Was it An Epic Journey?

I sure hope it wasn’t for this tiny little snapping turtle that we found near the composter. How it got there is a mystery as it is a long way with hills and many obstacles from the pond and creek. Could it have walked all the way there on it’s own, or did it just hatch from eggs that momma turtle laid in the spring (a long journey for her as well)? We couldn’t find any others but the vegetation is so thick it would be hard to see. So, I either did it a favour or a big disfavour by carrying it down to the pond where it should find some soft earth to dig into for a winter hibernation.

We have had big turtles up on the laneway in the past, in fact it’s not unusual to find one in the spring. Probably a female looking for somewhere to lay her eggs. We never felt that the driveway was a good spot so always (carefully) took them far away from the house down to the creek. They are such prehistoric looking creatures.

Pleasures? I seem to forget to include them! So here goes:

• Reading on the swing. Yes, we made time Saturday morning to have some swing time. It was a beautiful morning/early afternoon. Unfortunately we ended up spending a bit too much time on the swing and was late leaving the house for our next pleasure ;
• Spending the afternoon and dinner with friends. Jo Ellen was my boss at work and also a very good friend. Honestly, she is what I most miss from work (and from Chris too). The three of us  had our morning coffee together for many many years. (I’m not forgetting Bernard – he also coffee’d with us but stopped working there a few years ago so he’s not as immediate a miss.) ;

• Playing with new software. Don was showing us their ‘European Vacation’ photos using Picasa and I was hooked. Downloaded it yesterday and am still (probably for days and days) tagging all the faces. It found over 19,000 photos!!!! What the f#&$*? I do know that some of my photos are in multiple folders but I think I’ve excluded those ones ;
• Trying out a new recipe – I love cooking something new – especially when it turns out good. We’ve been watching “Lidia’s Italy”, a cooking show. The other day she made Rice with Butternut squash which looked tasty and I figured I could adapt the recipe to be a bit more diet friendly. I still included a bit of butter (about 1 tablespoon) as well as the grated parmesan cheese but did cut the rest of the fats. Was it ever good! It was so creamy and rich tasting. A real comfort food that will be made often this winter. And as a bonus the recipe made enough leftovers for another good sized meal. We only had the rice last night, but I think I’d serve it with some pork roast for company – oh boy oh boy that would be good…