Just a Turtle
Yesterday was laundry day. That in of itself is not significant, however, on my way back from transferring clothes from the washer to the dryer, I saw a curious sight. In the middle of the street, surrounded by gawking kids and an adult, was a turtle. Not just any turtle, but a very angry snapping turtle. The kids were bravely warding off any vehicle traffic, while the adult was casually reminding the kids to not get near the turtle, lest they lose a finger or foot. I decided that the semi-aquatic turtle did not belong in our complex’s parking lot, which was devoid of water. I rushed back to our apartment, got Jessie and her camera, a broomstick, and a cat carrier. The kids enjoyed the show as I tried to wrangle the turtle into the cat carrier, by prodding it with the broomstick towards the open cage. They laughed when the turtle displayed its biting prowess on the cage itself, deforming the plastic. Eventually, I managed to coax the stubborn thing in, closed the door, and we were off to the local Lake Mayer. At the lake, I showed off our “catch” to some more kids, before taking the top off the cat carrier and dumping the turtle into the shallow water. It shot me a dirty look, and then disappeared into the mud. The cat carrier was ruined, and the turtle showed zero gratitude, but in the end, I think it was worth it.
Love it! You’re a good man…
You guys are FANTASTIC!!! Y’all come to the rescue every day! <3
How cool! I always keep a long-handled shovel and yardstick in the trunk of our car. That way, when I come across a snapper trying to cross the road, I can scoop him up with the shovel and help him get across the road if I see a swamp or something nearby. If the snapper isn’t being very cooperative with getting on the shovel, I get the snapper to bite the yardstick (it is a flat one). The snapper is usually good and mad by then and hangs onto the yardstick so I can drag him onto the shovel.