The Turtle

Someday I’ll write a long explanation about the nine glorious years we had with Belle, our Golden Retriever. She has not passed away, just passed on to another family, and it really is a great story.

This is not that story. This is the story of another animal.

We have a turtle living in our backyard, and have for about 11 years. Two different houses, two different backyards, two different turtles, but 11 continuous years. I refuse to call it a pet, because the kids won’t give it a name. A pet has to have a name, right? So for, now, I just refer to it as “The Turtle” and everyone knows what I mean.

There are some great things about having a turtle in the backyard, especially opposed to a dog. For starters, I can leave the gate open and not worry about the thing bolting out. (If anyone remembers Belle’s tendencies, she only needed a crack in the fence to go for an independent stroll around the neighborhood.) Now I’m not really attached to this particular turtle, so if it did run out the gate when I left it open, I wouldn’t cry about it. However, I don’t have to worry about that with a turtle. It doesn’t even notice the gate is open. And if it does realize the gate is open, and it wants to roam around in the alley, and it makes a bee-line for it, the wind is likely to blow the gate shut before it gets there.

The second best thing about having a turtle instead of a dog is that I don’t have to clean up the poop. I thought of this today when I mowed the grass. We still have our “pooper scooper” device. (It’s really just a rake and a dustpan on a stick.) Now, the only thing I use it for is to scoop up the apples that have fallen from the tree. The turtle eats some of those as well.

Third, I don’t have to feed a turtle. As I mentioned, it does eat some of the fallen apples, as well as various other greenery in the backyard, but I don’t buy the food or have to pour out the food into a bowl. I do that for three of my progeny, so it’s no small thing to know I don’t need to take care of the turtle.

Finally, we use to have several families that would come to our house and worry about our “dog”. (She really wasn’t scary in any way.) But I’ve never told a kid we had a turtle in the backyard and had them refuse to go out there. I guess they’re not as threatening as a wet nose that’s eye high to a two year-old.

So that’s our turtle. I’ve been told that the males have red eyes, and that’s how you can tell. Ours hasn’t let me look since I heard that tidbit, so I still call it an “it”. Here’s what I’ve learned from having a turtle in the backyard for 11 years:

Slow Down – Seems obvious doesn’t it, but I need constant reminders to slow my pace. I always think of it when I see the turtle. Maybe that’s the main reason he is in my backyard.

Just Passing Through,

Eric