Turtle Update

Awhile back, I told you of a turtle that the girls had discovered in our lilac bush. Eventually, we set him free so that he could dig a hole to hibernate in for the Winter. I assumed that that is where our story would end. I was mistaken...

It is windy but rather warm for this time of the year--59. It seemed too nice of a day not to take advantage of it to gather trash that has blown into our front yard this Fall. While the girls were gathering trash around our ornamental pond, they discovered that our little reptile friend was in desperate danger. He had evidentally seen the water which was far from the top of the pond, gone in to get a drink and found it impossible to return to the ground above.

The girls called me right over. If we left him where he was, he would probably die. OH, HOW THAT POND WATER STUNK!!! Trash and weeds had blown into the stagnate water. To say that the odor was nauseating is an understatement.

I got the hoe and was able to pull the turtle from the bottom of the pond. He was hardly moving anymore. I assume that this was probably due to the extreme cold. Ice was on top of the water. And I am also sure that he was hungry. Leighlyn ran into the house and got a carrot and chopped it up. About an hour later, he was beginnig to move a bit and he had eaten 2 pieces of the carrot. We put him in a plastic box that we laid on its side and hid him in the lilac bush. Hopefully, he will be fine soon.

As for the pond, we poured water into it until it was full and the water was clear. Now, dogs, cats, etc can get a drink there this Winter whenever necessary. We are also going to put out more birdfeed for the birds. With no rain or snow, we need to do our best to water and feed the wildlife as possible...

VLE-B