Louise Penny - The Three Pines Books

One of my favorite innocent pleasures is the series of books chronicling the lives of the inhabitants of the town I really wished I lived in - Three Pines. Annie, Armand, Clara, Gabri, Henri, Isabelle, Jean-Guy, Myrna, Olivier, Reine-Marie, Rosa, Ruth, and even Fred. Clara's paintings and Ruth's poetry. Clicking on photos will enlarge them.

You would have a different body by then,

An old murky one, a stranger's body you could

Not even imagine, and you would be lost and

alone.
Deep and prolonged sigh on my part. 
Thanks Ruth, I'm FINE.

Sometime back at the beginning of summer I noticed a small baby snapping turtle in my pond. I cannot imagine how it managed to work its way under or through the cyclone fence. Although shy, it managed to help itself to the feed I've been giving to the white-goldfish I rescued from a pet food store in Port Huron. Of course the turtle, I've named him Tom after my cousin Tom, influenced by Silver Lake like all my maternal cousins, who loved turtles. Tom (the turtle) must go back to the wild before winter. The question is should he go into the HUGE Lake Huron in my front yard or into one of the several much smaller farmers' ponds I see as I travel through Michigan's Thumb. What is it with Peninsulas, I wonder Carlo? Genetics?

Tom rarely leaves the water. One mild sunny day recently he sunned himself on the lone sunning rock in my tiny pond. He has at least doubled in size this summer.  Adult snappers are not known for the gentle dispositions, their gregarious personalities. He must leave soon in order to acclimate himself successfully to a real life in the wild. I'm waiting until the summer tourists leave. Soon, Tommy, soon. I'll miss you. But have a nice life.

Tom the Turtle

Tom the Turtle

Tom the Turtle

Unplanned cousins located near each other in the garden. Wild Marsh Mallow and cultivated perennial Hibiscus.

Marsh Mallow

Perennial Garden Hibiscus (with Poppy Seed-Pod)

Perennial Garden Hibiscus 

Helenium autumnale (original 5 foot version)

Helenium autumnale (3 feet tall)

Hemerocallis with Katydid

Hemerocallis 

Volunteer Sedum (missed by rabbits somehow)

Volunteer Buddleia in Geranium pot

Another Volunteer Buddleia in the same pot

Usually there are bullfrogs, the result of adding their tadpoles, in my ponds. This year for the first time leopard frogs appeared. I've been a little concerned lest Tommy the Turtle decided to feast on them but so far, so good.

The Monarch butterflies are now dazzling me with their disingenuous fidgety flying, slowly sipping the sweet nectar of early autumn's wild flowers, and wending and weaving their way back to Mexico. (Honest, I was not trying to do that.)

I was set to purchase a lovely female puppy but, like the ships below, I narrowly avoided that catastrophe. The breeder wanted to set unreasonable demands on me without any discussion. In truth I really believe that the puppy was extremely good, better than she had thought, and she had changed her mind and wanted more control over her. Years ago she had purchased a male from me with no strings, no contract, no co-ownership. I foolishly expected the same lack of stipulations and control from her. Although I remain deeply saddened, I realize that my forced decision was the right one.