With Fourth of July in the rear view mirror, I look ahead and wonder about the rest of the summer. Will it be rainy? Sunny? Will I see that huge fish again, the one I glimpsed alongside the dock?
Will the resident mink return to the beach, and will the bird choirs singing every June morning under my window keep performing?
Will the few runty scrawny Swiss chard plants now struggling to survive in my raised bed garden actually turn into tall, green leaved plants despite my failure to start the seeds in the house?
Will my new rotating composter work as promised? I’ve been vigilantly filling it with coffee grounds, eggshells and fruit peelings, dreaming of the rich nourishment it will soon supply. I even dream of its results—the large rutabagas, carrots and turnips that will enhance next winter’s soups.
Where do blue jays go in summer? During the fall, winter and spring, they are part of my backyard scene. These blue birds squabble and squawk and circulate endlessly around the yard and the thicket alongside the driveway. But as the summer progresses, they disappear. They come back in the fall, but where are they now?
This brings me to one of my favorite summer topics—turtles. I’m wondering how many people actually have seen a baby turtle? I was pondering that even as I experienced this year’s first turtle rescue. I drove onto the South Shore Drive and there she was, in the middle of the road, beautiful and large but oh so slow.
Hitting the brakes, I pushed the “flasher” button and hopped from my vehicle to assist this female in her beautiful, glossy green shell across the road. Although my family and I have rescued countless turtles over the years, I have yet to see a baby turtle.
It’s a wonder any survive. The number of nests ravaged by foxes and other predators has got to be high, and yet enough turtles survive in order to lay eggs every summer. And how in the heck do they manage to get back to the lake? Obviously the little guys do, because more adults pop up each summer, but never have I spotted any hatchlings.
Will the first cool burst of fall weather begin as Fisherman’s Picnic ends?
And one last question. At summer’s end, will the Minnesota Twins finally play post-season baseball?
I really hope so.
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