Slow and Steady...

I have decided that my life here on the Bayou must seem quite boring to most folks of the world.  Since I do not often leave the hillside above the Bayou, I do not have the marvelous adventures that I hear tell from other world-traveled folks.  In some ways, I envy their ability to pick up and take off to parts unknown.  The  exciting and a little bit scary whim of travel has not often hit me.  I have a little too much of Pop in my blood! He, too, did not travel.  It is not that we do not like adventure, it is more that we can find adventure in our own backyards.  Then, again, perhaps this type adventure is a little telling on our way of life.  Pop, when he was alive, never needed to venture far from the farm to find something interesting and me..well, I can, on most, days rustle up some sort of trouble here on the Bayou!

Some days are a bit slower, though.  Usually, the summer heat and humidity slow things down to a snail's pace or in today's case..a turtle's pace.  Early this morning while Ms. Ez and I were roaming the hillside, I spied a Box Turtle.  Aha!  There surely was something exciting to be found while watching a turtle!  And..surely I jest there! Still, I was on my hands and knees taking pictures of this critter.  Do something exciting, Turtle!  I watched..the turtle watched.  We sat there staring at one another just waiting for a movement of some sort.  I took photographs..the turtle stared at me.  Well, alrighty then..something should happen soon..I hoped anyway.  After a good fifteen minutes or so, the turtle still had not done anything other than stare at me.  There were no gymnastics, no dance moves, not even a slow shuffle.  The turtle stared.  Hmmm.  My thoughts began to turn to me.  What must folks think of me sitting on the ground watching a turtle.  I was here wasting the better part of the morning waiting for a ordinarily inert animal to bring a bit of excitement into my day..was it going to happen?  Nah, other than the turtle being interesting just by being a turtle, there was no cause for jubilation.

Then!  IT happened!  The turtle.....wait for it.....MOVED!  Yes!   The terrapin changed directions!  Then stopped.  That was it!  No galloping down the hillside for this gal!  She was satisfied with just a change of view!  Then it struck me..I am a lot like this old turtle.  I am satisfied with just a different view of the same old place.  I like it here.  It makes me happy.

The Box Turtle is a terrestrial member of the pond turtles.  Although occasionally it is labeled as a tortoise, it is not actually in that family at all.  It is a true turtle.  Earlier, I called the turtle a "gal" which I am almost positive is accurate.  She was most likely hunting for a place to deposit her eggs.  It is not that hard to tell the difference between the sexes of these turtles.  It is all in the eyes and plastron or bottom plate of their shell.  Female Box Turtles have darker eyes..sometimes brown versus bright orange of males.  They also have a flat  plastron compared to a concave one on the males.  My friendly turtle had dark brown eyes and although I did not wish to disturb her to check her bottom shell, I am sure it would have been flat!  She must have been around for a while since she was quite large as far as Box Turtles go.  She measured in at approximately nine inches in length (shell size)!  That is a good size Box Turtle!

I am hoping this old girl will lay a nice clutch of eggs somewhere about the hillside so later this fall the Bayou will see some new turtles!  Oh..and by the way, this is a Gulf Coast Box Turtle.  It is a subspecies of the Eastern Box Turtle and is only found in this general area!  At least that is a bit exciting!  See..I told you that I do not have to leave the hillside to be entertained!