Okay, it’s not really the Nile, it’s the Concord River, but my river does flow north, just like the Nile, and I have been watching past episodes of Poirot, the British mystery drama, and there has been a death, so, it doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to pull it all together and come up with:

Who has died, you ask? Well, mon ami, it’s the snapping turtle. Yes, sadly, she was run over by something very large going very fast on River Street. So, it is with a very heavy heart I bid a fond farewell to the lady of the Concord River.

Goodbye, my dear.

Losing the snapping turtle only adds to the death toll the roads Harlee and I walk each day claim. There are snakes, chipmunks, squirrels, and other turtles. One day I saved a hatchling that was trying to cross Elsie Ave.

Take a good look at the seedpod next to the turtle and you’ll get an idea of just how small it was.

The same day my neighbor saved a slightly larger painted turtle, and then, sadly, later that day an even larger painted turtle was flattened by one of the speed demons who live in my neighborhood. The circle of life is a bitch.

Let’s move away from death and focus on life because, really, my depression has been whooping my butt these past few weeks. Even Ben and Jerry aren’t helping, except to make my butt bigger, which is a whole other story.

The ducklings are getting bigger and, surprisingly, there are still 12.

They hold their own when it comes to the adults ducks of the flock. Take a look:

Don’t mess with my little duckies!

So, the balance sheet keeps getting recalculated. Animals come and animals go, just like people, and the world keeps spinning. It’s as Hercule Poirot once said: “There is no such thing as Death, really, you know, only Change.”

David Suchet played Hercule Poirot over the span of 25 years. Bravo, sir.

And so, mon ami, until we meet again, I bid you farewell. Stay safe and remember to maintain social distancing.

And slow down for turtles!

Blessed be.

Mi manchi, mio ​​immortale.