Our house is inhabited by creatures of all sorts, but now we are two less in number. A year ago, Hero Guy and Brainy Boy adopted two silver-dollar-sized painted turtles and we've been caring for them ever since. But due to huge appetites they have doubled their size over the winter and I have decided that the care and keeping is no longer providing adequate anjoyment. I'm speaking both of the enjoyment of the turtles who are getting too big for their habitat and regularly attempt escape and the enjoyment of Sweet Ones on whose behalf the turtles were acquired in the first place. It's not that they aren't adorable, as Sheila and Flippers are quite cute. And it's not that it's so much work, because other than feeding and occasional suctioning goo out of the bottom of the tank, they really don't require a lot of effort, even though Sweet Ones don't do any of it. It's just that with summer pending, the weather getting warmer and the turtles getting ever larger in size, wicked stepom (me) convinced woodcutter dad (Hero Guy) that the children (said turtles) would be much better off in the wood (the local pond from which lots of painted turtles wander).So on a particularly warm spring last evening, we decided to support freedom and celebrate Memorial Day in our own special way. We carefully loaded the little ones into a bucket (along with a very large stray turtle found wandering along the road) and took them to the beautiful pond overlooked by the building at Hero Guy's day job. It took all of about half a second for the turtles to realize that we were finally bringing them home, sample a bit of the natural vegetation and scoot below the surface. Sweet Ones were only a little disturbed that they might never see Sheila and Flippers again, but reassurance that we will be able to wave to them each time we pass with them returning a happy smile our direction, appeased any doubts. The only thing is, we forgot to leave breadcrumbs in case they change their minds.
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