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Turtles


We have a new addition to our backyard. I found a terrapin just before he crawled onto Lone Oak Road this afternoon. Road may be a misnomer. When I hear the

word road I instantly picture a small two lane route of passage. Probably out in the country somewhere. Lone Oak Road is a very busy five lane highway that I try to avoid. Reptiles should too.

I was parked at a convenience store waiting on my daughter when I spied the lowly creature making his way toward the traffic. Immediately, I jumped from my car and snatched him up before he became an oily spot on the road of life.

When I was a kid I used to pick turtles up whenever I saw them. I’d play with them a while, then release them back into the wild.

In 1975 my future brother-in-law found one on our farm days before I married his sister. Carved onto its shell were the letters HLH. Followed by 1936.

Immediately, I knew whose initials those were. Harvey Lee Hudson had lived just down the road from us. He passed away not long before Larry found him. My brother-in-law to be wanted to take the turtle back to Minnesota with him, but I persuaded him to go with me and give it to Harvey Lee’s widow.

She appreciated seeing it again. It put a smile on her face, if but for just a few minutes.

I no longer pick up terrapins and bring them home with me. I have learned over the years that picking them up isn’t a good thing. They are territorial creatures that normally stay within a mile or so of the place they were born. Most likely their mates and family live in that area too. Removing and relocating them causes them great stress. So nowadays I may stop and help one to the other side of the road to keep them from getting run over, but I leave them in the area they are familiar with. Normally.

Today was different. I couldn’t believe that turtle had lived in that area its entire life. It would have been roadkill a long time ago. That’s why I decided to relocate it to my home in the country. It stands a better chance surviving out here.

Of course Spanky had to check him out and give me his approval. I set him down in the flowerbed. There are bugs and water there. And three doves. I doubt he lingers long enough to learn the dove dance. He was moving pretty fast the last time I saw him. By nightfall he’ll probably have made it to the tree line east of here. I hope he likes it out here. Perhaps we’ll cross paths again someday. I just hope it’s not on the highway.

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Rick Algood
October 21, 2019

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