March 11, 2014

DD # 12 - Turtle Talk

My wife jokingly refers to my cable access show of the future where I discuss turtles as "Turtle Talk." While the idea is comical, my history with them makes this idea quite plausible.  Donk, Dunk, Dink, Doink, Mojo, Fred, and Winston have all experienced turtle life with me.  Whether bought at a pet store, given as a wedding gift, rescued from a tourist trap in the Dells, or found in the street, they've all had epic adventures. From the lost turtle in my apartment to the beheading incident, each day was an adventure. There were turtle races in my classroom, emotional releases, filter foul-ups, and "tail-less" traumas. While my tank evolved from a simple 10-gallon pet store model to a 100 gallon tank found online and recovered from a trailer park, the care-taking and cleanup was ritualistic and time-consuming. Transferring them from the house to classroom was always risky. Seeing that phase of my life come to an end was still bittersweet.  Whether they were given to a student, donated to a pet store, released into the wild, or sent to turtle heaven, they each were special to me and will give me memories to share for years to come

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