turtle pee

do you have that one thing (or maybe a few things) that you love so much you can't pass up; no matter how much you already have, you just feel like you can't get enough?  that thing for me is lace dresses.  but something i haven't worn before is a lace dress with turtle pee...

jacket: american eagle // dress: h&m via ebay // leather belt: vintage, thrifted // sandals: kork ease // sunglasses: tumbleweeds // necklace: dinosaur toes // turtle pee: c/o eastern box turtle

if you've been reading my blog since last summer, you already know that i stop and get turtles out of the road.  this little girl is the absolute smallest i've ever saved from cars, and i almost didn't see her!  good thing for the tailgating state trooper behind me - i was forced to drive slow.  she probably looks big in the picture thanks to my infant sized hands, but her shell was only 2" long!  she was so cute i couldn't even remember where i put my key or how to start the ignition.  and she was so cute i wasn't even worried about the fact that she peed on me - twice - and left a little puddle of turtle pee on my dress.

also, i'm so happy with the way my necklace turned out!  i made two, and since i can't part with one, the other will be added to my shop sometime soon!

hisssss. scratch.

since the weather has turned cooler earlier than normal, i kind of assumed all the turtles had found a nice patch of dirt and dug themselves in until the spring. i haven't really seen many turtles at all this year, but this morning as i was on my way to take some pictures for a client, i saw a turtle. it had already crossed the road and didn't appear to be in danger, so i kept going, and then on the way home i saw another turtle (and this is after i've gone more than a month without seeing any)!

i actually had to turn around twice for this girl, but it's always worth it. once i got to her, i realized that she'd probably been hit before, by a car or lawnmower or something else, because she had a large crack and chunk from the right side of the front of her carapace, and a smaller part from the back. luckily those were older injuries because i could see where they've healed nicely. anyway, she hissed at me more than any turtle has hissed at me, and she threw her head back to bite me with such force that i was afraid she'd hurt herself! since she was close to my house, i put her back in the vehicle with me and headed home so i'd be able to release her far from a road, and near woods and a creek. once i put her in the floorboard, she hissed once more (loudly), then ran to the opposite side. after we got home and i got her out, those tyrannosaurus rex toenails scratched the crap out of my hands! she hated me, and she made that very clear, but i love her nonetheless.

i love turtles so much it's difficult to even try and put into words. as much as i like seeing them, a part of me is always glad when they turn in for the fall and winter so i don't have to worry about them crossing roads.

i guess that's the most exciting news i have from today. how about you, anything to report?

turtle day saywhaaaaat!

TODAY IS WORLD TURTLE DAY! okay, i'm obviously incredibly excited. i love turtles more than.... ummmm.... more than i could ever explain! they bring my heart so much joy, with those scaly toes and pretty carapace, and up until earlier today, i didn't even know there was such a thing as world turtle day! i'm marking my calender, and next year, the party's ON! just because i'm so excited about world turtle day, i'm going to go put on one of my many vintage turtle necklaces even through i'm still in my pajamas (yes, i'm still sick) and no one will see me.

i don't remember where i found this picture (i saved it over a year ago), but don't you just want to snuggle that little baby and revert to high pitched baby talk? i know i do. and speaking of turtles, one day i'm going to get a turtle tattoo, because you know it's true love when it's in ink. am i right? am i right?!

i haven't seen as many turtles so far this year, but i think that's all due to the fact that we've had a relatively cool spring compared to normal. but worry not, i'm still running out in front of cars and across highways to save every turtle i can.

in closing, I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT WORLD TURTLE DAY SOONER!!!

my lackluster weekend

when i say "lackluster," i'm not even kidding! i kind of planned on not doing anything this weekend since i'm leaving this friday for san francisco and i know i'll be super busy getting orders shipped, working, and packing, so i'm not at all upset that i did almost nothing! today i woke up, read some of my book (i'm re-reading "remember me?" by sophie kinsella because, ironically, i couldn't remember it), then fell asleep again. later this afternoon chris and i went to the video store (they didn't have anything worth watching) and the grocery store. the highlight of my shopping trip is the powdered donuts i cam home with!

on our way back home, i saw a turtle in the road and told chris to pull over. when we got home, i sat mr. turtle in the backyard and then went in to get the camera. chris got this little turtle magnifying glass and said he was going to "examine the turtle with a turtle." for some reason, we thought that was hilarious.

sorry i'm so boring! tomorrow i plan to share with you a new favorite shop i've been stalking. hopefully that will be a little more interesting. so what have you been up to this weekend?

Terrapene Carolina

I'm sure you probably all know about my immeasurable love for birds, but you may or may not know that I have the same fondness for turtles. I've always loved turtles (see), but the older I've gotten, the more I've learned about their (box turtles, or terrapene carolina) rapid decline due to habitat destruction and fragmentation. It's because of the information I've read that I've basically become a turtle-saving maniac. Up until today, I've only ever run into the highway or blocked traffic for two turtles in one day, but in less than two hours of driving I got 5, yes FIVE, turtles from the road!

turtle pictures found here and here.

Like a fool, I left my camera at home today, but any turtle is cute! So, back to my story. I was told the other year (regarding orphaned or injured birds, and any wild animal in a perilous situation) that, basically, I'm stepping in and disturbing nature, and I should leave all wildlife alone. I, on the other hand, disagree. I feel that I'm put in a specific place at a specific time because I'm supposed to be there, and I can help. Do we think that doctors are disrupting things by saving lives? No.

Okay, rant over, back to the silly stuff. Two of the turtles were at the edge of the road on my way to work this morning, and three of them were in the road on my way to see my first client. There was a car a ways behind me when I stopped to get the fifth turtle out of the road, so I pulled over, jumped out of the car, and put my hand up to say, "stop" while I was walking to the turtle. Well, they didn't obey the sign, but the turtle is now safe, so that's all that matters!

A couple years ago when I was at my favorite local junk/antique shop, I spotted this pretty necklace, and I felt like was made for me! Fitting, no? In addition to mingling with turtles, I also went to pick up this CD from Karl Blau at my local indie record store, Speakertree Records, and I love it!

my wildlife adventure

No neighbors, no streetlights, no running water. Okay, so the last part is a joke, but I do live in the country, and anyone who makes the journey for the first time, or even a repeat visit, is sure to tell me that I'm "way out there." Living in the sticks does have its perks, though. I'm constantly surrounded by wildlife and have regular bird visitors that my city friends have never even seen before! After leaving for work yesterday, my husband called to tell me that there was a turtle in the road just up from our house. I put on my running shoes and did the hundred yard dash (1/8 mile dash, actually) to save my little friend! On the way there, I passed a snake skeleton (of which I'm not so fond) and was met by four goldfinches, two indigo buntings and a male hummingbird. My jog was nice, and the best part about it is I get to see that kind of beauty everyday! (Minus the snake skeleton).

the traveler

I don't know what it is about turtles, their slow speed, their cute feet or the fact that they carry their shelter with them, but I just love them. I don't love that their population is rapidly decreasing, due in part to being hit by cars. Whether it's a country road or a four lane highway, I'll run into the road like a maniac to save these little creatures from imminent danger. This little cutie decided to take a walk on the road this morning, and I'm glad I was there to stop her! She now has a new home on our 140 acre farm.