Spring is Springing!
You may still be seeing snow out your window, but if so, just turn your eyes to the calendar instead. It says right on there that March 20 is spring!! And I’m ready to believe it even if winter isn’t. As Doug Larson says in this quote, “Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.”
So to celebrate, we’ve got spring pictures even if they are from springs of the past. Soon the wildflowers will be blooming and the tortoises will be strolling through the hayfields.
A Not So Mysterious Photo
As some of you pointed out, my last mystery photo wasn’t so mysterious. I shouldn’t have let the shell show. 🙂 Almost all of you guessed it and those of you who didn’t were just sure I wouldn’t be that obvious. Of course, some of you were like me and called it a turtle even though it isn’t.
Tortoise, Turtle, Terrapin
We always called them terrapins, but I didn’t go out and check my science on that one. And I have heard people call them land turtles. Tortoise is no doubt the correct name as Annette says. Turtles are in the ponds and the rivers and the oceans. Occasionally in the spring, a turtle will crawl out of the mud in our pond and take a slow stroll through the field and yard to the pond over the way to look for new vistas. I have no idea how they know where the other ponds are. But when that happens, it can really excite the dogs if they see it. The dogs do a lot of barking, but are careful to keep their distance since those pond turtles are snappers.
But this kind of little tortoise is harmless. You can pick it up and it will slip back in his shell and stay there until you put him down and then awhile. I used to have a cockerspaniel that loved to catch the tortoises. That was the only “wild” game he could catch. Then he’d carry them home to the yard. I always wondered if the poor things ever made it back to their home territory or just had to settle in the new place. Also it’s not good to have them settle in your garden. They love to nibble on tomatoes and always pick the biggest and prettiest tomatoes to bite.
Now for the Winners
I do appreciate all the great guesses. I always have so much fun with these mystery photo contests, although next time I’m not going to give you an easy turtle, oops tortoise, leg to guess. LOL. But it was such a neat picture. Anyway, I’m glad you had fun with the pictures too. And now for the winners. Drum roll please. Amy Bateman and Lisa Bragg, you are my winners. I’ll send you an e-mail to get the info on which books you’d like to have. And thanks to the rest of you who played the game too. We’ll do it again in June or July after Love Comes Home is released.
Back to Spring
I haven’t spotted any flowers yet, but I think the grass is getting a bit greener here and there. I see wild onions growing – well, at least they’re green. The frogs are so loud that I’m hearing them here in my office as I type this and the birds are singing every morning. What signs of spring are you seeing?