Beating the Heat!

 The little Frog Pond is off-limits to Ms. Ez.  As much as the old dog would love to plunge right into the middle of it, I never know what critters might lurk just beneath the lily pads.  Toss one clumsy dog into the midst of a snake pit and there would be any sorts of terrible happenings.  She has accepted this well just like her being banned from swimming in the Bayou.  If she dared to take a dip there, she might just hobble out without a paw.  The alligators and snapping turtles do not take lightly to intruders in their domain.  She happily snoozes away the hot summer in her kiddie wading pool.  Others, however, are not banned from the Frog Pond.  Wild critters of all sorts wade, swim, lounge and generally make a mess of the pond but that is fine as it is set aside for them to do so.  

  This morning, I was out at daybreak picking the Boysenberries.  This is a necessity as the things ripen seemingly quicker than I can snatch them from the vines.  The little Frog Pond sits within just a few yards from the rows of berries giving me a bit of entertainment while I pick. The frogs croak and hop about from lily pad to lily pad and the occasional snake will slither about silently trying to catch the wily frogs.  This morning, though, something strange was in the pond.  Not necessarily strange to the water but rather strange in its actions of being in the water.  A Box Turtle was trying its best to exit the pond but was having difficulty climbing the steep sides.  Time after time, the turtle would attempt the climb but, time after time, it would fail. Although, Box Turtles are kin to the pond turtles, they much rather lumber around the yard than swim constantly.  What to do? What to do?  Why!  Rescue the turtle, of course!  From experience, I knew it was not an easy task to hand catch a turtle in a pond full of lily pads and water hyacinths.  They are fast!  A water hose is the best method of turtle extraction!  I slowly filled the pond just enough to let the turtle exit the pond on its own.  

  After our wayward turtle retreated from the water, I had to laugh out loud at it.  Wrapped around its nose was a long strand of Coontail.  That water plant was enough evidence that anyone should know where this turtle had been cooling itself.  The "Frog Pond Spa" is just the place for a relaxing dip AND a facial treatment!