Of Turtles and Toes

Birthday posts are the hardest posts for me to write.
The ones with lots of pictures and lots to say.

It's hard to get all of the pictures placed right where I want them.
Oftentimes, I accidentally delete pictures in the process of moving them.

And it's hard to remember which pictures are where.
For every single picture, I have to switch over to "Preview" so that I write the right things above the right pictures.

It's hard to put my thoughts into words.
Especially when I am emotional about the subject and the people I am writing about.

I procrastinate.
Remember how I mentioned my perfectionistic tendencies and my insecurity issues and how I handle them?

So, I am going to work on Joshua's birthday post for a few more days and tell you about what happened this morning!

Several times we heard Charlie barking at something outside.
Carrie checked out the window and said that she was barking at the ground.
I dismissed it as a stupid mole and figured that sooner or later we would have many more stupid holes all over the backyard to walk into.

Later, when Carrie went outside to give Charlie new water, she opened the back door and yelled, "Charlie is barking at a turtle!"

A turtle?!
We've never had a turtle in our backyard!
Snakes? Yes.
Turtles? No!

Check him out!
Isn't he beautiful?!











I know.
Maybe a little drab when you just see the top of his shell, but take a look at this...









Definitely one of God's "Watch this!" creations...



Hang on...I just need to direct your attention to the sweet little toes in the bottom left of the picture.
Matthew toes.
Those are even more beautiful than the turtle, I think.




Painted turtles are another common species, divided into 4 subspecies.
All painted turtles have a smooth, dark green carapace without serrations. The plastron is predominately yellow, with no hinge. The black or dark green skin is striped. The chin is marked with two wide yellow stripes, meeting at the tip of the jaw. Painted turtles prefer shallow water areas with soft bottoms and basking areas. It is not uncommon to see many painted turtles basking on one log at one time.

Oh...and they forgot to mention that they hiss when they feel threatened.

Do you know what all that means?
It means he is beautiful!

Enjoying the beautiful things,