I wonder if I went back today, would it still be there? And where was it going?

It was an early evening walk. Just a couple of blocks away from our apartment there was a snail crossing the path. Slowly. In the time I watched there was no appreciable movement.

Last week, when I ran across what I think was a lizard, at least the animal was moving at a reasonable pace. With a snail though, progress was at what I can only describe as a snail’s pace. Which is why I wonder if it has actually managed to cross the path yet.

We know why the proverbial chicken crossed the road, but what motivates a snail?

I presume it came from a garden on one side of the path. Did it think the grass was greener on the other side? It certainly didn’t look so from my perspective.

Was it heading out to seek its fortune? Had it broken with its family, placed its inheritance on its back and, like the prodigal son, planned to spend its life in riotous living? If so, wait until it hits downtown Sulzburg, though that might take a few years at the pace it was traveling. Riotous living is not what comes to mind – most nights the place is so quiet a snail can cross the streets in safety.

When I think about it, I used to see more wildlife in urban Ottawa than in rural Sulzburg. I regularly had squirrels, raccoons and skunks in the back yard. Rabbits, ducks and deer were all common in the area. Wild turkeys too. I have seen none of that here.

I know there is wildlife – I have seen the hunters’ blinds in the forest. Somehow though, it stays out of town.

Except for the snails.