We found a turtle!

This morning, Flannery and her Poppa found a turtle out in the yard.  Flanna made it a nice little habitat for the day (we'll release it this evening) and has been watching its every move.  After it sat hiding in its shell for about 45 minutes, we finally got smart and offered it some fruit and lettuce, and it started to explore.  Flannery named the turtle Fuschia, and Fuschia has seemed to most enjoy laying in her water bowl.

Flanna's been taking notes in a tiny notebook, just like a real scientist, recording her observations of the turtle.  Here's what she wrote:

It walks.
It sits in water.
It eats.
It pokes its head out.

And that is about all Fuschia seems to want to do.  Sounds like a pretty good life to me.

What did you love to study/observe when you were a kid?  I used to love to watch my dogs, and to follow them wherever they'd go in the woods.  They found the neatest cool mossy places, creeks, and cool rocks to lie on.  

The time when we went to the pet store and were sorely disappointed

So, apparently turtles are not for sale in NC. At all.

There was some salmonella outbreak traced back to a turtle, and so NC has banned the sale of all turtles in the whole state. The pet store owner we talked with today did show us everything we'd need to take care of a turtle, though, and assured us that they're just as safe as owning an iguana. But since iguanas have squinty eyes and do that strange thing with their necks, that really wasn't all that reassuring for me.

Plus, the CDC says kids younger than 5 should never ever have pet turtles. The picture above is from the CDC website, and I'm calling it, "Sad boy with salmonella." (Is that terrible?)

Anyway, so there goes that dream.

Thanks to those of you who commented about the idea, though! When Flanna's over 5 and we live in another state, maybe we'll revisit the possibility of having a pet turtle. What a shame, because I could see how turtles could be a great pet! I like the idea of them having to feel safe and comfortable before they'll interact with you...seems like a good way to teach kids to be gentle. But, I guess my dog running away and growling at Flanna if she's not gentle can also teach that lesson, hah!

In the meantime, we're talking about getting an aquarium. Flannery is just as excited about an aquarium as she was about the turtle. Thank goodness she's flexible, the sweet kiddo!

And my hubby's home now! Thank heavens! We missed him so much!






What have you had to be flexible about lately?