Turtle Time!!

After stuffing ourselves on Easter, my little girl & I decided to take a walk to get a little post dinner exercise.  As we walked, we came across a baby turtle on a neighbors driveway.  The little gal (we think) was all dried up and crusty and couldn't move~~we both actually thought she might be dead, but being the optimist that  my daughter is, she scooped her up and ran all the way home to get her into some water.  After a few minutes she slowly started to come to life.  My daughter's been asking for a turtle for a long time so, of course, she saw this as an opportunity for a new pet!  She aptly named her "Shelly."  I mean really, how cute is that?!  So after calling the Texas Turtle & Tortoise Conservation folks to get scoop on how to care for little Shelly, we've got her tucked away in a little Tupperware bin filled with water, rocks, turtle food, and leaves.  They explained that due to the water draught here in Texas, the mama turtles are laying their eggs in people's yards and then wandering off to find water.  The babies hatch and then take off looking for mama and water, and then when they can't find either, they die.  So little Shelly is one of the lucky ones as she was found and saved!!  Turns out Shelly is a Snapping turtle...not the best to keep as a pet, so we'll be taking her to the Nature Conservatory that has offered to give her a safe home, in a few weeks.  But for now, my little one is loving her temporary friend, checking out turtle books at the library and becoming quite the little turtle expert!  You never know what a little walk in the neighborhood will bring!