Painted Turtle Eggs

Not too long ago I rescued a Painted turtle that was fortunate enough to have crossed the road successfully. However, upon reaching the other side, she was unable to climb the new granite curbing that was recently installed. I was afraid that she would work her way back out into the roadway and fall victim to another passing vehicle, so I stopped.

I decided to take her home to show my daughter, as well as my niece, who was scheduled to visit at the end of July. We have one of those small plastic kiddies pools, which was immediately converted into a turtle pond.

She affectionately has become known as "Painty". Although she's in captivity and restricted to her new turtle pond, she eats better than most. I stopped at a local pond just the other day and was able to pull up a bunch of plants, i.e. duckweed, algae, lily pads and a few others I am not familiar with. These plants along with an occasional shrimp or two, as well as tuna fish have her doing just fine.

I realize and understanding why turtles typically risk their lives to cross roads. However, and perhaps selfishly, I kept her anyway. Sure enough we were not surprised to find that she laid 3 eggs. We gathered them up and just last night buried them as she would have. Although we choose to burry them in a very large flower pot filled with sand, which we intend to monitor and tend to in the hope of seeing and experiencing the birth of these tiny Chrysemys picta.

The picture above is of the three eggs she laid, and was taken with a US quarter to provide an example of just how small they are. Stay tuned to see how these little guys fair...I certainly hope we have better success with these eggs than we did with our chicken incubator eggs.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) is a reptile that is common in North America, and is a water turtle related to other water turtles such as sliders and cooters. The turtle lives in ponds, lakes, marshes, and in slow-moving rivers that have soft, muddy bottoms.

In the wild, this turtle may live for over thirty years: in captivity it can live over twenty years. The painted turtle spends most of its time in the water but often lies on floating logs in the sun, as well as on rocks or by the shore.

During very cold weather painted turtles hibernate, burying themselves for months in the mud beneath streams and ponds. The mud acts as an insulator and helps to keep the turtle warm in harsh winter months. Painted turtles can survive long winters in ice-covered ponds because they can live for several months without breathing oxygen.

These turtles make great pets since they reproduce quickly and pose no threat of becoming extinct. The Painted Turtle is the only species in the genus Chrysemys. It is comprised of 4 sub-species.

Painted turtle eggs incubate an average of 10-11 weeks, but variation is considerable, depending on temperature.

Note: At incubations temperatures of 24-28 CELSIUS only males are produced. At an incubation temperature of 30C, 96 percent of hatchlings are female. Some other reptiles also have temperature-dependent gender of hatchlings.

My Wish

To Stephanie, Christopher and Emilie...

I recently purchased Rascal Flatts new album, Me and My Gang. The song My Wish immediately hit me and brought me to my knees! The lyrics from this song express my feelings, desires and wants for my three kids! I hope as they grow and move on with their lives that they're fortunate enough to have their lives 'become all that they want it to' and to know just how much they're loved by their dad and that this, too, is My Wish for them...

Lyrics

I hope that days come easy and the moments pass slow, and each road leads you where you want to go, and if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose, I hope you choose the one that means the most to you. And if one door opens to another door closed, I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window, if it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile, but more than anything, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to, your dreams stay big, your worries stay small, You never need to carry more than you can hold, and while you're out there getting where you're getting to, I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too, Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget, all the ones who love you, in the place you left, I hope you always forgive, and you never regret, and you help somebody every chance you get, Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake, and you always give more than you take. but more than anything, Yeah, and more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to, your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small, You never need to carry more than you can hold, and while you're out there getting where you're getting to, I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too, Yeah, this, is my wish.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to, your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small, You never need to carry more than you can hold, and while you're out there getting where you're getting to, I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too, Yeah this is my wish

Backyard Poultry

Here is a picture of "Lucy". She is one of two Black sex-link hens that we hatched in our incubator last spring (2005) and raised from a tiny chick. Her coop mate is "Ethel", both named from characters on the 1950s television series "I Love Lucy". We also kept a Buff Orpington cockerel - Ricky, which added a nice contrast color, as well as HIS antics and personality. Sadly roosters are NOT allowed in the town we live in, and as he matured so did his voice! I admit he was quite loud and would often start his revelry at pre-dawn. This obvious did NOT sit well with one of our neighbors who filed a complaint with Animal Control. Regretfully we had to get rid of him. We found him a nice home where he's been for over a year with many, many hens. Sadly, we just learned that he was killed by a coyote in broad daylight...

The "Sex-link" chicken is one, which at time of hatch, can be sexed by its color. The Black "sex-link" is a great brown egg layer and has a wonderful disposition.

I am currently in the process of building them a suitable, predator proof coop - one that will be permanent and allow the girls to come and go as they please. However, for now they are housed in a large wooden crate, that's kept up against the back of the house. As a result we have a daily routine where by in the mornings we carry them out back to a temporary coop, which is housed under the rabbits (I'll post an entry on the rabbits at another time), and then in evenings we carry them back to their wooden crate-coop. As a result of this process, both, Lucy and Ethel have become surprisingly friendly and accepting of the entire process. We do not have to chase after them to catch them, they simply allow us to walk up to them and pick them up.

Building the temporary coop under the rabbits has proven to be a great idea. Not only does it allow us to keep these animals in the same area, which is much easier on the feeding and watering but also fany ood, treats etc. that fall thought the rabbit cages get a second chance at being consumed by Lucy and Ethel. They are also very good at keeping the rabbit droppings, food, hay, grass etc mixed with their constant scratching and digging. This makes for a nice mixed compost and allows immediate transfer to our flower beds, shrubs and trees, which are showing their satisfaction with nice growth and beautiful colors this year.

On Sunday June 25 I attend a small animal flea market that was held at a local Sportsman club. This flea market is held once in the spring and once in the fall and is a great place to pick up a critter or two - and with that said I did! In an effort to create a nice variety of poultry in our backyard coop I bought a Barred Rock pullet. Barred Rock's are prolific layers of brown eggs, and are not discouraged by cold weather, which is perfect for our cold New England winters. This gal has been named "New Honey" by our 4 year old daughter. The tricky part now is to be able to cage her with Lucy and Ethel. However, they want NO part of that! They are all to eager to set the proverbial pecking order and with that they are mean and relentless. So for now they need to be kept separated but we're working on getting them acquainted.

We are also once again running the incubator, which holds 42 eggs. Chicken eggs take 21 days to hatch, so this batch is due on Saturday, July 8 - right around the corner. This time, however, we are incubating Buff Orpington and Black Langshan eggs, which will add even more variety and color to our backyard poultry coop.

Poultry terms and definitions:

1. Pullet - A female chicken under 1 year of age.
2. Hen - A female chicken, greater than 1 year old.
3. Cockeral - A male chicken under 1 year of age; also called young rooster.
4. Rooster - A male chicken, greater than 1 year old.
5. Broiler - A broiler is a chicken raised primarily for meat, as opposed to a one raised to produce eggs.
6. Capon - A castrated male chicken.
7. Fryer - A young chicken that is 9 to 12 weeks old and weighs from 3 to 4 pounds.

**** Update 07/12/2006: The eggs in the incubator began hatching this past Friday night. The first little guy out was one of the Leghorn/Orpington crosses. Sadly to report only 7 eggs out of the 42 hatched - what a terrible percentage. Here's the break down:

1. 2 eggs bad and removed during the incubation period leaving 40.
2. Of the 7 that hatched: (1) chick died, (1) chick had to be destroyed & (5) are fine.
3. The five are: (1) Langshan, (2) Buff Orpingtons & (2) Leghorn/Orpington crosses

**** Update 07/31/2006: The chicks are just over 3 weeks old now; they're doing fine and growing fast. With the warm weather, we removed their heat lamp 2 weeks ago - it's not needed. It's still too early to tell, for me anyway, but it looks like there are 2 cockerals; one Orpington & one Leghorn cross, and three pullets.

Do Not Call Registries

The following are a couple of website that allows you to register or "Opt-Out" from receiving telemarketing calls and unwanted credit or insurance offers via the USPS. I've used both of these sites and have noticed a significant drop in the number of calls and USPS offers - Of course, do your own research, and use at your own discretion:

"National Do Not Call Registry" - The National Do Not Call Registry gives you a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls at home. You can register your home or mobile phone for free.

OptOutPrescreen - OptOutPrescreen.com is a centralized service to accept and process requests from consumers to "Opt-In" or “Opt-Out” of firm offers of credit or insurance. OptOutPrescreen.com is the only internet website authorized by Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion for this purpose under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

Words of Wisdom

1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
2. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
3. When you say, "I love you," mean it.
4. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
5. Believe in love at first sight.
6. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
7. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the o nly way to live life completely.
8. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
9. Don't judge people by their relatives.
10. Talk slowly but think quickly.
11. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you ant to know?"
12. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
13. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
14. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
15. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.
16. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
17. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
18. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice. If telemarketer, tell them to piss-off then hang up, but smile.
19. Spend some time alone.

American Bull Frog

I continue to educate my 4 year old daughter on the wildlife in and around our area. Yesterday our adventures continued with the catching of one of my favorites, the Bullfrog.

The bullfrog brings up many fond memories of my childhood, of a time when these types of amphibians were more common and I didn't know what true responsibilities were. Summers visiting and vacationing on Sebago Lake's Frye Island. We wouldn't have been to the cottage for very long before I'd race down to the swamps in search of some type of critter - snakes, toads or frogs. Bullfrogs were the more common and most fun and I almost always ended up bring one or more back to the cottage to spend the time with.

We were fortunate to come across a bullfrog yesterday while visiting my mom. This frog was kind enough to let me catch him so that my daughter could get a first hand, up close look and feel and yes, even a kiss... Up until this point my daughter had only seen and held tiny frogs and toads but this critter put the name "bull" in bullfrog. This guy was even kind enough to "cry" for us. I don't suspect many people have heard a bullfrog cry, and that's too bad, it's a sight and sound to behold.

Internet Bullfrog reference

Eastern Snapping Turtle (Chelydra Serpentina)

I came across this turtle in the middle of the road the other day. This is a female Eastern Snapping Turtle (Chelydra Serpentina) -

The day before my dad had brought home an Eastern Painted Turtle he found crossing the road. I thought it would be a good learning experience and contrast to bring this girl home too and introduce her to my daughter - she's 4. I also wanted to ensure that this critter didn't become a road kill casualty, as so many do this time of year.

She proved to be a VERY aggressive girl. The following morning we took some pictures then hoped in the truck and took both turtles to a nearby pond, where we released them. Hopefully they're happy and enjoying there new home...

*** Update, June 13, 2006 - I caught another snapping turtle this past weekend. This girl was larger than the one pictured above. She too was attempting to cross the road. I tried to get her turned and headed away from the road but she refused. At that point I decided it best to not chance her attempting to cross after I'd left so I took her with me. We took some pictures of her and this time I measured her shell - 13" front to back and 10" wide, then off to the pond for her release.

The following information was obtained from the Internet -

The Eastern Snapping Turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in Massachusetts. Snapping Turtles are distinctive and ancient-looking turtles that can be as large as 20” and weigh up to 35 pounds, although some individuals are even larger. Males are much larger than females in this species. The carapace of a Snapping Turtle is serrated at its posterior margin and may have keels on the dorsal scutes. The tail is long and “saw–toothed” and the head is large with a hard beak.

The shell is usually dark green to black and is sometimes covered with algae. The skin is usually brown, black or tan. The legs are large and heavily scaled and the feet are webbed with long claws.

The Eastern Snapping Turtle ranges from the eastern United states and southern Canada southward to the Gulf of Mexico and west to the Rocky Mountains and can be found in most permanent or semipermanent bodies of fresh or brackish water, including rivers, streams, pools, bogs, legs, lakes, and marshes. The Eastern Snapping Turtle frequents well-vegetated wetlands with soft muddy banks or bottoms and is almost entirely aquatic.

Snapping Turtles are omnivores, feeding on fish (bullheads, sunfish, perch), aquatic invertebrates, crayfish, live vertebrates, carrion, and plant material. They are highly herbivorous and can be seen “grazing” on cattail roots (Typha) and water lilies (Nymphaea).

The Snapping Turtle reaches sexual maturity between 5 and 7 years of age. They typically lay eggs in soil, lawns, fields, and leaf or twig piles and deposit between 11 and 83 eggs in one or two clutches per year. Snapping Turtle eggs usually hatch after 2+ months of incubation, usually in early September.

Mom, I Miss You - Sweet Dreams...

Gently, Goodbye

by Linda McDonald

My love…my life, we’ve been partners in this game for so long.

We are one player.

We have tolerated so many quirks in one another for so long…

Can we even name the quirks now?

We’ve laughed together, wept together, fought together, parented together, as husband and wife

Now I see the life ebbing slowly from your being.

My heart is breaking…I can’t lose you.

How can I go on without you?

Yet I must take care of you now. You are tired and you are hurting.

My love gives me endless energy so that I can be at your side to cherish every remaining moment that God gives us.

Let me serve you, my love, as you have so gently tended to me in times of need.

God will support me now while I support you.

And when God quietly takes you from me, I will weep.

I will know that your pain is over.

I will know you are waiting for me.

We will again be united in love with our Father in heaven.

About the author: Visit Linda’s web site

Copyright © 1994 by Linda McDonald. All rights reserved.

Vlad's Suggestions

I have begun compiling a list of recommendation from a colleague of mine. This will be a random list of items, from movies to books to foods to wine. There will be no order, nor rhyme nor reasons to this list just a list. Moving forward this list will be referred to as, "Vlad's Suggestions".

I will update this list as new recommendation come in, so return frequently because you don't want to miss a thing -

**** Items highlighted in green have been tried, completed, read etc

*** Update, June 9, 2006 - This just in...Vlad has refused to provide additional recommendations UNTIL I have acted upon, at least, one of his suggestions below. I was simply asking him for a nice wine recommendation and WHAM he hits me with this ultimatum. Arguably I agreed with him, so off to the book store I go to pick up "The Name of the Rose", afterall I refuse to eat Duck Liver Pate...

*** Update, June 13, 2006 - Well I made it to the book store Friday night and picked up two books - "The Loved One" and "The Name of the Rose". I hope to begin reading The Loved One soon.

*** Update, June 23, 2006 - Tried Gazpacho at lunch today - it's not too bad. I am not a big fan of vegatables in general, therefore since Gazpacho is made from fresh vegetables I didn't enjoy completely. However, the juice was tasty and reminded me of what my mother would call "butta butta", which I believe is Greek for dipping.

*** Update, June 24, 2006 - When Vlad and I made our WholeFood run on Friday to pickup the Gazpacho, I also picked up two Iggy's bagels - one plain and one multigrain. I had the multigrain one this morning toasted with butter - very, very good and tasty bagel! Typically bagels with toping almost alway loose their toping in the process of slicing toasting and buttering but this bagel held onto the majority of it topings.

*** Update, June 25, 2006 - Purchased a six-pack of "Old Speckled Hen" ale today and gave one a try - I enjoyed it, However, very expensive, as I paid $8.50ish for a six-pack...

*** Update, July 3, 2006 - At Vlad's request the "Cîroc® Vodka" needs to be removed from his list of recommendations below. Although this vodka came highly rated by Vlad origionally it has tumbled and it no longer a favorite. Too fruity a taste, which is too overwhelming when consuming this vodka in the quantities that Vlad drinks.

*** Update, July 20, 2006 - Today I tried Salmon caviar. It was meticulously prepared by Vlad himself on a piece of dark bread with plenty of butter. However, there's a bit of a discrepency with this 'tasting'. Apparently, Vlad doesn't believe it was a true tasting because there was "not enough quantity"...go figure.

*** Update, July 31, 2006 - We purchased from eBay, "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask". We just have to find the time to watch it...it's on the 'list'!

**** Movies ****

1. Woody Allen film - "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask" - starring: Woody Allen, Tony Randall, Lynn Redgrave, Gene Wilder & Burt Reynolds
2. Black Cat White Cat (1999) - starring: Bajram Severdzan and Srdjan Todo

**** Foods ****

1. Iggy's Bagel - "Iggy's Bread of the World" is at 130 Fawcett St., Cambridge, 617-491-7600. Iggy's bagels are sold at many Whole Foods Markets
2. Duck Liver Pate with Truffels...I'll be passing on this one, YUK!
3. Avocado - Cut in half, add salt, use spoon to scoop and eat.
4. Gazpacho - A Spanish-style soup that resembles a sort of chunky liquid salad, with lots of fresh, uncooked vegetables suspended in a broth of pureed tomatoes or tomato juice and chicken stock.
5. Pelmini - Are a national Eastern European (mainly Russian) dish - usually made with minced meat filling, wrapped in thin dough (made out of flour and eggs, sometimes with milk or water added). Pork, lamb, beef or any other kind of meat can be used as a filling and mixing several kinds is popular. Pelmeni belong to the family of dumplings.
6. Caviar (Salmon) - Caviar

**** Wine/Beer/Liquor ****

1. Old Speckled Hen - A most gratifying Ale.
2. Cîroc® -Vodka distilled from fine French grapes.
3. Matua Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - A distinctive and aromatic Marlborough sauvignon blanc, delivering bright and lively gooseberry and passionfruit characters with a hint of lime. Produced by Matua Valley Wines in West Auckland, New Zealand.

**** Books/Readings/Author's ****

1. Haiku
2. Evelyn Waugh - "The Loved One", "A Handful of Dust", "Put Our More Flags"
3. Umberto Eco - "Granita", "Misreadings", "The Name of The Rose"
4. Vladimir Nabokov - "Lolita
5. Gabriel García Márquez - "One Hundred Years of Solitude"
6. Paulo Coelho's
7. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta SwamiPrabhupada - "Bhagavad Gita"
8. Charles Bukowski - "The Most Beautiful Woman in Town and other short stories"

**** Miscellaneous ****

1. Netflix - Netflix link
2. Google Earth - Google Earth link
3. FAST LANE - The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority's Electronic Toll Collection Program. FAST LANE is also operational anywhere E-ZPass is accepted.

Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum)

Other Names: American Solomon's Seal, King Solomon's Seal, King Solomon's-seal, Small Solomon's Seal, Lady's Seals. St. Mary's Seal.

Habitat:Perennial native herb found growing in moist sandy, loamy or rocky woods and thickets, N. America from New Brunswick to Michigan, south to Tennessee and Florida. Cultivation: a very hardy plant, it prefers a light soil and a shady situation. Seeds, or transplants, if taken up with plenty of soil. The creeping root, rhizome, or underground stem, is thick and white, twisted and full of knots, with large circular scars at intervals, these scars give Solomon's Seal it's name. Stems grow to a height of from 18 inches to 2 feet, or even more and bend over gracefully. Large, light green, and broad ovate leaves grow alternately on the stem, clasping it at the bases. The flowers are tubular, succulent and thick, light yellow- green, and hang in little drooping clusters of two to five, growing from the leaf axils. Flowers bloom April to June. The fruit is a small berry about the size of a pea, blackish-blue, fruit is not edible, said to be poisonous. Gather roots in fall as flows fade, dry for later herb use.

Properties: Solomon's Seal is edible and medicinal, the young edible shoots are an excellent vegetable when boiled and eaten like Asparagus. The root is edible after boiling in three changes of water or sun baked, and is a good source of starch. This herb has a long history of use in alternative medicine dating back to the time of Dioscorides and Pliny. The main constituents are saponins (similar to diosgenin), flavonoids, and vitamins. A medicinal infusion of root or rhizome, is used in alternative medicine as an astringent, demulcent, and tonic. The dried herb is taken as a laxative and restorative, and is good in inflammations of the stomach, indigestion, profuse menstruation, lung ailments, general debility, bowels, piles, and chronic dysentery. A medicinal poultice of the fresh roots is said to fade bruises, also applied to cuts and sores.

Folklore: Once believed to have aphrodisiac properties, and used in love potions. More than likely due to its ability to stop profuse menstruation. Gerard says: 'The roots of Solomon's Seal, stamped while it is fresh and greene and applied, taketh away in one night or two at the most, any bruise, blacke or blew spots gotten by falls or women's wilfulness in stumbling upin their hastie husband's fists, or such like.'

Recipe: "Medicinal" tea: To 1 tsp. dried herb add 1 cup boiling water, steep for 10 min. sweeten to taste, take in the morning as laxative.

The above infomation was found at the following URL

The article was written by Deb Jackson & Karen Bergeron

Me and My Shadow

What do you suppose this pig is thinking about?

update Jun 2006: Little Piggy went to market...

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

We were lucky enough to have an American Robin buid a nest in a shrub just outside our family room window. We watched the process of her incubating her clutch of 4 blue eggs, as well as feeding and raising the chicks. Sadly, we also saw how Mother Nature ensures the survival of the fittest.

Here is a picture of the chicks snuggly tucked into their nest awaiting the arrival of Mom with a plump, tasty worm...

Welcome to SFrye732_Blog!

Greetings All,

Welcome to SFrye732_Blog!

This is my first attempt at Blogging, so please bear with me as I get my bearing.