Turtles

We turned the box turtles loose today. I am sad *and* happy about it. Morg adopted the first one 4 years ago after a turtle race at a community picnic. Her name was Nancy, I called her Nancy Pants, and she was a three-toed box turtle that may have had a little ornate box turtle mixed in somewhere in her background. The other came a year later after another turtle race at the next years picnic. He was named Mayhem and he was an ornate box turtle.

She took very good care of them at first, even though I discovered this year that their enclosures should have been twice the size they were. But about two years ago, when she adopted an African tortoise she sort of stopped taking care of them. And it was not because she was paying attention to the tortoise, she was sort of neglecting that too.

Incidentally, I said "NO" on the tortoise but she wound up with it anyway. I guess I should be happy because originally she was going to get two of them. Morg's half sisters' uncle breeds them in Arizona so she had the opportunity to get them for free and they are rather costly. But they were babies. In the pet trade they need to be four inches to sell. After two years this one is finally close to that. I think it is just wrong to have one here in this climate. They need temps from 80 to 100. That might work in the summer but what about the winter? We don't keep our house that warm in either season. And sure, it is little now but it will need a room of it's own in a few more years, these things get large, I mean LARGE. Stick little kids on it for a ride type large. We don't have a place for it inside or out.

Okay, back to the other story. Morg slowed in taking care of them so of course it became *my* job. I have been the one oing out and collecting wild greens and berries and digging worms, catching grasshoppers and pulling off their legs, catching moths and cutting their wings -- starting to sound a little cruel huh? Actually, it comes down to it is a darn good thing bugs don't bother me and I have always liked digging worms. I remember digging worms as a very little kid and getting mad at mom for dumping the can I was collecting them in after I went to bed. But anyway, I was spending a couple hours a day dealing with the turtles directly or telling Morg to do what she needs to do for them (change the water usually). I decided when I found out they really need as minimum to have twice the space they had that we really needed to be fair to them. None of it was being fair to me. So I talked to Morg about it and she was reluctant but still did not take over the turtle duties. I talked to her again. We set a date. I was going to fatten them up a little so the had a good start and we would free them. She was all sorts of sad and I am sure thinking of me as the bad guy. She went over to the turtles and looked at them. I walked up to her and told her she wasn't going to be the only one to miss them. I started to say something else then choked up and started crying -- as I sort of am right now, so I just turned and walked away. Morg realized I was not just being bitch about them. But the release day, Sunday June 29, was too hot to stick them out there without them having to find their way around and new shelter etc., it was the hottest day we have had. The next day was cooler but still hot. The forecast said today was not even going to get into the 80s, tomorrow also. No huge bouts of rain expected either. So today was the day.

Morg and I walked them about 100 yards up the stream and around the corner of the bluff and let them go. They were both getting excited as we walked, happy to be out again I am sure. When we put them down Nancy just took off. Mayhem got whiff of Nancy Pants and started after her. It is not breeding season bud, sorry. I picked him up and moved him in a different direction, it didn't help. I did it again, right back after Nancy. So I moved Nancy. That works for a moment but Mayhem got scent of her again and started in her direction; she still had ten feet between them. I told her she was on her own now. I told them both to "Live long and prosper." And I really, really hope they do. I am going to miss them.

My turtle duties are not over yet though, we still have that African thing. It is a total vegetarian, no worm digging but I still have to find greens, just not near as many. I am hoping we can locate a home for it before this winter since the old stand-by for heat was incandescent bulbs. Now everything is fluorescent and they just don't offer the heat so you have to buy an expensive heat lamp. And the poor thing is just screwed if the power goes out. I wonder if the zoo would be interested in it?

On a different note…We have had a lot of visitors since spring started. I really mean a lot. Spring comes on and people go about visiting a little, nothing unusual about that. It usually slows down, it hasn't. Not only has it not slowed, I think it has picked up since summer started. Almost everyday we have at least one visitor. Some days it is way more than one. The day before yesterday people were here all day, not the same people, they changed, but there were people here all day. Last night I thought we were getting a rare break, and after the day before I kind of needed one, but then someone showed up around 9 pm. We already had one visitor toady, don't know if anyone else will show up or not. I was a little confused at first, then I started getting a little irritated, now it is just getting humorous. It must be because we have a shady front yard.