What do they mean? As a species- tremendous persistence? As individuals- choleric temperaments? As beauty show contestants- last place finishers? As potential interspecies bonds-. One can hug a tree, or raise an affectionate lion but it's inadvisable to hug a snapping turtle!!
That’s incredible! They mean a lot of those same things to me. I get a sense of wisdom and stillness from most wildlife. Simply being what they are. We have a great gift in the power of our own minds, yet there seems a balance that we ought to work toward a little bit more in life. Our ability to think has gotten us far as a species, and yet thinking a little less and feeling more, simply being and trusting a little more our intuition feels like a worthwhile practice.
Wonderful and fun post, Neil. Love the sense of adventure and mutual discovery, the caution of the two of you meeting on the trail. Turtles have a presence that connects us with the here and now as much as with an ancient time.
Thanks Heidi and I like how you put that about turtles having "a presence that connects us with the here and now as much as with an ancient time." I like that way of looking at turtles.
I've had so many comical encounters with snapping turtles that i can't help but experience them as evolutionary comedians... with the driest delivery ever.
Fearless, wry, wasting nothing, a world unto themselves and completely uninviting, a living stone, an enduring strategy, a commentary on us that we cannot possibly respond to.
When I was a kid, our family was driving along a road in Sullivan County, New York, where we had a summer place. We saw this odd huge rock trying to cross the road.
We stopped, and it was a snapping turtle, headed for the lake. We couldn't pick it up. Dad found a long branch, and led the turtle across the road while we watched for traffic. The turtle followed the branch and went sploosh into the lake.
Flash forward to 20 years later. My daughter was driving me in Sullivan County, New York, near White Lake, to get supplies for a family party. We pulled up in a parking lot by the lake and saw a huge brown rock trying to cross the road.
We realized it was a snapping turtle. The turtle was trying to walk across the road. Remembering my father, I walked next to the turtle, my hands up to prevent traffic from hitting the turtle. It slowly and steadily crossed the road, walked down to the water, and went sploosh into the lake.
I was so glad that my daughter saw this, and I told her how history had just repeated itself, as joy, not as farce.
Awesome experiences Kiwiwriter47 and that's an example you saw yourself from your Dad and also able to show your daughter decades later. I definitely think of turtles as my friends. The Snapping Turtles are especially fascinating. Thanks for sharing.
It just seemed like the right and gentle thing to do, and I’m glad I was able to follow in Dad’s literal and figurative footsteps.
My brother and sister-in-law have a pet Russian Tortoise named “Prilba.” That’s the Slovakian word for “helmet.” My sister-in-law is Slovakian.
She lives in a nice wicker Tortoise hut in their apartment, and has free reign. She wanders around by day and eats vegetables at her feeding stations. Sherman the Pounce Kitten tries to pounce on her, but Prilba is unfazed.
I went to visit them and they took Prilba in her Tortoise Carrier to the nearby park, where she walked around, up and down a hill, nibbling plants and grass, for an hour and a half. Then she stopped walking. That was her signal that she was tired.
I picked her up — she’s very used to people — and put her back in her Tortoise Carrier.
When we came home, we put her on the floor in front of her hut, and she walked in. My sister-in-law flipped down her little curtain and said, “Now she’s done for the day.”
What a wonderful encounter, Neil! And what a great question :)
We don't see turtles super-often, and they're so special to me! The balance of absolute toughness and precarious fragility encompassed in their little life stories is so striking. So wonderfully well-armored, and yet in a modern world, things like vehicle traffic, pollution, habitat destruction can be just devastating...
What a face! Tis the season for our shelled friends, and I am greatly enjoying it. Wonderful poem, Neil.
Thanks Wei Tam and much appreciated!
What do they mean? As a species- tremendous persistence? As individuals- choleric temperaments? As beauty show contestants- last place finishers? As potential interspecies bonds-. One can hug a tree, or raise an affectionate lion but it's inadvisable to hug a snapping turtle!!
Haha, so true Michael - definitely inadvisable! Tremendous persistence - I like this one especially.
I have neverrrr seen a snapping turtle, this is BEAUTIFUL Neil!
Thanks Mohika - Snapping turtles are definitely a sight to see - so unique. :)
That’s incredible! They mean a lot of those same things to me. I get a sense of wisdom and stillness from most wildlife. Simply being what they are. We have a great gift in the power of our own minds, yet there seems a balance that we ought to work toward a little bit more in life. Our ability to think has gotten us far as a species, and yet thinking a little less and feeling more, simply being and trusting a little more our intuition feels like a worthwhile practice.
Thanks Ren Michael. That's a great point about trusting a little more in our intuition. Certainly a great practice and worthwhile.
Wonderful and fun post, Neil. Love the sense of adventure and mutual discovery, the caution of the two of you meeting on the trail. Turtles have a presence that connects us with the here and now as much as with an ancient time.
Thanks Heidi and I like how you put that about turtles having "a presence that connects us with the here and now as much as with an ancient time." I like that way of looking at turtles.
Thanks, Neil. So many species bridge us to other times and states of mind.:)
I've had so many comical encounters with snapping turtles that i can't help but experience them as evolutionary comedians... with the driest delivery ever.
Fearless, wry, wasting nothing, a world unto themselves and completely uninviting, a living stone, an enduring strategy, a commentary on us that we cannot possibly respond to.
Thanks Peter and I really like those ways you describe Snapping Turtles. A Living Stone. So true.
When I was a kid, our family was driving along a road in Sullivan County, New York, where we had a summer place. We saw this odd huge rock trying to cross the road.
We stopped, and it was a snapping turtle, headed for the lake. We couldn't pick it up. Dad found a long branch, and led the turtle across the road while we watched for traffic. The turtle followed the branch and went sploosh into the lake.
Flash forward to 20 years later. My daughter was driving me in Sullivan County, New York, near White Lake, to get supplies for a family party. We pulled up in a parking lot by the lake and saw a huge brown rock trying to cross the road.
We realized it was a snapping turtle. The turtle was trying to walk across the road. Remembering my father, I walked next to the turtle, my hands up to prevent traffic from hitting the turtle. It slowly and steadily crossed the road, walked down to the water, and went sploosh into the lake.
I was so glad that my daughter saw this, and I told her how history had just repeated itself, as joy, not as farce.
She agreed.
Turtles are your friends.
Awesome experiences Kiwiwriter47 and that's an example you saw yourself from your Dad and also able to show your daughter decades later. I definitely think of turtles as my friends. The Snapping Turtles are especially fascinating. Thanks for sharing.
It just seemed like the right and gentle thing to do, and I’m glad I was able to follow in Dad’s literal and figurative footsteps.
My brother and sister-in-law have a pet Russian Tortoise named “Prilba.” That’s the Slovakian word for “helmet.” My sister-in-law is Slovakian.
She lives in a nice wicker Tortoise hut in their apartment, and has free reign. She wanders around by day and eats vegetables at her feeding stations. Sherman the Pounce Kitten tries to pounce on her, but Prilba is unfazed.
I went to visit them and they took Prilba in her Tortoise Carrier to the nearby park, where she walked around, up and down a hill, nibbling plants and grass, for an hour and a half. Then she stopped walking. That was her signal that she was tired.
I picked her up — she’s very used to people — and put her back in her Tortoise Carrier.
When we came home, we put her on the floor in front of her hut, and she walked in. My sister-in-law flipped down her little curtain and said, “Now she’s done for the day.”
How beautiful ❤️, I have never seen snapping turtle 🐢. Lovely
Thank you Hajra and I hope you get to see one some day. :)
Yeah sure
What a wonderful encounter, Neil! And what a great question :)
We don't see turtles super-often, and they're so special to me! The balance of absolute toughness and precarious fragility encompassed in their little life stories is so striking. So wonderfully well-armored, and yet in a modern world, things like vehicle traffic, pollution, habitat destruction can be just devastating...
Thanks Sydney and beautiful put! I like that balance of toughness and fragility. So true. Hopefully our environment improves over time for turtles.
Thank you.
And thank you Lola
the poem says it all
Thanks Janoskar and much appreciated.