Turtles Three / View to a Kill

I've got two stories for you today, and two pictures. First is a story about turtles and tadpoles from the Barrens. Second is a tale of how LGK, the neighbor kitty, dispatched a mouse that had been hanging out on our front porch. 

(Important note: Please note that this is NOT our cat and we have no control over him. Cats are true obligate carnivores, and they require meat in their diet. In the wild, they catch, kill, and eat their own prey.)

Story 1: In the Barrens, we meet turtles and tadpoles. . . .

I arrived at the Barrens on this morning just as the amphibian researchers showed up. I figured they were heading to "my" pond, so I went there and quickly snapped a few pics of the very first turtle I've seen there this spring, before it could be disturbed. 

Then I hustled on up to the third pond, or Porcupine Pond, as I think of it. (It has a tree with lots of scat where a porcupine lives). I turned around: tromp, tromp, tromp, the researchers were somehow right behind me.

They set up shop on the far side of the third pond, and began netting amphibians, when I heard one of them exclaim: "DUDE! That's the biggest tadpole I've ever seen!" Now, I pondered a second whether "Dude" was another member of their party, or perhaps whether "Dude" WAS the tadpole. 

And wanted to say back, a la Queen, "Dude's gonna be a BIG FROG someday! Mud on your face! Big disgrace! Wavin' that tadpole all over the place!" I tried to stifle a laugh, and walked on by. When I left them there and returned to the first pond, I found not one but THREE turtles on it, so in the end, it was a triple win for me!

Story 2: LGK dispatches the front porch mouse.

On April first, at 6 p.m., my husband came in from the front porch, very upset. A mouse had come onto the porch while he and LGK were out sitting together. LGK didn't see it that first time. I have no idea if he's chased it before.

Around 4:45 p.m. this afternoon, my husband ran into the house shouting that LGK had caught the front porch mouse! I should come quickly and bring my camera. So I did. And here in the extras is a picture of LGK and the mouse, which he quickly dispatched and then ate.

At the end, when the mouse had been killed, which happened QUICKLY, LGK put the mouse down and gave us a sort of worried look. We told him he was a "good cat" and that he was allowed to eat it! And then he did. He is so proud of himself!

Since we have two photos, I've got two songs. First, for the tadpole and turtle story, I've got Queen, with We Will Rock You. For the cat-and-mouse photo in the extras, I've got Duran Duran, with the opening credits from the 1985 James Bond flick, View to a Kill.