Teeny Tiny Snake

Today I saw a tiny little snake on our driveway. I wasn't sure what kind it was so I didn't get too close but I put my shoe down next to it for a size comparison. It decided the shoe would offer protection so it made a beeline over and scooted underneath it. Dang it, that was not what I intended.

I moved the shoe and it just sat there a moment, maybe a bit unhappy with me. I can't blame it, it's a scary world when you're that small. 

I looked it up: it's a recently-hatched ring-necked snake (duh!), non-venomous, and they eat, among other things, small lizards. Good - if this one grows up, maybe it will eat some of the thousands of Anole lizards around here. 

The best kind of take-out

Recently some folks who have enjoyed Randy's cooking in the past contacted him with a request.  They would rather not cook for a few days and asked Randy to take care of that. He put together some "easy to freeze, easy to reheat" meals for them, based on their requests:

Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans. 

Sliced beef with carrots and mashed potatoes.

Pork enchiladas with rice and refried beans. 

They liked these so much that later they asked him to fix a full meal when their extended family came to visit!

Yard work

Every year I cut down the Crepe Myrtle along the side of the house. It grows too close and is spindly. This year it fought back, producing the most gorgeous blooms I've ever seen! I give up, this stays!

I ordered some new roses this year. My criteria was scent and beauty, in that order. The roses are lovely but so far, no scent. I paid extra for scent, these better come through.

Turtle rescue

We were driving along today when Randy pulled to the side of the road, turned around, and went back. Right at the very edge of the road, actually stretching his long neck out on to the road, was a big soft-shelled turtle. Really big. I cautiously put my foot near him (her?) for scale, but I was careful not to get too close. I know it's not a snapping turtle but he wasn't happy to see us.

Brave Randy put on a pair of gloves and picked that big boy up! He held him gently by the sides, to be sure nobody got hurt. 

That's a lot of turtle to carry, especially when the turtle doesn't like it and keep squirming and flapping his feet.

When he was closer to the water than the road, Randy put him down. And the turtle scooted as quickly as a turtle can scoot to get to the water and slip in. The local vultures were out of luck today!

Life and death decisions ... for critters

I found a tiny little frog on the outside of the garage today. So cute!  

Around the corner I found another critter - one of those horrible Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers. They eat anything and everything, including roses, fruits and vegetables.  Nope, I do not allow them to stay. This was was over twice the size of the frog! Randy dispatched it for me.