Yard Work Guest...

Yesterday, Monday, June 15th, found Claude and I out in the early morning to work on the hill.  I needed to finish weeding two flower beds.  Claude is working on a rock border for the flower beds that is more permanent.  When he made the beds he used logs from trees he cut down for the border.  That is rotting away and needs to be replaced. So, we found ourselves out before the sun got to unbearable. There was also a forecast for rain which we wanted to avoid if it came.

This story starts with the wall. Claude was working away and had a good bit done on the first layer of rock on one half of the flower bed at the bottom.  When he had to stop to get ready to go to a meeting, he had two layers of rock on the bottom wall.  This is going to look really, really good once it is finished.

By the time he finished this work, I had just about finished weeding the other half of this flower bed. 

While he was working, he paused and said, "Would you look at that!"  I asked what and he told me to look.  I got up from my seating position and walked around the altar and looked at where he was pointing.  I only saw rotten logs, the retaining wall with columbine trying to grow on top.  None of this was unexpected.  I told him I really didn't see anything.  He pointed again and said, "Look right there."  I looked and then I saw it.

Nestled in that loose dirt on top of the retaining wall was what appeared to be a rock or a chunk of wood.  On closer inspection, it was a turtle!!  The more one looked at it, the more one realized this was probably a mother turtle an she was probably digging a spot for eggs to be buried.  So...we have another wild life guest at our hill in Sadieville.  

As I took the picture above, I said to that turtle, "You probably picked this spot because you knew I loved turtles and have a soft spot in my heart for them. You knew you would be safe."  No response from the turtle but I'm just sure we communicated.  

Claude and I went back to our respective duties.  He headed up the hill to get ready for a meeting.  I gathered my weeding things and put them in the bag. Then I paused to take a few more pictures.

First the turtle...

The first picture shows its back side buried in the dirt on the top of the retaining wall.  The second picture shows the trees along the creek at the bottom of the hill with the turtle looking like a rock on top of the retaining wall. That turtle had a long hike up the hill to that spot. If it is laying eggs for babies, they will have a long walk down the hill to get to the water.  There are lots of birds that would want those babies for a nice snack. I'll have to be careful with weeding this summer and remember above the fourth castle rock is where there might be eggs.

Lastly, the hill...

It takes a lot to conquer this hill.  This view is from the second tier Claude made years ago for a sandbox for the grandmonsters. The third tier is the flower beds and the altar.  There are rock steps between the flower beds to the altar.  All made by Claude.  This year he has planted the trees to mark the sides of the path going down the hill.  The trees and bushes are all growing nicely.  The Irish Spring soap appears to be keeping the deer away from their green leaves. We'll keep plugging away at the flower beds and finish them off.  It is such a pretty spot.  Lots of work but such a pretty spot.