By Elizabeth Prata
Today was an errand day. With the first of the month tomorrow and payday today, I needed to get rent ready and dropped off, pay bills, and I had the low fuel warning light come on, and I needed groceries. Groceries were 17 miles away. With the low fuel light on, would I make it? Let's find out! Nothing like living on the edge!
I made it. Kroger is my grocery store of choice. The corporation might be liberal-woke, but they offer excellent digital coupons, loyalty programs, and markdowns and sales that reduce my grocery bill by a lot. For example, today I bought $81.00 worth of groceries for $63.00 The load included a whole chicken destined for the crockpot, 18 eggs, and a package of deli turkey for proteins, so I'm happy. Plus a ton of fruit and other produce. I intend for this load to last me a week and a half, (I think I can make the lettuce and blueberries last that long, right? ;P) so I'm pretty stoked. That's $6.30 per day.
It was a fresh and sunny morning so I brought along my camera. I've found that I enjoy people's posts on various social media when they publish normal things, daily things. Like their groomed backyard. The meat on the grill. A sunset. Their blooming bush. Relaxing in front of the TV or the fireplace. Their snoozing dog. With so much turmoil in the world it's nice to rest in these little moments of blessing. They are oases of normalcy in a world gone mad.
So I will do the same. Nothing is too mundane, really, to photo and post & share. As I made the rounds of my errands this is what I snapped:
It never gets old, my relief in moving to Georgia. Having lived in New England, mainly Maine for most of my adult life, during the winter everything becomes static. Freezes. Nothing moves. No animals, no birds. Down in Georgia when I'm out and about I try to watch for animals and appreciate them.
Yesterday I saw a gorgeous paint horse grazing in a meadow. Two juvenile turkey buzzards eating some roadkill. A baby squirrel who didn't double back but just froze in the middle of the road. I hope he learns faster not to do that. As I parked at school, I saw a juvenile red-bellied woodpecker land on the edge of the metal breezeway roof between our two school buildings. He paused there for a good bit, then began pecking at the metal! It sounded like machine gun fire. He quit after a few tat-tat-tats, and alighted on another part of the breezeway roof. He did it again! I laughed so hard. I hope he learns that metal is not his best material for pecking.
To get to the 'city' where Kroger is from my rural town, there is one way to go and that's a two lane State Route. There is usually a lot of traffic because it's the only route and the speed limit is 55 mph. But along the way there is this gorgeous spot with two ponds separated by a bit of land. I see geese, butterflies, blue heron, ducks, and turtles there all the time. There isn't really a great place to stop, and like I said, traffic moves along at a good pace.
A large tree limb had fallen into the edge of the bank and extends under water. Every time I pass by I see lots of turtles lined up on the log. Sometimes it's downright crowded with so many turtles. It cracks me up. It is also very picturesque. I've often wanted to take a picture.
There is one small spot I can pull off, but it's grass, and I am unsure how much mud there is below it and whether my car would become stuck. I'd also have to back into the traffic to get out. Dicey. But this morning I was prepared. There weren't a lot of cars zooming by for once, and I screwed up my courage and pulled off. I'd seen three medium to large sized turtles on the log! I got out and as I came around behind my car and raised my camera, they all slid into the water! Fast! Plop! Plop! Plop! Gone. Who said turtles were slow?! Only ripples left. I could see one just below the surface, waiting for me to go. I waited for him to climb back on the log. Standoff!
While I was waiting, I saw geese under the shade across the pond. Two butterflies, one brown and one white, alighting on dandelions. I looked for the heron, but he wasn't there today. That ole turtle was just floating under the muddy water, snout barely above the surface I could see I was losing the standoff. OK, turtles, I'll get you next time!
Usually there is a turtle lineup on the log. But when I approached, they all skedaddled.
No Heron. He usually stands in the marshy end of the pond here.
geese lounging in the shade.
I see you, turtle! Maybe next time we will meet.
So I had a slow morning with coffee and a nice breakfast, success at the grocery store, a photography journey along the way, and when I got home, a nap. Summer has begun!
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