Have you ever been driving down the road and all of a sudden the brakes are hit, the gears placed in reverse and the car flies backward coming to a screeching halt? If not, then you have obviously never been in the car with my husband when he's on a mission. We were driving along having a perfectly pleasant conversation when without warning the scenario described above happened. Since we've been together for 20 something years, I am now accustomed to the behavior although it still takes me by surprise when it takes place. So, we stopped on a, luckily, not busy road. My husband jumped out of the car and came back a few minutes later with something in his hand. Baby turtle and Harlan to the rescue.

Now I have to admit when I'm driving I don't see all the little movements on the road surface. But I have a very high level of respect for my husband and his ability to do that. I also deeply respect his love of any living being and his desire to help. Having said that, I have to admit I'm not as respectful of the sudden lurching stops and the reverse driving action when there is a truck coming right at us! That's pretty much where I draw the line. So, I find that my profound respect of this usually comes to light when I'm NOT in the vehicle. Be that as it may, it happened again this morning and there was baby turtle.

So, what to do. The first thing we discussed was taking it home and trying to care for it. But we immediately came to our senses considering we have three dogs and two fairly adventurous cats. We then came to the conclusion we often do in these situations. Let's go see Diane. She'll take care of it. Diane is our feline vet who lovingly treats a variety of animals species except dogs and skunks, and skunks only because she is very allergic. We have taken turtles to her before, as you may recall from other articles, and decided to do so again. This time I told Harlan I would not be the front man. He would have to take the turtle in alone. And he did.

We learned that Harlan rescued a Florida Cooter turtle. They like rivers and marshes and can grow to about 1 1/2 feet in size. Our vet advised the best thing we could do is not keep the turtle captive, but release it in the canal behind our house. Keeping the turtle in an aquarium as a "pet" would only weaken it and contribute to its early demise. By returning it to its natural habitat, we could give the little thing a fighting chance.

So tonight as the sun is setting and the birds are going home to roost, we are helping our little Cooter settle in his new home. I'm so glad my husband rescued him and gave him a chance to grow and raise his own little family. But, the next time he asks me to go driving, I think I may stay home. Happy Gardening and keep your eyes on the road. The life you save may be a little Florida Cooter.