Turtle

This is so cool.

On my way home today, I was thinking about turtles.

Sometimes, driving the backroads of Bucks County in the summer months, you run across box turtles. My father would always stop the car, get out, and bring me home a turtle. I love turtles. Just the word... turtle. What a great word. Can you resist smiling when you say 'turtle?' Turtle. Say it out loud.

Don't you just love turtles?

And then, I knew this guy who lived in Reading. He had a place in the city with a little twelve by twelve foot yard behind it. He once brought home a turtle and put it in his back yard. Among his friends, it became "a thing" to bring him turtles. They couldn't go anywhere as his backyard was surrounded by a wall. And the turtles bred. In no time at all, his back yard was full of box turtles.

And they were great! You'd come out into the back yard and they'd all retreat into their shells, but one by one they'd pop out. And get this, because he always had lettuce or whatever with him, they'd come up to you, expecting to be fed.

Friendly turtles!

So as I drive along, I'm thinking all about turtles. And... y'know... keeping an eye on the road, on the lookout for turtles.

I didn't find a turtle.

I got home, and, of course, the first order of business was walking Faithful Companion. I leashed him up and we headed out.

And there, just off the driveway, about ten feet from the road, was a box turtle.

I looked at the turtle. The turtle looked at me.

Faithful Companion had urgent business to attend to. And we took care of that business.

When we came back from our walk, the turtle was gone. He had been headed in the direction of the road, and... well... that's too terrible to think about.

So I hunted for the turtle.

We found him about fifteen feet away (fast turtle, huh?).

I looked at the turtle. The turtle looked up at me.

I picked up the turtle, and took him to the mosquito infested slime hole pond in the woods behind the house. I found a nice green spot for the turtle, and put him down. He came out of his shell.

I looked at the turtle. The turtle looked at me.

See? This is how it is with me. Just when I start to get into A Mood, the Universe reaches out to me, giving me what I need,

Sending me a messenger. In the form of a turtle.

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