In the span of just a few weeks, I have seen several turtles around the neighborhood. I took pictures of a few.

One was nestled deep in the grass, and I nearly stepped squarely on it before it caught my eye.

As I was walking on the track with a friend, we spotted this little guy scurrying in front of us. He was no bigger than my thumb! We both immediately stooped down to snap a picture of him.

On the opposite end of the size spectrum was this guy, whom I saw on the prairie path. He had made his way out of the nearby pond and sat greeting the runners and bikers.

It must be the year of the turtle. At least in this part of the world.

Memorial Day weekend was spent working on the wooden arch of our front porch. It desperately needed to be sanded and stained, or…

redone altogether. We weren’t sure what we’d find behind the wooden boards as Peter pulled them out. It wasn’t too bad, except for a carpenter bee that had made its home behind the wood after boring a hole into it; and an abandoned birds’ nest.

The boys made a great team. Peter tore out the boards (an apt job for Bam Bam), Derek cut the boards up,

and Jeremy hauled them to the side of the house for future disposal.

We are pleased with the upgrade.

A more tasty project was completed when we learned that Grandma and Grandpa were coming to visit, and I asked if anyone wanted to make a dessert. Derek and Peter got right on it, looking up a recipe for German chocolate cake.

It required Derek going to the store to get ingredients, plus the recipe was quite complex. But, oh, was it worth it.

Speaking of tasty desserts, we fueled up the fire pit and made s’mores one night.

Ruth joined my mom on one of her weekly visits to Michigan so that she could meet the new canine cousin, Morris. Thus far, she is the only member of our family to meet the adorable pup.