Funny that I should’ve mentioned turtles just 2 days ago. This morning I am later than usual to work because I spent about half an hour with a painted turtle in the park. I spotted her balanced on the ledge of the high curb which edges the road below art hill as I drove by. I pulled over and walked back and watched her awhile to determine which way she was headed. It looked as if she had recently emerged from the pond behind her because her shell was still damp in a couple of places. She startled a bit every time a car went by. You can’t tell from the photo but her shell was about 12 inches long. When I figured her intended path was to cross that road I picked her up and carried her over to the other side, past art basin and to the stream on the far side, away from traffic, where I put her in a patch of tall weeds near the water but still high enough on the bank that if her intention had been to lay eggs she’d be near a good spot. I backed off and stood and watched her for maybe 10-15 minutes while she put her head back out of her shell and sniffed around, surveying the area, getting her bearings. On the opposite bank the good folks of Forest Park Forever were drilling holes in the soil with an auger and the 2-cycle engine was noisy, but not as bad as car traffic. Finally she moved, went down the bank and into the water. I imagine her there now, in peaceful quiet, we in our busy world here. Not quite as busy for me at the moment, one source of mental clutter is gone for awhile; I deactivated my Facebook account and I do not miss it.Later-on a short walk saw clover and wild iris blooming, red wings guarding their nest sites, the catchment areas they built to hold rainfall are finally doing something this year- all sorts of growing plants and birds nesting and frogs croaking, not many folks fishing, hot air and cold air blowing every which way. Yesterday saw the pair of peregrine falcons that are nesting on the hospital building while walking with Christina to see the HRPO folks at Farrell.