Spring in the garden, spring in the backyard

Wild Sweet Peas growing on the banks of the river

        

Blue tail skink sunning on the concrete

For the time being the focus here has changed with the season. A construction and fix up malaise has rolled in, probably due to burnout. We did a lot of construction, repair and painting this past winter, and we are burned out. The question of value in our home makes us question the sensibility of doing more renovations, and we want a life, not an anchor. So for the time being we are going to enjoy the season, the water, boats, and people. Some light improvements could happen, and we do think we want to either paint the exterior, or put siding on the exterior, so who knows? We could start any of that at any time. Essentially we are leveling out and focusing again.

Many pleasant diversions are developing here. Plenty of flowers have come into bloom, like the Sweet Pea to the left. A blue tail skink was sunning itself on my kitchen stoop the other day. This is only the second time I have found one of these on the property, and this one is in a different location than my first discovery of this resident.

Box turtle passing through the garden

I had my yearly encounter with our Box turtle last week. It looks so old and wrinkled.  I photograph them each time I see one, because they each have "bruises", nicks and markings on their back, that help me identify them. I have met up with this turtle multiple times, so I think it, possibly she, lives here most of the time. I have come upon two other box turtles here, and several Terrapins. The Terrapins  come upland to lay eggs, and then months later we will find tiny baby turtles, covered in mud, walking towards the water. The hummingbirds have returned too, but I will devote the next posting to them alone. They are just too fascinating!

Our Box turtle hiding in the brush