Be free Tripod!

We spent a good part of Monday afternoon looking for turtles.  We found a goose, and a catrillion lily pads, but nary a turtle.  Luckily, the kids babysitter had a box turtle crawling around here yard, and she brought him to visit on Friday!  He has three legs, and thus was called Tripod.  Friday while I was at work, the kids had him swimming in the pool and crawling on the playground.  When I arrived home, there was a turtle in the kitchen, and the kids were really, really excited about him. 

So he hung out here for a few days, getting pampered with apple slices, blueberries, lettuce, parsley, egg shells, and a bit of chicken.  I knew it was time for him to go though when he hoisted himself up into the broccoli bed in the garden to hide - that's serious - it's like 8 inches high.  We had had several conversations about where turtles belong and why it is sad for them to be captive when they were previously wild.  Everyone agreed to release him in the pond nearby, although Pumpkin said he was "sad about Tripod turtle" with his little pout.  Off to the pond this morning, and the kids waved as he swam out to meet new friends.  We will go visiting I'm sure...