Snapping Turtle Karma

Today I had a most amazing day.  I slept great.  Heavy rains acted as my lullaby.  I woke up refreshed.  This bird was singing a song I hadn't heard before. I listened carefully.  From what I could tell it sounded like the bird was saying, "Cheese!  Macaroni and cheese.  Want Cheese!  Macaroni and Cheese!"  What kind of bird was it?  I couldn't find it when I looked.  I am determined to find out. In the meantime I will think of it as the Kraft thrasher.  I went to work until only 10 o'clock.  A friend of mine had plans.  She met me at my house with a borrowed pick up truck.  We loaded the back of her truck with pieces of a metal shed that Offspring #1 had neatly dismantled and broke into manageable pieces.  On top of that we secured a box spring and mattress.  We tied everything down and proceeded. On my road a snapping turtle was just starting to cross the road from the south to the north.  There is a nearby pond on the golf course and we figured that is where it was headed.  The back of the turtle was thick with algae, weeds, and slime.  It sat on the pavement waiting.  We stopped to help.  My friend suggested picking it up by the tail.  I suggested we just cheer lead  it across.  I touched it the shell with my foot.  No response from the snapper.  I touched it again.  No response.  Another truck passed.  We stood to protect the turtle.  As soon as that truck passed I touched the turtle again and it rose up to a surprisingly tall posture and proceeded across the road.  We collected our good karma and proceeded to Green Lights recycling center to get rid of the mattress and box spring. I saved a lot of money by doing this and also the materials will be recycled instead of put into a landfill.  I can feel good about that.  My friend got a job tip for her daughter while we were there.  We stopped at the Anoka Co-op to pick up some kombucha and proceeded to Alter Recycling.  Alter used to be known as Schwartzmanns and I have been curious about their junk yard for about a quarter of a century.  We got to drive the pick up onto the scale.  We came out to be 5560 pounds.  Once inside the yard we proceeded to Pile A and off loaded the pieces of metal shed.  You have no idea how much fun it was to fling 4 feet pieces of metal shed into the air onto another pile of metal.  It was as much fun as breaking plates. There is a part of my personality that really enjoys destruction. I would pay money to have this experience of throwing metal.  "Cowabunga" was shouted.  We weighed on the scale again. We were 5380 pounds.  I expected to get about $20 but was given only $8.  No matter.  The materials were recycled and we had fun.  Next thing on our agenda was a motorcycle ride.  We met at a Superamerica station to buy gas and add air in our tires.  We were both low on air in the tires.  We went for a ride.  Unfortunately my friend's bike broke down north and east of  Saint Francis.  We called for help.  In the meantime we walked into a nearby yard to ask if we could park the bike on their property for now.  The first yard we walked into had a gravel driveway.  They also had security cameras.  I waved in a manner that I hope conveyed total innocence and good will.  They had 5 bird feeders with feed in them so I thought that was a good sign.  People who feed birds can be nice.  A security system beeped at us as we approached the front door.  We knocked.  What do they have inside that warrants all this security? No one answered.  We waited a minute and decided to leave. As we walked away we noticed that in a porch swing by the garage door was a mannequin of a man seated on the swing.  Holy cow, that was weird.  How did I not see that when we walked up?  I waved in a friendly manner at the two security cameras as we left that yard.  As we returned to our bikes we saw a man across the street working in his yard.  We walked that way.  His overweight black and white polka dot dog greeted us.  This man was named Daryl.  He didn't mind a motorcycle parked in his driveway.  In fact, he helped push the bike forward onto the concrete so we didn't have to leave it in the gravel or the grass.  Daryl was a super nice guy and it was a pleasure to meet him. Daryl told us, "Everybody has troubles some times."  Wise man this Daryl.  My friend got a ride home and I rode my bike home.  What a great day. My garage is emptier.  My driveway is clearer. I mowed so the lawn looks nicer.  Today was just one of those days where every moment seemed to be a piece of heaven on earth.