Big Turtle Swamp

THE NEWT & THE SNAKE

2008-05-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I chased a rare to see, red bellied newt down the stairs to the wetlands below my home. A visiting contractor tried to stop it for me so I could take a photograph, but the newt was too fast for both of us. So I snapped a picture of the whole area in hopes to go “hunting” later.

Computer Wildlife Hunting is one of my favorite things to do. I open the photograph at full resolution and pan around looking for anything which appears slightly different from its surroundings. This is a lot harder than finding Waldo. Nature’s camouflage is amazing. I finally located the Newt in one of the pictures, only because its quick movements made a blur which distinguished it from the leaves around it.

I was now the proud owner of a photograph of a path of leaves with a blur spot in them. In my excitement, I was looking only for the Newt. Meanwhile, I failed to notice a large black snake, not five feet from it. When I opened the photo on my computer, there it was, clear as day. I called the contractor who had been with me to ask him if he had seen the snake. Neither he, nor I, nor the man with him, had noticed the snake during our “Newt pursuit.”

I wonder how many times in life that I miss what God places in front of me because I only see what I’m looking for. Being present to life as it plays out in each moment of my days is difficult for me. Afraid things will turn out like they did yesterday, I worry about tomorrow and I miss today. I’m always planning, thinking of ways to insure myself against catastrophe. I see life through a filter of past experiences which have colored my view of the world around me. In living out what “might happen,” I often lose the ability to experience what actually is happening.

To some, it may seem unusual that I see a “snake sighting” as a gift. I didn’t used to. When I moved into our swamp side home eight years ago, I was afraid of the swamp and terrified that I would run into a snake. Now, after numerous hours spent in these wetlands, I have fallen in love with this land and all of its creatures, even snakes. I respect each living thing and live in awe of the awesome artist who created them all. I meet Him there and sometimes I am calm enough to hear His voice.

HIGH WINDS AND FLYING TREES HIT BIG TURTLE SWAMP

2008-05-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

WHY SWAMPSCAPING IS NOT A WORD

2008-04-27T11:42:00.001-07:00

I don't believe there is a documented history of anyone ever taming a swamp.

I plant stuff.
It dies.
I cut down stuff.
It grows back.
I plant trees.
The beavers chew them down.
I lay stone.
Swamp grass grows to cover it.
I dig creeks.
Storms and rain fill them with mud.
I make plans.
The swamp changes them.

I am always hearing "you can't do it" from one person or another. When I hear that kind of stuff, I'm even more determined to prove I can do it. My husband Russ never tells me that I can't do it. Russ just wonders why I'm willing to face snakes and snapping turtles and probably the swamp plague in order to accomplish my goal. From time to time he will even do a "he-man" chore for me, to help move me along on a project. ( This week he took time off from making a 3-D Robot movie to fire up his chain saw. Don't you love it? I sure do!)

I asked him to cut up a large fallen tree so that I will be able to dig it out and make a larger water area. Then I asked him to remove some large brush that my lopping shears couldn't handle. I will be busy for weeks now, working these new areas. The swamp is fed by a spring fed lake and empties into a river. I am hoping that, over time, the flow of the water will finish what I have started. I think there is at least one beaver who has moved back in "to help me with my task."

Fearless Grandson meets Fearless Grandturtle

2008-04-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

Micah is five years old. He loves to wear waders, in or out of water, but especially in creeks and swamps. He and I wore our waders out into the swamp water yesterday. We dug out the section circled in red. (We are trying to make a shallow lake with shovels!) During the process, he encountered a small black and yellow water snake, which didn't phase him. He didn't even raise his voice (and he has a whopper of a voice) when he told me about it.

Lack of excitement is no way to describe my reaction to Micah mentioning a snake was near him! However, I never saw the snake. Micah said it was small and pointed it out in my field guide later. It was apparently a benign water snake. Still....Whoa!

Then later, with Micah away in a much safer location, I had my own frightening swamp encounter. Below are two pictures of the big turtle's offspring which were taken several years ago. I believe this turtle is an alligator snapping turtle. It looks very different from the other swamp turtles and the largest turtle discovered in this swamp probably weighs about 80 pounds. None of the other varieties of swamp turtles grow anywhere near that large. Why wouldn't there be younger, smaller family members?

Anyway, when my shovel hit this turtles now much larger shell, I thought I had discovered a nice big rock to use in my landscaping. I reached in the water with both hands to pick up the rock. As I lifted it from the water, it snapped at me and I dropped it screaming. Then I made this jumping and scrambling commotion as I tried to get my shovel under it and lift for Micah to see. Unfortunately it was too big and too heavy for a standard shovel. I only succeeded in catapulting it forward to swim away and out of sight.

Micah wasn't moved but he thought his Grandmommy was pretty funny.

SWAMP FRIENDS WITH FEATHERS

2008-04-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

FIRST 2008 BIG TURTLE SIGHTING!

2008-03-31T10:16:00.000-07:00

Look who's treading water under the log! I took the picture with a telescopic lens about a week ago, without any awareness of the turtle. Since that time, as is always the story, I cannot find this turtle.

ON FROGS AND FLOWERS

2008-03-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

A frog in the hand.....No I'm not going to say what you think. I know that it's not good

to hold frogs since they breathe through their skin. This was just one of those times

when I lost the battle with myself. I didn't hold him long and my gloves were clean, mostly.

THE BRIDGE

2008-03-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

The dam broke again and the beavers didn't show up for the repair this time. All earlier breaks had been repaired within twenty-four hours, generally overnight. I waited for a few days and then I began to grieve, much more than seemed fitting for the event. Nature has arranged for beavers to move from place to place, but this family of beavers had become a part of my story. They became part of my story and then they moved on, leaving me behind. The beavers would not be coming back. Seeing that water tumble through the ever widening gap in the dam served as a daily reminder that my grandson would not be coming back either.

For almost three years I had awakened to my grandson's giggles and hugs and to his mom's hopes and dreams. It was a wonderful time of life. Then, they were gone and things weren't right and I couldn't make them right. My heart was broken and the man of my heart grieved with me. We found ourselves unable to do much of anything for a very long time. It felt like we were at the bottom of a deep well. It was dirty and dark and uncomfortable there but we didn't have the motivation to pull ourselves out.

Then, one morning I awoke to find myself alone in my sea of heartache. Abandoned again? Not hardly! Very soon I found myself holding on to a very familiar life preserver, while being lifted up and out of my misery. Russell, my husband, held my face in his hands and spoke carefully. He said that he had decided to rescue the two of us and that he had left the rest in God's capable hands. His rescue mission would not be an easy one but he knew exactly where to begin - in Big Turtle Swamp.

Russell's extreme distaste for my precious swamp is a vital part of this story. Besides his aversion to snakes and critters and the fact that mosquitoes find him quite tasty, Russell doesn't reap an ounce of joy from digging and hauling. Before that eventful day, he had never walked down those long stairs ....without being pulled and begged by a loved one. This day changed everything.

I awoke to find this beautiful soul I married sitting next to the swamp's edge, making his acquaintance with two large green frogs. This man knows that when nothing else can bring a smile to my face, a frog can. He had caught them and saved them in a bucket, waiting for me to come see. As he handed me the bucket, I smiled. Then I felt a little drop of heartache fall out of me and onto the ground. When I looked up and all around me, I found myself wrapped in the warmest hug ever. Russell hadn't even touched me, but he had touched my heart like never before.

There beside us were several bags of concrete, three stacks of pressure treated lumber, and hardware of all sorts. My computer loving indoor inventor had hauled all of these supplies down the 66 stone stairs to my swamp. Then, in the murky water he detests, he had spent his morning constructing a base for a bridge I had dreamed of.

This bridge mended a brokenness that I didn't even know I had. It brought us closer to family, to neighbors, to friends, to nature, but most of all, to each other. It helped me to move forward and it gave me a haven for rest. It served as my link to mystery and adventure and wildlife and beautiful growing things. But, most of all, it was a permanent bridge between my husband's heart and mine, tucked safely away from life's surprises.

BUGS, LIZARDS, SNAKES, & VIDEO-TAPES

2008-03-12T19:18:00.001-07:00

I NOTICE THINGS MORE WHEN I'M NEAR THE SWAMP.

SNAKE FOLLOWING HAS NOT RESULTED IN A PICK-UP .... YET.

PRESS PLAY FOR A RATED "G" SNAKE VIDEO.

PENNY PENNY POSSUMWEED

2008-03-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

MRS. POSSUMWEED RUNS LIKE CRAZY ANY TIME I'M NEAR HER SWAMP HOME. HOWEVER, I WAS RECENTLY AWAKENED AS SHE KNOCKED OVER AN IRON BIRD SEED DISH ON MY DECK AT THREE IN THE MORNING.

THE FLASHES OF MY CAMERA FRIGHTENED HER SO THAT SHE STAYED FOR A NUMBER OF POSES. EITHER THAT, OR SHE IS A VAIN LITTLE POSSUM. OR SHE MAY HAVE STAYED FOR THE FOOD I GAVE HER.

DO YOU SEE THE BIG TURTLE?

2008-03-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

MY FAVORITE MYSTERY IN THE SWAMP IS THAT I NEVER SEE THE BIG TURTLE UNTIL I SEE MY PICTURES ON THE COMPUTER. I SNAP SHOTS OF FLOWERS, INSECTS, AND SOMETIMES JUST AVERAGE STUFF. I DOWNLOAD THE PICTURES AND THERE HE IS! IMMEDIATELY I'LL RUN BACK TO THE SWAMP TO FIND HIM. HE'S ALWAYS GONE. FIVE OF THESE PICTURES MAY HAVE THE TURTLE IN THEM. I AM ONLY DEAD SURE ABOUT TWO OF THEM. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

FEYNMAN'S TRULY EXCELLENT DAY

2008-03-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

Feynman so loves his days in the swamp. When I'm tempted to bemoan the after swamp clean up, I take a look at that sweet face. His joy always pays in full.

LITTLE MIRACLES

2008-03-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

I have a

habit of

looking

for the

big

miracles,

both in

life and

in Big

Turtle

Swamp.

Yet so

many

little

miracles

gather

around

while I

search.

FRAIDY TURTLES

2008-03-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

The little turtles in Big Turtle Swamp are "fraidy turtles." Rarely am I swift enough to get a good picture. They dive quickly and hide under their hard shells in hopes to go unnoticed by predators.

VULTURES ARE BIRDS TOO

2008-03-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

This morning I was quite excited to see large birds circling outside my window. I took some quick shots with a telescopic lens and rushed to the computer in anticipation. When I identified the species, I immediately thought "Yuk, nasty old vultures." Then I took a step back and realized I have a heaping dose of bird prejudice. These birds and I were created by the same designer. With this in mind, "Forgive me Heavenly Father and thank you for vultures."

TOAD

2008-03-07T11:26:00.000-08:00

I found this little toad in a bucket of rain water yesterday morning. Finding no way out of the bucket, he had puffed his little belly up to help him float. Arms and legs fully extended and with no visible movement, I was sure he had lost the fight. Yet, after a short post rescue disorientation, he hopped off. Yea Toad!

HIDDEN BEAUTY

2008-03-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

NEW MYSTERY

2008-03-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

This new little stream ripples and bubbles as it rushes off toward unexplored landscape. One day I will put on my waders and follow along.

Soon.