Nothing Unusual Here

What a spectacular weekend this was.  The weather was perfect.

Clear, warm, not too hot, and breezy enough to keep the bugs at bay.

Most of my time was spent chasing Canada geese out of the back yard. The End.

Friday evening I went to Deltaville for the first time since the tornado. Even after all these weeks, the scene at Zoar church is a very vivid reminder of that storm's unbelievable strength.

Saturday was spent at the library doing research for the book.  Later that evening, I ran a 5K wearing a crab hat.

 Sunday, in addition to a very relaxing visit to Aaron's Beach where these shots were taken, I dragged a stinking snapping turtle out the middle of the road.

Just in case you were wondering, snapping turtles are very strong and very stubborn.  They do not like to be tampered with even (and perhaps especially) if you're trying to save them from becoming the next Turkey Buzzard Delight Early Bird Special at the Road Kill Cafe.

Plus, it is worth reiterating that they stink.

This one evidently had been hibernating  in swamp mud for decades months, making it even more stinky, more slippery and therefore nigh on impossible to drag out of the road.  Also, it stunk.  Stank.  Stunk.  Stinks.  Still.

I swear I can still smell that rank turtle stank on my hands.

(The impromptu lesson in the many tenses and variations of the word "stink" --up to and including its use as a noun in "turtle stank" --is now mercifully over.)

As I'm standing in the middle of the road wrestling a very unsanitary unhappy snapping turtle--as if I have nothing better to do--a lady pulls up, rolls down her window, and asks, "Are you trying to get him out of the road?"

To myself I answered, "Just out of curiosity, what else would I be doing, standing here in the middle of the road with this nasty, stinking turtle that would like nothing better than to snack on a few of my fingers? "

I didn't say that though.

Eventually I moved him to the shoulder and we all went our merry ways.

So, anyway, aside from chasing Canada geese; running a race wearing a crab hat; and going a few rounds with a stinkin' old snappin' turtle, it was just an ordinary weekend around these parts.

The End.

p.s. This blog has reached a new low when the focus is on dragging a snapping turtle out of the road will be slowing down over the next few weeks as I gear up for intense work on the book. This week's posts will be sporadic, and next week I'm taking a break from everything in order to focus on meeting my June deadline.  

Have a great week.