Breakfast With a Friend

   I usually rise long before the sun starts to peek over the pines on the far side of the Bayou.  At about 4am, I rise, head to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee and make a skillet of buttermilk biscuits.  Then, I sit back and enjoy my breakfast in peace in quiet while the menfolk are still asleep.  Sometimes, that biscuit and coffee is taken out to the back deck so I can listen to the frogs as they interrupt the stillness of the predawn.  Coffee is sipped while I ponder things to come.  Usually, this is my "alone" time and I cherish that.

  Yesterday morning, however, that alone time was spent with a long-time friend.  As I sat on the top step, Virginia came ambling out from under the shed.  Yep, my old friend had aroused from her brumation and was rather hungry.  I watched as she made her way up to the steps.  She was still covered with dust from being buried beneath the dry dirt under the shed.  Once she realized I was there, she lifted her front foot which has long been her way of telling me she needed food.  I rushed to find sustenance for my friend.  A hungry box turtle needed food!

  Virginia has been coming around for some 10 to 12 yrs now....perhaps more.  She has befriended each of us and knows she is welcome to a handout simply by asking.  That front foot being raised was her own doing but, since it worked the first time, she has repeatedly used it to get food.  I think it is adorable and always rush to find the best treats for her.  This morning, we shared a banana.  Well, she ate all but one bite.  Virginia was ravenous!  After our breakfast together, she made her way to the Frog Pond for a refreshing dip in the tadpole laden water and I sat and smiled.  Sharing breakfast has never been so grand. It is always nice to have a friend drop in to visit...even better when it is one so sweet.