June already!

Here are two pictures of The Puddle Pond taken on the 1st of June.  I can't believe that May is gone and June is here!  The first picture below was taken from one end of The Puddle looking toward the fields behind.  You can see the "gazebo" that Mr P put up at The Puddle where we often sit in the evening enjoying the peace and quiet.



This picture was taken from the area next to the gazebo from behind the grape arbor.  The lily pads have already gotten a head start.  Mr P took an afternoon last week and sprayed the entire pond in an attempt to eradicate some of the lily pads before they begin to really spread.  This is a never ending battle each year.  We're not sure if hiring someone with a track hoe to clean the pond would dislodge and kill them or if it would only serve to spread them even more.

Mr P and I spent some quiet time down at the gazebo this morning and as we were leaving we saw the most enormous snapping turtle digging a hole along the bank near some cat-o-nine tails in preparation of laying eggs.  I stayed put and Mr P came up to the house to collect a firearm to dispatch the huge critter.  There were what appeared to be about three turtle eggs that had hatched at another side of the pond so there will be more down there in the future unless the fish eat the little critters.
If our neighbor was still living in the area, we would have given the turtle to him to make turtle soup, which was his speciality in the past.

Several years ago a bat took up residence behind the big, round thermometer at our garage.  Mr P purchased a bat house and placed it on the side of the garage according to the specifications that came with the house.  We haven't seen our friend behind the thermometer since the house was put up.  It's too high on the side of the garage to get a good look inside to see if he has moved but we are hopeful that he found it and is happy in his new digs.

Unbeknownst to me, Mr P has been working over the last few week restoring a tractor that we obtained when my Dad passed away almost 25 years ago.
My brother says that Mr P helped my Dad and my brother bring the Farmall home when Dad purchased it.  The tractor has served a farmer until its demise in the field one day where he left it sit.  My Dad bought it and my brother remembers helping him rebuild the engine.  Dad used he tractor for years and when he passed away, we purchased it from my Mom.  Mr P has used it over the years to plow and cultivate and obviously decided to restore it to its former glory.  My Dad would be very proud of the work Mr P did, how great the tractor looks and wow, it still runs.
We're not sure if one of the grandsons would be interested in owning it in the future but our hope is to keep it in the family.

It has been incredibly hot and humid here these last few days. My walking buddy and I were hoping for some rain during our walk this morning to cool things down but now such luck.   A little rain fell late today and now its cooler.
Here's hoping you had a good weekend and a better week this week.