustn't forget his daughter. She was inside the house at the time I got the idea for these photos, but she was/is a sweet young lady.

We had a lot of great times chatting out there.  Weather cooperated, not too hot. Tallied up to several hours during their stay.  Happy times and great memories for the memory box.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Sunday to you all!

AROUND AND ABOUT FROM 3-3-25 TO 3-9-25

This is our weather forecast for this week, from Monday 3-10-25 to 3-17-25

Hello Family and Friends, thank you once again for your encouragement. Here Is this past week’s daily journal. 

Monday, March 3rd, 2025: father and son were off out for the day. I enjoyed my usual pottering. Not much went on here but Gregg returned with a gift from one of the bookstores they visited. He always says books find you, you don't find them. He saw this one on a display table and picked it up immediately, looked through it and knew I would love it. He was right. It's a new one by Amy Tan and all the art is her own.

Tuesday, March 4th, 2025: 

We ran an errand today, I just went along for the ride and stayed in the car while Gregg went into the dry cleaners. I saw the leprechaun and unicorn again on our way home. This time there was an Irish flag.

Not long now before St. Patrick's Day but in advance I'll wish you: 

"Lá fhéile Pádraig Sona Dhuit" in Irish. 

According to Google it actually translates directly to "Happy Day of the Festival of Patrick to you".

• "Lá Fhéile Pádraig": Means "St Patrick's Day".
• "Sona": Means "happy".
• "Duit": Means "to you". 

This shows its pronunciation:

With it being Shrove Tuesday I made pancakes this evening. It was a tradition in my family when I was growing up, and is still tradition in the UK I'm thinking, to make them once a year (Brit friends please let me know if this is still going on). Mum always made it a lot of fun. She would toss the pancakes up in the air to flip them back into the pan on the other side, letting us have a try. Quite a few landed on the floor and nothing but laughter and giggles, and lots of happy times.

When we first met, Gregg told me he was surprised that pancakes were only made once a year, which he had found on the Royal Navy ship he was stationed with for two years. When we were first married and he asked if I could make him pancakes, I remember being very surprised that pancakes were made for breakfast, and often. It certainly wasn't Shrove Tuesday. 

I still make them the way my mother used to, something between an American pancake and a crepe, but more like a crepe, which fortunately he loved and still loves. We always served ours sprinkled with lemon juice and sugar over the top, and intended to make them that way today. At the last minute we found we had used all our lemons, and I didn't want Gregg to go out just for those. Maple syrup it was! I added blueberries on mine. 

Wednesday, March 5th, 2025: when we saw them last Sunday, our son and daughter-in-law brought pastries from a place called Chateau de Chantilly Cafe. Gregg enjoyed his very much - a fried croissant with a cream filling - and suggested we go over there this morning for breakfast. We are also checking places out when our overseas company visit us.  They will be arriving a little over a month from now. 

This is actually our second visit to the cafe, our first was last year. Visually, and I thought it a bit strange, as I looked at all the variety of delicious delights they offered, I found myself a bit overwhelmed. 

I couldn't decide on anything. I ended up getting what Gregg had come here for, a fried croissant with a cream filling. It was outstanding. Gregg also purchased a coca-cola and ordered a latte for me, except that he accidentally ordered me two. 

I was so annoyed!

And yes I am joking. My unexpected café au lait pour deux? Lovely, and so was that fried croissant. I was wired for the rest of the day. That silly face was after my dear other half asked me if I enjoyed the extra cup of coffee and that was my response. They are not small cups!

A big thank you to him for such a nice treat with my extra surprise, and the nice drive to get out here.

I would describe this place as shabby/chic. I am comfortable wearing a sweater and jeans. It is in an old building with tall ceilings. When son and daughter-in-law were there on the weekend it was packed out and they were lucky to get a table. We had no problem mid-week, and we always go on an off hour when people have gone back to work.  There is an upstairs for the overflow. We managed to get a parking spot right out front, so I left my cane in the car and used Gregg’s arm. They are open every day from 7.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m.

On the way home we had a good old Virginia downpour. I took this photo between the window wipers going at full speed. I have quite a few which I deleted before this one.

We had a FaceTime with my brother-in-law in Germany, another nice long chat. I feel blessed that we have such a close friendship with him after all these years, and with such distance between us too. I am grateful to this technology that allows us to keep in touch, almost like we are all in the same room.  

Thursday, March 6th, 2024: father and son were out again with my blessing. Gregg left the house around 2:00 a.m. I did nothing special and pottered! He knows I enjoy my quiet time. I wouldn’t be able to keep up with them anyway. They like to gadabout all over the place and I would slow them down to a crawl. My time went quickly and when hubs got home late evening, he caught me up on his day and I told him mine. He won! I can’t remember everything I did now, I just know the day went quickly.  

Friday, March 7th, 2025: I woke up to the wind howling outside. It was a little after 1:00 a.m. I could hear the sound of the tree branches whipping into a frenzy. It took me forever to get back to sleep. I could see the light of dawn coming through the shutters before going back to sleep.

The first thing I did this morning was look out on the deck. The only thing I could see amiss, was a small branch from the fir tree. When we first moved here, that fir tree was tiny and remained that way for years. I was told the roots hit the water table and from there on it grew and it grew, and it grew. It is way above the house, and we are going to have to do something about it soon, but unlike our other trees that had to be cut down, it looks very healthy. Someone quoted us $1,200 and because of priorities, don't want to do that right now as we have other things to take care of. It is a healthy-looking tree, and this price quoted was just for pruning. This seems to be the going rate and they certainly are very skilled. When the last man cut down the tree, he was like a lumberjack, shimmying up and down like it was no effort at all.

We picked up an item of clothing from the dry cleaners and that was about it for my outdoor adventure today. There was even more traffic around today.

Look what we saw on the way home? I think the leprechaun and his steed were a wee bit tipsy, or perhaps competing in a rodeo?

The more logical explanation is that with the wind last night, they were deflated.  I saw them flattened on the ground earlier with a couple of bicycles on top acting as weights. I think it was in the process of being inflated again.

Saturday, March 8th, 2025: I took one of my books down off the shelf and picked out a walrus to sketch. This book is not only educational, it has the most wonderful artwork inside, just like the new book Gregg gave me.

This is the one I chose. I remember seeing them once and they are magnificent marine animals. You can read about them at this link.

Here's my scribble sketch.

Nothing else of note today. We had a very quiet day, very relaxing.  

Sunday, March 9th, 2025: son just left at 12:30 p.m. He usually arrives between 8.30 and 9.00 with my coffee in hand and also a muffin. I look forward to his weekly visits. He and his dad will be getting together on Tuesday again. It's becoming a regular thing. 

I have a doctor's appointment coming up next week to see what's going on with this knee, as there are no marathons in my future until I get it sorted out. Not that there were any marathons in my past either, but it would be lovely to be able to get out on a good walk around my favorite places. I am very lucky, I have Green Spring Gardens as it's a short trip to where we park the car and is an easy, flat area.

It feels good to look outside and see the sun shining. 

I think I am going to end this week's around and about here. If something exciting happens I will add it before I publish. I have a feeling it's going to be all quiet, so at 5.13 p.m. I'll say bye-bye for now and until next time...

thanks so much for continuing to read through these things, always appreciated. 

CONTINUING OUR WALK AROUND MEADOWLARK GARDENS

Normally when we go to the garden, my first stop is the fairy garden.  It is a delightful little area that attracts not only children but adults.  All the fairies and their homes are still under glass domes, so no photos of the fairy village today, apart from this log just across from it.  It is crowded with fairies and will be again when it gets warmer, soon hopefully.

It wasn't too long before we came across a pair of Canada Geese, right by the walkway as they tend to do.

They didn't seem to mind the many people who walked by, but I didn't see any nests.  Perhaps it was across the lake and there weren't any eggs to take care of yet.

There were lots of flowers of course, and some weeds, some very recognizable and some I had to search for later.  I look for markers every time I take a photo, but was not always successful.

Top photo from left to right: Pansies, Winter Hazel, Ground Ivy, the last top right photo shows a mixture of Hyacinth, Pansies and Daffodils.  
Bottom photo from left to right: Blue Anemones, Daffodils, Unidentified, Virginia Bluebells 

We noticed the artist making her way up the path with canvas in hand.  The lady was in this post.  Maybe I will be lucky enough to see the finished painting hanging up in the visitor center.  There are many wonderful works of art on their walls.

Another pair of geese swimming on the lake.  It could have been the same pair I saw earlier.

As we were walking by the lake, Gregg saw a grandmother taking a photo of her family, and asked her if she would like him to take one of their group.  She happily accepted.  

Another taken near the gazebo.  It is a lovely spot to sit and we have done so many times, but not today.  

I will end my post here.  There are many more photos and will share them soon.  

Have a very enjoyable day and thank you for looking at another post on Meadowlark Gardens.

A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION TODAY.

Yesterday was a beautiful day and with the sun shining we headed to Huntley Meadows for the first time this year.  It was a pre-birthday celebration outing to a place we both love.  Today is his birthday.  Happy Birthday My Love!

OLD FAVORITES - PART 6

Going back 45 years....

Gregg was sent to the UK on an exchange tour with the Royal Navy. (Some of you might remember this story, these having been shared before, but not for a long time.) When he joined what was to be his first British ship, part of his welcome aboard was to be given a special Thanksgiving meal, the captain even asking their navy cook to bake him the appropriately decorated cake.  He was very touched by this kind gesture and it remains one of the many great memories he has of his time with the Royal Navy.

Below is the menu.  Enlarge if you want a clearer view.

As often happens whenever we share any of our old photos, they jogged a few memories which we chatted about for some time.

Happy Thanksgiving 

to family and friends who are celebrating today.

COROLLA NORTH CAROLINA TRIP - 5TH DAY - 9-5-17 - PART 1 - SUNSET

Corolla, North Carolina Trip - Fifth Day - Part 1

Sunrise 
Wright Brothers' Memorial
Lost Colony

Tuesday, September 5th, 2017

It is now 6.50 p.m. and I am back at the house.  I got up today for the sunrise. Gregg almost had to see it on his own as he left before me, with me mumbling some poor excuse about being too tired.  I mumble things incoherently when I am almost all-the-way asleep.  However, after he left I could not bear the thought of him seeing that sunrise on his own.  I heard the door close and I had immediate regret, so I kicked my lazy butt out of bed and dressed faster than I usually do, literally throwing clothes on, raced down to the beach without any thought of twisted ankles - I have a history - had momentary panic when I couldn't see him, but looked and looked and there he was.  

I snuck up behind him and gave him a big hug, experiencing a few seconds of thought that I might be hugging a complete stranger.  I have been known to rush up to someone - rarely thank the powers - pat them on the back, chatting away for what seems like an eternity,  thinking it was Gregg - that happened not so long ago - only to be greeted by a  strange face in complete shock at being accosted by, whomever he thought I was.  I don't blush too often but when I blush I am my own sunrise, and it was a wee bit dark that morning.  I needn't have worried.  Gregg saw me coming as he had a big smile on his face and he wasn't surprised.  He knows me better than I know myself at times.  A few minutes later here comes the sun.  Surreal!  

"Sunrise offered a very beautiful spectacle; the water was quite unruffled, but the motion communicated by the tides was so great that, although there was not a breath of air stirring, the sea heaved slowly with a grand and majestic motion."

~George Grey~

These are all Gregg's sunrise photos.  I have some of my own which I will share at a later date.

It was a lovely time at the beach in that very special light. There were a few other sun worshippers.   

As it got lighter we could see a familiar figure approaching.  It was Gregg's sister.

We had a nice time chatting for a while....

  

and watched as these two cute dogs trotted by. 

They were certainly enjoying their walk.

Gregg and his sister took a walk further up the beach and I meandered back to the house, taking lots of photos along the way,

 finding a few shells,

I thought this was some kind of seaweed and was very surprised to find that it was an egg casing for a skate.  I would like to spend more time at the beach to improve my knowledge of such things.

I came across the following here and here which gives more information.



I came across the remains of a horseshoe crab earlier.  I look forward to the day when I can see a live one.

I see traces of those ghost crabs again...

and occasionally see them scurrying down into burrows as I walk along the path back to the house.  

The dunes are high and you can't see the ocean when you reach the bottom level.  It is very private and incredibly pretty.  

There is a row of sea oats on the top of the dunes, and I believe this pink flower, quite tiny, is a perennial sand bean.  These and the other fauna keep me well occupied.  I am not sure what the spiky plant is.

I believe these are pokeweed berries.  There is an interesting article at this link.

We have a private entrance and there is no one else to disturb my thoughts, and no one awake in the house yet.  Once I had finished searching for wildflowers and ghost crabs, I found a comfortable chair and sat outside for a while enjoying the peacefulness of it all, looking up at the dunes and the pretty glow that still filled the sky.  It was a perfect time of the day to do this.  I stayed there for a half hour or so, before going in and getting ready for another day of sight-seeing.