"Gather ye rose-buds while ye may." Robert Herrick

"Gather ye rose-buds while ye may." Robert Herrick

Hello Friends!

Friends, Romans, countrymen...y'all. Foodies, gardeners, artists and collectors - let's gather together to share and possibly learn a thing or two in the mix.

Donna Baker

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

In The Evening

 My evenings are the same.  I go up to the barn and feed the animals, collect eggs when I can find them, then tend to the other critters.  I have three farm ponds and there, waiting for me, day in and day out, are the fish and turtles.  Somehow, through my footfall or the sound of the ATV, they are always waiting for me.  The swarms of fish nearest the edge of the pond are the babies/small fry and they graduate in size the farther out they go.  The fish wiggle and wriggle, excited for the bread and pellets coming their way. 
Farther back still, the turtles, heads poking out of the water, start coming across the pond.  Most are skittish and wait for me to toss food their way.  But, a few have become braver.  Case in point, the snappers.  I have two Snapping Turtles in this pond.  Their cousins, the Alligator Snapping Turtles, can grow to over 250 lbs.
Let me just tell you, they are huge, ugly beasts and until recently, only feasted on the live baby fish.  They now have decided to eat the leftover food I leave for the other pond turtles.




This lug went straight for the raspberries and returned several times.




Then she spied a smaller Red Eared Slider coming to the feast.


Thai noodles?  Alright.



With berry stained lips, it went for the chicken tender and decided to head back out into the pond with her score,  just as the other snapper showed up.


So go the days at my farm.
Turtle soup anyone?


12 comments:

Terra said...

I like your turtles, they appear very ancient, almost dinosaur like. I have not heard of anyone besides you feeding turtles. Skunks come for snacks to our house.

RachelD said...

Ain't WE got fun!!

I'm a turtle person, as well---well, since I've been Ganjin to an enormous spur-thighed tortoise for many years, 1 1/2 of which he lived at our house, eating his dinners fresh-chopped in his own tee-ninecy Cuisinart, and then heading around from beside the stove mornings all the way through the breakfast and dining room, past the stairs and into our room, where he circled to the FAR side of the waterbed, where he curled up til he heard the "whirr" of supper and my "C'mon, Dolling!" Nights he spent in the utility room, with his face pressed near the "fire god" in the water heater.

We went for lots of walks out and around the sidewalk for a block, with only my ankles to steer him gently back when he took a step toward the street, and sometimes he wandered the whole (fenced) back yard with a huge plastic laundry basket upended over him---I could mark his trek around the lawn by that big blue box bobbing in and out of the ivy as he nipped at the grass and clover..

And Now, there's a new baby in the family, for GRAND #6's birthday---a little teeny one just like him, to grow up and grow old with our very-reptile/amphibian/dinosaur-inclined little guy.

Debbie Nolan said...

Ah Donna - now that looks like my kind of fella. Didn't know turtles ate people food. Glad to see he isn't starving at your place! Have a great week-end. P.S. I think your butterfly on the side bar stopped by my house...instead of resting on allium - he visited the white phlox. I will be sure to send him back your way - think it might be warmer there for him.

RachelD said...

A new baby tortoise, I meant---though there IS a new Grandson we've yet to meet!

Linda said...

Wow, Donna, I love turtles!!! I thoroughly enjoyed your photos, the turtles look definitely happy and healthy and they appreciated the good food. You have a very nice blog. I found you via a comment you made on Debbie's blog. Warm greetings from Montreal, Canada.

donna baker said...

My Gracie, the horse, killed a skunk last week. I just hope it wasn't rabid. The turtles do look like dinosaurs. The grandkids and I named it Gammera.

donna baker said...

I love that Rachel. In another pond there is a tiny Red Eared Slider about the size of a quarter that comes to eat. I'm getting another grandchild in Feb. but we don't know the sex yet.

donna baker said...

Deb, I'm going to have to plant more butterfly plants next year as I haven't had as many this year. It hasn't gotten cold here yet, so maybe I'll see the monarchs migrating before a cold front.

donna baker said...

Well thank you Linda. Glad to meet ya.

La Table De Nana said...

This is so funny Donna..The bejeweled lips made me smile..then Thai..
Imagine a turtle liking such diverse things..
You must have had fun "snapping"!!

Willow said...

They are prehistoric looking aren't they and yes darn ugly.
I hate that the big ones tug the baby ducks right under :(

donna baker said...

I remember your turtles Willow. Hope they don't escape before winter this year. The coyotes and neighbor's dogs finally killed off our geese and ducks so no worry about the snappers eating the babies. The have become quite bold and one isn't afraid of me anymore. In my husbands family, they always run over or shoot turtles which I find loathsome. His father even caught birds in a cage trap and shot them because he said they ate his duck's feed. Unbelievable.