A Surprise Visitor

I was just kickin’ it Nica style on my front porch. What is “kickin’ it Nica Style” you ask? Well it is the act of, in the middle of the heat of day, doing no more and no less than one absolutely must. So for me at this point in time I was chillin’ out in the shade on my front porch when out of the corner of my eye I spotted some good-sized movement.

It didn’t scare me but it was not a normal animal I see down here. It wasn’t Eli, the pit bull. If it was him I sure he would have rushed at me to lick me, big friendly puppy he is. It wasn’t the pecking walking thingy that chickens do. And it was the familiar hop and stop of the bunnies. This was low slow and as stealthy as possible.

I turned my head towards this strange movement and was surprised by a good-sized Tortuga(turtle). Probably thirty centimeters or twelve inches from his nose to his tail.

As soon as I moved he froze. He didn’t get all up in his shell or anything but he did just stare at me not sure what to do, Was I friend or foe? We just looked at each other for a few seconds and then I decided I should get a picture of this guy. I slowly lowered my hand to the wheelchair seat beside me and dang my phone wasn’t there. I had plugged it in for a charge in the cabin. Slowly as I possibly could I turned to go into the cabin but I guess I was too fast moving for the Tortuga so he turned tail as fast as he could and started back towards the bushes he came out of. He was pretty fast for a guy packing his crib with him, by the time I had my phone and camera function up and ready he was pretty much in the flora and fauna.

He seemed pretty determined to get out from the bushes to where ever it is that he wanted to be. So I sat motionless with my phone in hand so that when he re-emerged I could get some pictures of this guy. I wasn’t let down he was crashing around in the bushes and I guess he had had enough of that action and out he came. He crept slowly (if a turtle can creep slower than their normal speed) and carefully stopping every so often to check on whether or not I was actually moving too. Eventually he got to where I could get a good picture of him. I didn’t want to scare or torment him so I kept my distance and let him be. I think he appreciated my decorum. He methodically made his way across the sidewalk and to the chain link fence. He was not deterred at all. He made his way along the fence for a little bit then turn back towards the sidewalk. Seen me and thought “Oh Crap there is that big wheeled beast again” and he turned back to deal with more fence.

It didn’t take him long to find an opening under the fence. Once on the other side he looked back at me as if to say “HAHA I beat you to the safety of the other side of the fence..So long sucker” and it wasn’t long until he had disappeared in the flora and fauna of that side. But I got my pictures and my diversion.

Now what was I doing again? Oh yeah Kickin’ it Nica style……….