Happy Ending

Val found a turtle today. He called me earlier this afternoon to tell me he was bringing a turtle home. I was at the pool with Nora screaming her head off so I said, "uh ok" and hung up.

When we got home Val came straight out of the back yard with a smile on his face. He found the little beast in his office parking lot. With no nature in sight Val was thinking it was a gonner. So he grabbed a box and brought it home. At this point Drew and Nora were anxious to see this turtle and there he was in a box in the back yard. He or she was big! Val had some leaves in there and also some flour. Val's mom told him to feed the turtle flour and he did like it. Drew named the turtle Simon (also the name of Toby's baby in his belly).

We walked Simon across the road to the Quaker church's meditation garden. Picture me pushing Nora, holding onto old Kizzy's leash, Val with a big box and Drew running along(very excited). After surveying our spot we decided it wasn't the best place to leave Simon. The dog behind the fence, the bunnies everywhere, the man made water feature and the busy road all led us to this conclusion.

So Drew and Val and Simon piled in the minivan and headed to the duck pond at Ft ben state park. They let simon out about ten feet from the pond. He stood there for a while (as turtles do) and then made a break for the water! He bellied right in... swam around and then popped up his head as if to say, "ahhh paridise!"

Some little kid ran up to Val and indignantly said, "you are just going to let him go?!" Val didn't want to get into the whole captive wild animal thing, after all the kid was fishing.

But Drew sure was happy to see that turtle go. He acted the whole thing out for me, belly on the garage floor. ("he didn't jump in mom, he did this, watch...")

Val, you are my turtle saving hero...