Serendipity

I spend most (ok, all) of my time right here on the Bayou.  I rarely leave the place which some folks find a bit confusing.  "What do you do for entertainment?" is a question that I get asked all of the time.  To that, I merely answer that there are so many things happening around here that I do not need to seek entertainment..I just have to look outdoors!  This evening late, I was out and about the hillside just "looking".  I was not searching for anything in particular..just observing everything in general.  It is amazing how many things most of us pass by without ever noticing.  My hike lasted a good forty-five minutes or so and took me all around the area.  I was just about to head back in the door when I noticed a miracle happening right beneath my doorstep..the miracle of birth.

A Box Turtle had chosen that exact spot to dig a hole and lay her eggs!  Ok, so this was interesting!  I plopped down on the steps to watch.  Mama Turtle seemed oblivious to my presence and never once stopped digging her hole.  It was sort of fascinating to watch how she could dig such precise hole without seeing it!  Using her back feet to excavate the hole was not an easy job.  She was digging between the roots of a tall oak tree but those tough claws plowed right through the ground!  It took a good thirty minutes or so before she had the hole dug to her satisfaction.  Then the egg laying began in earnest.

Mama turtle filled that hole with at least eight white eggs.  I lost count when the mosquitoes decided to descend upon my face and arms!  I eased off the steps and down to the pier.  There I watched a most beautiful sunset and spectacular moon rise.  Figuring that I had waited long enough for Mama Turtle to finish the job at hand, I wandered back up the board path.  The path would be getting a mite dark and I was without a flashlight!  No need to step on a moccasin!

Slipping back through the front gate and up the steps, I noticed that Mama Turtle was in the process of covering those precious eggs.  This took another thirty minutes or so as she tamped the dirt down really well. Then she was off to hunt for her supper.  I sure hope a raccoon or 'possum does not wander into the Rose Garden tonight and dig up Mama Turtle's eggs.  It would be nice to have some wee turtles around the place!

Box Turtles and sunsets..now you tell me...why do I need to go anywhere else for entertainment?  ~Serendipity..the phenomenon of finding valuable things not sought.~  Yep, just about sums up my feelings about the Bayou!