That said, we do have a turtle. And we are not sure what to do about it. I suppose that's where the hurdle come in.
Trevor calls me down to come out to the backyard to see something. I see something moving over by the shed. I say, "Is it a rat?" no, it moves to slow. Phew. I say, "Is it a kitten?" this time much more excited. But then if it were a kitten it would be hiding somewhere. No, it's a turtle. THIS turtle.
What does one do with a wild turtle? Or IS it wild? Is it some cast-off pet that has been living in the backyard for a hundred years? (Well, they say turtles live a long time...)
We call him Snaps.
So what is Snaps' story? Was he once spied in the window of a pet shop, catching the eye of a little boy who begged to take Snaps home? And was he then ripped from said home when the little boy moved, forced into the unfriendly wilderness of the backyard, to live on nothing but grass and snails and pork. Ok, not pork. But grass and snails. Do turtles eat snails?
Anyway, we aren't sure how Snaps came to be in our backyard, and we are even less sure what to do about him. So we googled it. Apparently he can live on his own back there very well, and can burrow down in the winter to keep warm. Well, to keep cold actually. He is a reptile, after all. So after "snapping" some pictures and making sure Afton got a peep (but not a touch--we aren't THAT stupid) we put snaps back where we found him.
I don't know if I will ever see Snaps again. But I'll know--he's out there...somewhere...lurking, burrowing, living...it will take him a lifetime just to get from the shed to the front lawn, so I'm pretty sure Snaps will always be with us, whether we see him or not. You fine, brave, lonely survivor. You are an inspiration to us all. Here's to you, Snaps. 
4 comments:
Cool, we see turtles crossing the road all the time. My husband will stop the car, run over and get it to show the kids. Then he'll put the turtle on the other side of the road, out of danger. But we are practically in the country, kind of weird just to randomly see one your yard. But it is fun, yes?
So, you found a turtle in your backyard this weekend and we found a pig. WEIRD! I'll bet Snaps belonged to the family that used to live in your house. He probably plotted his escape. Poor little critter- I hope your cats don't hurt him.
Cool turtle, very cute. You get a free pet who can more or less look after and feed itself so that's good :)
I just found your blog through facebook. I once "found" a tortoise making his way across a desert road. I took him home but Ricky wouldn't let me keep it. If it ever happens again, I'll just put it in the backyard and not tell Ricky. Let him think it just magically appeared.
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