TAKING A BREAK-Again

No, that last photo wasn't a composite of a river tern and a heron's head. I don't know enough about photography to do stuff like that. The only "trick" I pulled was when I came home yesterday and said to Kinya, "What does this look like?", showing him this:

He looked, squinted, then said: "A turtle!"

I grinned, showing him the REST OF THE photo: it was the poster of the turtle people were trying to catch. I'd only seen what looked like a turtle's head in the water, not the entire body of a turtle, I told him, but THAT wouldn't make a very good picture; besides, I haven't even seen the turtle, head or otherwise, since that day, so....

Junie's been working a little too hard, some butterflies nearby decided. Her brain's gotten a little fried. And they decided, with the wildflowers nearby, to give her a little break. Out came luscious, soothing blooms resting on foliage beds, where dainty butterflies skipped in glowing trances of aqua and green.

Sweet dreams, Junie

Oh--OK; I got wordy again. I get that way when I've worked too hard writing, I think.

Maybe I should just go nap.

LAST FEW HOURS

This was part of an e-mail to my sister yesterday:

The gas man was supposed to come turn off our gas at 5, and we were supposed to go to Omiya at 6:30, but it was 5:30 and he wasn't here. I asked Kinya if he wasn't coming after all, and he said he'd said he'd be late. I'd hoped we could be early and maybe stop by and say hello to my friends at the park. I could go now, he said, just be back by 6:30. I'd been hoping he'd say that and had been wiping myself down with a Gatsby sheet, making it cool, rushed off to the park--God kept it amazingly cool today!

There, I said out loud--and I didn't really care if people around me thought I was looney for talking to the animals because I was going to be moving anyway--I was moving, going to Omiya tonight so had to say goodbye, would not be coming to the park anymore.

And Jannie, call me crazy, but I think the animals responded and came out! I'm attaching photos of Snorkel the turtle, Speckles the carp,

Alabaster the egret, and Peter the Kawasemi, but there were much more. The crow, GBH, various dragonflies, spider, sparrows and pond skimmers were out, and probably the mosquitos, altho' I never see them. But I had to hurry because I had to go back home by 6:30. And altho' I usually don't take photographs of the Kawasemi--and he knows that--this past month, I've asked if I could take pictures to remember him by, and he seems to pose for me. He did so today too.

--

When I got home, Kinya brought me out here to Omiya. First, we ate at a Mcdonalds, then we checked in at a really. nice hotel he'd found for me--one of those that has security elevators you have to put the card key up on a panel to operate, and you put the key in the pocket in the wall at the door to turn on the room lights.

But the first thing I did when I got to the room was find out if they had Wi-Fi then get MCC prayer meeting. Of course I was late--they started 7:30, and it was already 8:30--but they were still going strong, so I got to ask the Japanese group for prayer as we went down to Okinawa, then switch to the English-speaking breakout group. Did I tell you the head deacon of that church is the grandchild of the chairman of the mission committee that was part of Daddy's ordaining committee, also prayed for his ordination service? We were done with everything by 10:00.

I took a nice hot shower in the hotel's nice little bathroom...ahhh. But then I didn't think you'd be that interested in seeing a photo of just the bed, so I took a picture of the hotel's complimentary bottle of water, which I use to take my medicine. And in packing, our house wall clocks got taken down, and I learned to keep looking at the cellphone for the time, so Goya-Boy, the mascot you gave me, takes his responsibility seriously to remind me to take my medicine every time the cell alarm rings!

Tomorrow morning, Kinya and Keima are supposed to come around 10 AM and call my cell. I need to check out by 11 (they cannot come up on the elevator, since I have the key!) I will go down, and we will bum around the stores and probably eat at Mac again, take our limousine bus at 1 for Haneda. Our flight doesn't leave until the P.M., and people are worried typhoon might make the flight cancel. We shall see. Either which way, I need to have my quiet time and get some shut eye and be all purtiful by tomorrow's tyfoon, yes?

PERIDOT POWER・まねっこ

Why are all the turtles looking at the small turtle Peri, I wondered one morning when I came to the pond.

Peri was only as big as a grape, but ohhhhh I get it now. There is an even smaller baby turtle, maybe as big as half a peanut, next to him, staring up at him. Everyone is wondering what he is going to do.

"You all alone, sweetie?" Peri asks.

But the baby turtle thinks Peri looka like Superman to her, so she only giggles and tries to touch him.

Peri sees he needs to get this baby turtle back to her mother. "Where be Mama?" Peri asks, trying to look like mother turtle.

"Ooh!" more giggling.

"I can't even talk to her! Now what?" Peri plops down with a frown.

The baby turtle also plops down next to Peri, wearing a big frown. Peri sees this, then jumps up with, "Got it!"

Peri walks in circles, while the baby turtle follows him. He stops and lifts his hands. The baby turtle copies him.

"Good girl!" Peri laughs. "Now do as I do!" He plops into the water and so does the baby turtle. Peri swims to the nearest shore, and the little one follows him, where the grateful mother turtle waits.

After this day, I say maybe we can call this turtle Peridot.

But he says "Peri" is okay for a while.

*******

甲羅干ししているカメたち、なんで、みんな小亀一匹をじっと見ているのかな。見てみると、小指の大きさの小亀の隣に爪より小さい子亀がいる。あ、おにいちゃん亀のことをスゴイと思っているけれど、お兄ちゃんの方は、親亀の所に、この子を返さなければならないと、考えている。

お兄ちゃんが腕を上げると、あの子も腕を上げた。お兄ちゃんがくるくる回ると、あの子もくるくる回った。おにいちゃんが、「これできる？」と、水に入って近くの岸に泳いだ。あの子もついてきた。もちろん、親亀が待っていた。

お兄ちゃん亀、えらいねと、思った。かんしん、かんしん。

「だれにだってできるよ」と、返事が聞こえたような気がした。

「まねっこぐらい」。

FIRST, THE NAME PERIDOT

Wait. I never posted "Peridot Power", did I? I wrote it so long ago and have shown it to friends, I assumed I put it on the blog, but I don't think I did.

I'd begun going to the park and become familiar with some of the turtles in the front pond I now call Duck Pond. Because one turtle came out by herself basking and gleaming in the early morning light before the others, I thought she looked like--and asked if I could call her "Gemstone" because she looked like a pretty green stone.

Another day, she came with a little one by her side. Since humans sometimes speak of children as a chip off the old block, I asked Gemstone if I could name her hatchling "Chip" because he seemed to come out and pose just like her. I think she nodded. But the next day, she came with a smaller turtle next to Chip.

"You'd have to light a fire there to see him; he's so small!" I searched my mind for a rock name for this one, since the other two were rock names too. "Flint! That's it! They're rocks, but not any ol' rock will do--only this special rock can make flames! Maybe Flint can be like that too!" Again, Gemstone seemed pleased. So turtles Gemstone, tiny Chip, and even smaller Flint basked on that rock.

But a few days later, I realized what I thought was a tiny leaf next to Flint was another teeny tiny terto! Gemstone seemed to almost apologize when she looked at me, but at the same time was proud to show me another child. Then she seemed to ask if I might find another "rock name" for it too?

Find a name for a turtle not even as big as a dragonfly, like a little dot on a pebble? Something clicked in my mind. Yes! There was a green gemstone called PeriDOT! "Can we call him 'Peri' for now, and 'Peridot' when he grows up?" I asked Gemstone. I think all the turtles listening nodded approval.

You can read later the story of how our beetle-sized hero, Peri, managed to get a ladybug-sized newborn back to its mother. I've heard truth is stranger than fiction, but it's more awesome when you see it in nature!

JUMPY HATCHLING

When I went to the park today, I realized two adult turtles were swimming near the edge of Duck Pond. No doubt, they were asking if I'd finished the drawing I started of them.

Well, if they meant of the one climbing onto the basking boulder and the dragonflies coming after the drawing was finished, yes, I'd finished coloring it quite a while ago--hadn't I told them? But if they meant the one last weekend--I just finished it day before yesterday.

I'd looked for a little rock at Corner Cove where cute little hatchlings basked regularly. It's too small for adult turtles, but small hatchlings climb onto it, often two at a time, and I was going to attempt to draw it last week. But when I looked, I saw there was only one large female turtle on the large boulder--vacancy--so the two little fellers had climbed up onto it next to her. I decided to draw them instead. When people walking by neared to look, the turtles got scared and swam away. But I'd drawn enough to finish it.

I've taken quite a few pictures of those turtles at Duck Pond. One shows a picture of a basker with his front leg out feeling a raindrop...could he be saying to himself, "A little rain never hurt anybody"? I don't know about those Duck Pond turtles. Those baby turtles seemed to think nothing could go wrong as long as Mama was there...until some scary park visitors came walking near. Then they plopped into the water.

That's kinda like me, isn't it? I say I trust God implicitly but at the same time will tell you I am terrified about something that comes along. Hm.

THE PAST TWO DAYS AT THE PARK

Remember the three turtles mentioned in my "first bilingual photo story" post? For a while, I went back to that branch to see them, but they left after a few days, and their place was empty.

Yesterday I found them basking in a spot a little ways away from the branch. Only, I could see no splashing around going on this time. It looked like all three shells were relatively still, its occupants completely content to simmer in their puddles of pond water atop lily pads.

To be totally honest, I am not sure it is the same threesome I saw around that branch...it could be a different family, three completely different turtles after all.

As a matter of fact, I saw another branch sticking out of the pond at Lower Bridge, and I could see an unnatural bump on it. Before seeing it up close, I knew what it was!

My Buddhist friend had seen the branch too. We went to see it--yes, a darling hatchling was climbing up it--and we took photos.

We walked around to the other side of the park, where we saw carp swimming under the brush, and a huge golden-ringed dragonfly actually landed on her visor!

I couldn't get out my camera in time. But the mallards right there at Step Creek saw!

Please pray Takako would realize the Creator of Salvation has been loving her all her life; more importantly that she needs Him; and most importantly, like that golden-ringed dragonfly, HE WILL COME SET HIMSELF DOWN IN HER HEART if she would ask Him to.

ROOM FOR ONE MORE?

2 years ago, I remember thinking, AHA! I'd found two mallards hidden in the grass, and began sketching them. But their half dozen ducklings saw and wanted to be drawn too so surprised me by coming out of hiding. Adult caretaker mallards also came, so before I knew it, I needed to draw 10 birds. Dragonflies flying by wanted to know what was going on and perched on the reeds--2 more critters needed to be drawn. 2 basking turtles seemed to comment I had a big job to do. I found myself saying, NO MORE VACANCY!

When I went to the same place today, at first, I saw two turtles, a carp, and a white butterfly. I decided to do the sketch, but as I was finishing, a tiny spider crawled up the boulder near me, so I drew him on the boulder near the carp...then I saw a tiny hatchling on a rock behind that boulder. so added him. After I drew the outlines of the background, another turtle climbed up on that center boulder. I managed to squeeze him in behind the first turtle.

Whew. As I was about to go home, 2 more dragonflies came! Maybe tomorrow, I told them. On the way home, I saw a mallard at Step Creek. (He was one of the first 2 in the grass.) He probably sat there and chuckled at what he saw, thinking, it's happening again.

Aren't you glad God always has room for one more?

BASKING MY WAY

It rained on and off this past week, and I stayed home on days precipitation was forecasted all day, but there was one day there was ONE three-hour slot open (12-3), so I went.

The turtles were out at Duck Pond. But then, they're always there. The turtles at that pond are strange. Many turtles grasp the rock with their forelegs and throw their hind legs out behind them when they bask. I had to do a double-take when I saw a Duck Pond turtle balancing on the back legs somehow, and I think his front legs were pulled back into the shell.

Then on a drizzly day, an adult turtle could be seen basking on a boulder in the middle of the pond...so I couldn't really blame the three hatchlings I saw later on a rock closer to the edge, on a rainy day--this is a proof photo--trying to bask there too. Don't turtles know you try to dry out shells when basking, so you don't do it in the rain?

"COME HOME"

Here's a condensed excerpt from an e-mail to my sister about an incident at the park Friday:

I noticed on the ground a baby turtle all by himself. I'm sure it was frightened out of its wits, but it was too scared to even know to crawl into its shell and hide. I used a scratch page of my miniature sketch book to lift the hatchling and drop it into the flow at Lower Bridge, where the creek opens up into Deeper Pond.

"C'mon turtles! One of your little ones is coming to you," I cried, hoping the mother turtle heard.

At first, I think the hatchling was scared, seeing the strange pond with carp swimming around in it, because he scrambled around in the flow, looking for rocks to clamber back up on land. But either those other critters told him to stop struggling and come home, or he lost strength to hang onto the rock against the flow of water that pushed him out towards the pond, because the next time I looked, I saw him swimming out into the pond, hopefully, heeding a relieved mother's beckoning.

Come to think of it, maybe it was her voice the baby turtle heard calling.

First Attempt at Biliingual Photo Story

I'm gonna try this, and I won't guarantee anything. I really did see this yesterday. There were two hatchlings basking nearby their mother turtle. One was being really good, and one was being a little bit of a rascal, from watching them over a period of time. It's not just humans that have mild-mannered kids and hard-to-handle kids too. At least human families don't have to think about having ten or thirty children in their homes! Anyway, let's see what we can do with this post...

A RASCAL HATCHLING'S SURPRISE ATTACK

1 Lazy Day Naptime...昼寝日より・・・

2 Water snakesゲッ！

3 And assassin carp川ヘビに襲われたのか？

4 Raid Junior's throneすさまじい戦いだ！

5 Caught ya sleeping, Ma!あの声は・・・

6 Oh no you don'tキャッ！

7 Heard - Rats...やっぱりママにはかなわないや

8 See him swimming away？すきありと思ったのに

9 Let's get back up here--ヨイショ

10 How does my dream end？夢のおわりがオシイ・・・

JUST WANT MAMA

Probably the biggest reason I didn't blog about Tower was when I saw this hatchling. I was crossing Main Bridge when I saw a turtle basking on some lily pads, and near its face, peeking out from under one of those leaves, was another tiny turtle not saying, I WANT OUT, but I WANT MAMA.

Recently, I read and was a bit unsettled by the emphasis on stretching faith, to have great expectation in God; and I didn't know why I was feeling uneasy. Seeing these two little turtles made me realize the reason for my uneasiness. Sometimes, God doesn't need us to think big change, but to love, desire, be satisfied in Him.

TOWER IN THE DITCH

(This actually happened Tues., I finished the drawing Wed., and I finally got around to blogging about it today...)

I had to sketch a hatchling at the Irrigation Ditch. A large mother turtle was there, but her baby turtle, named Tower because he always wanted to be tall and at the very top (isn't that the way many of us are?), wasn't around. She didn't seem overly concerned about his being out adventuring, feeling he'd be back when he was hungry, as all hatchings do.

I found him moments later, doing what I'd expect Tower to do: trying to get up and out of that Irrigation Ditch. He was too good to stay in a place like that! As soon as he turned his face upward towards the top of the wall tho', he got a mouthful of water.

Gotta hand it to Towers tho'. He may be a lot of things, but a quitter he's not. I watched him try to climb to the top I-don't-know-how-many-times; get toppled down to the bottom by a stream of water; until he FINALLY MADE IT!

When I saw him swim away, I went back to tell the larger turtle, and her response was:

"Not coming back for food? Now there's more for the rest of the family."

I guess that's turtles in the wild.

(cont'd.)

TURTLE TALK

It was a warm afternoon, and my shelled friends had come swimming out to welcome me back from Okinawa. But when I mentioned temperatures were dropping tomorrow and it would probably be too cold to come see them, he stopped paddling and peered up at me.

"But you're coming back when it's warmer, right?" it seemed the turtle asked.

"Of course. Then you know nothing could keep me away."

He seemed satisfied and flipped around, swam happily home, but I sensed something akin to "See? I told you so." What?

Later on, when looking at the photos I'd taken, I saw several red dots in the water--the patches those turtles have on their heads--so...that last remark was probably addressed to them!

SEEING TURTLES

Splat! I remember one time when making pancakes in Koriyama--I'd put in some apple the way my husband and son liked but then forgot to put butter on the pan so that when I turned it, the heavier-than-usual-batter could do no less than ruffle, form a little slope, seem to shiver a little (was it horrified at what the cook was doing to it?) I managed to save it (to eat myself), but some of the inside batter came out unevenly done, and in the end I had a turtle-looking confection. I don't think I could've made it again if I'd tried. I haven't seen a pancake like it since.

But when I went to the park yesterday afternoon, I saw on the opposite side of the pond--I mentioned the root branch where turtles basked for my Oct. 16 & 24 posts--shapes that looked like turtle shells. But that couldn't be. They'd gone into hibernation, and I'd seen very few turtles in November, none anymore in December. I thought about my July 24 post, in which I mentioned the turtle Rockette who came out of hibernation on a WARM DECEMBER DAY several years ago--could that have happened again? But it wasn't just one turtle; it looked like 2 or 3. I rushed over to the spot to take a closer look.

But as soon as they saw me, the fellas dove back into the water. Funny tho', that still made me happy, because that told me they were living, moving TURTLES, not leaves or rocks that had settled in that corner of the pond to play tricks on my eyes. Besides, when I looked up back across the pond, I saw half a dozen other turtles basking on the other side...yes, near the place I had just left to come here!

And we humans think we're so smart

I expected the Kawasemi--he is so pretty--to be gone for winter hibernation--the turtle too. Imagine my surprise when both showed up at Deeper Pond this afternoon. I wasn't surprised to see the greenhead mallards. I figured this might be my last chance this year to sketch the kawasemi & turtle so did. Here is the initial sketch.

Since I'd just finished looking through C.S. Lewis's narnia books, "King Peter" rang in my mind when I saw the Kawasemi Peter looking like he was surveying his kingdom, Deeper Pond.

Aren't you glad the Kawasemi didn't go around wishing he had a robe of purple like earthen kings instead of being a stupid blue rock? Maybe he'd tell us he wasn't smart enough to realize flying sapphires were supposed to want to be something else,

HE CARES

Even from a distance I could spot that enamel green spot among the spot-billed mallard mass moving towards Deeper Pond. THE GREENHEADS HAD COME! My heart danced. Junior and Maggie were such good friends. I hurried to meet them...

Snorkel the turtle noticed. "Where's Maggie?" In past years, when the others went to their nests at night, Junior always had his partner by his side, but now he would be alone.

I don't know if illness, accident, or death kept Maggie away this year; all I know is our Father knows, cares, and is worthy of our trust. If mallards would do so, surely we can too.