Sunday Morning
I am very hungry and smell something good cooking. My owners are always cooking something and Sundays are the worst. The smaller one told me the smell is bacon and that I can’t have any because I wouldn’t like it. How does she know that? The larger one says it will mess up the tank and has too much fat for me. It smells so good, how could I not like it? Oh well, I will go and swim by the side of the tank really fast and act like I am starving and I will get something to eat. The owners are suckers for my starving act, especially the smaller one she always falls for it. Once I eat I will go and lay on the green thing and nap. Maybe later I will do some exercises or try to get out of the tank.
Sunday Night
Well I suckered my owners into feeding me again. I got some ham. Hopefully the big one makes some BBQ chicken this week since I have a taste for chicken. I wonder if wild turtles eat chicken? I guess one could fall into a lake? If not it’s too bad because it is so tasty. They would really be missing out. The large one kept yelling during a sporting thing on TV so my nap kept getting interrupted. I think I am going to go lay on the hammock for and see what is on TV.
Monday Morning
Well they left the windows open all night and it got cold in the house. The water keeps me warm but I was glad when they turned on my light so I could get toasty warm. I think I will sit under the light this morning and sleep. On Mondays they get up earlier and leave the house for the day so I have the house to myself. It’s really quiet when they are not around since the TV and radio are not on. I think I will go and chase a fish around the tank. That is always a lot of fun. I am not hungry but could use some exercise.
Monday Night
As soon as I hear the owners I get startled and jump into the water from the green thing. Once I know it’s them I go into my starving turtle act to see if they will feed me some food. You would think that after 14 years I would be use to my owners but my memory just isn’t that good. I scare easy when on the green thing since I am more venerable to attacks there. I have never been attacked in my tank but it could happen. I think I will go play with the floating log in the tank. Hopefully I don’t think I am stuck in the middle and drowning, but that happens to me all the time. I am a pretty jumpy turtle.
Tuesday Morning
Well the big owner is packing for a trip so it will be me and the little one for a few days. It’s good to have her around because I can always get her to feed me, but she doesn’t make BBQ chicken so I won’t have that for a few days. It will be quiet without the big one because he sometimes works from home so there is always something going on when he is around. I think I will try to get out of the tank for a few hours.
Tuesday Night
I gave up on getting out of the tank, it’s too much work and I tired myself out. After all that work I had to lay on the hammock and get some rest. Then I chased a fish around for awhile, got tired and gave it up. The small owner came home with shrimp for dinner. I like shrimp, scallops, fish, crab and lobster- really any type of fish is good with me. I like it when they get shrimp because I get to eat it for a few days. I just had a large piece of shrimp so I better go lay on the green thing and digest my food. They eat the shrimp with a sauce. I wonder if I would like the sauce- probably not and I guess it would mess up the tank. That’s what they say. I wonder if anything good is on TV tonight? I am going to swim to the hammock and see what is on. I wonder if I am the only turtle who likes to watch TV? At least I don’t have to do my starving turtle act tonight. I may do it anyway to get more shrimp.
Wednesday Morning
It’s another day without the large owner and it’s very quiet. He has a loud voice so you always know when he is around. The small one always goes to the office during the week so I am used to not having her around during the day. The sun is out and that is good for Chicago (that’s what they tell me anyway). I wonder how many turtles live in Chicago? Maybe some will email me and I can find out? I don’t think there has ever been a study on that. I am still pretty full so I think I will swim around the tank today and see if I can escape. I have escaped before and it’s pretty fun. I crawl around the house and hide somewhere where they can’t find me. I hear them looking around the house for me and it’s funny. Sometimes they find me right away but sometimes it’s takes them a long time. I like to crawl into the closet and get into the big ones shoes. It’s fun and it makes it hard for them to find me. If I escape today I will go behind the TV into the wires. That’s fun and it’s hard to find me there.
Wednesday Night
Well I tried all afternoon to get out of the tank without any luck. I really need a better escape plan. I will try again tomorrow but I had enough fun for one day so I think I will take a nap. Maybe I will go do my starving turtle act before taking a nap. No I am too tired after the escape attempts for that. I am going to get on the green thing and sleep.
Thursday Morning
Well the big one got back last night so there is a lot of excitement today at home. The TV or radio will be on and he will make some calls too. He makes business calls that I don't understand. It's a good thing I don't have to work in business. I am excited since it was so quiet here the past few days. That little one doesn’t make much noise. I am going to try and escape again today, but I will also watch some TV. I am going to go work on a better escape plan.
Thursday Night
Well the big one caught me trying to escape and started taking my picture. They must have thousands pictures of me. I think they are a little crazy with the camera. Just when I am about to get out of the tank he walked by, ran and got the camera and started taking pictures. I will have to escape later. It’s a long drop when I escape from the tank, but I always forget until I start falling and then it’s too late. They tell me I have no depth perception, but I don’t know what that means. I look to see how far it is but then I always jump. I don't know why I bother looking. I heard something about installing a turtle cam? I never heard of that so hopefully it is some type of food and not scary.
Friday Morning
I am going to do my starving turtle act to see if I can get some food. I think I will do some exercises and chase fish today. The fish are hard to catch. They know I am after them. Doing my starving turtle act is easier than chasing fish. Maybe I will get a fish today? Probably not, these are some pretty smart fish. They have been around for a few weeks so they know my routine and stay out of my way. They eat the food I don’t eat so that keeps the tank clean. It is fun to have them to chase. After the chase I am going to play on my log. I can’t remember if it scares me or not. I think it’s OK unless you get stuck in it. I don't know.
Friday Night
Well I got the big one to feed me- it was easy and quicker than chasing a fish. I think they will both be home for the weekend so there will be plenty of stuff going on. It’s no longer summer so I won’t get to go to the beach. That is a lot of fun, but they don’t let me go into the lake. I would try to escape so I can’t blame them. They usually dig me a hole and put me in there with water. Other people come up to me and they are really scary. I am afraid they will step on me- they are giants. I don’t know what I would do if I were that big.
Saturday Morning
It’s quiet this morning and I wish they would put my light on. They usually sleep in on Saturdays so my light doesn’t go on as early as during the week. Maybe they will take me out of the tank today and let me walk around the house. That is fun but they close some doors so I can’t hide in the shoes. Maybe they will BBQ? Oh well I am going to stay on my green thing until later. I feel pretty lazy today.
Saturday Afternoon
They setup the turtle cam. Now I have this thing on my tank. I don’t know what it does but it doesn’t give me food so I don’t care. At least it’s not red. That is one of the colors that makes me jumpy. I am sure scared of a lot of things. They call me scaredy McTurtle sometimes. Is that a joke? I don’t know but I do get scared a lot. I just found out the big one is making BBQ chicken for dinner! I am so excited! I love BBQ chicken! I will do the turtle starving act in high gear by the tank once the grill it lit so I am sure to get chicken. Maybe I will get so excited I will splash water all over the place, we will see. I am glad they BBQ year round and don’t stop for the winter, but it looks cold out on the balcony. Chicken! Chicken! I love BBQ Chicken! Once I am done with the chicken I think I will take a nap, hopefully I won’t be too full to get on the green thing.
Sunday
Well the Christmas tree went up this weekend and I am so excited. I love to stare at the lights since they are so pretty. I also like to crawl through the presents and hide and am always looking for a good hiding spot. I wish the tree was up all year since it’s so pretty and I wonder why they take it down. Maybe my owners will put up lights around my tank this year. They always put up a little purple turtle stocking so Santa can leave me presents. I waited up for Santa last year but I never saw him. Maybe I will try again this year but I have a hard time staying awake all night.
Monday
There are some new people in the house called “Hats” and they are terrifying. One of the “Hats” wears sunglasses and when it comes around I hide in fear at the bottom of my tank. My owners laugh at me and say it is just them wearing the hats, but I am not buying it. I usually see the “Hats” when the little one goes running or they are about to leave the house. Thankfully they have never left me alone with the hats so that is good. One time the “Hats” were there then it was my owners. “Hats” are sure confusing.
Tuesday
We now have a new president from Chicago which is very exciting. His name is Barack Obama and I heard he is getting a puppy for his daughters. Puppies are fun but I think he should get a turtle instead. It would sure be fun to be the first turtle and I hear you would have your own chef. The first turtle could probably go into the Whitehouse pool without getting a fine. That would be nice. I know he is from Hawaii and my owners have snorkeled with the Sea Turtles there. They say the Hawaiian people really like turtles so I bet he does too. I think I will write him a letter about getting a first turtle for the Whitehouse.
Wednesday
Well I sure had an exciting visit from my Nephew’s Ethan and Joel. It was a little scary at times but they were a lot of fun. They were in town for a few days and I haven’t been in and out of the tank that much in my life. They took me out to draw me which was fun and you should see the art work- it looks just like me. I think the little owner better watch out because she has competition in the art world. Then one night I was in the tank, out of the tank and back in like 100 times, I lost count after the 10th time because I was dizzy. They fed me chicken and banana so they are alright in my book. I hope they come and visit again. Maybe next time they can take me to the beach.
Thursday
I have a new turtle cam but it does not dispense food so I am planning on ignoring it just like the last one. I don’t know why they can’t put a food dispenser in the camera? It seems like everyone would want one of those. The large one told me if I had a dispenser I would never stop eating. He may be on to something since I really like eating and I never stop even if I am full. The new camera works on the iPhone so now they can see me anywhere. They are a little nutty with the cameras and pictures. I wonder if they make an underwater iPhone? If so I could write my blog and never leave the tank and that would be great. I think I will go to the Apple Store and find out.
Email Responses from Turtle:
Thanks for all the email and here are your responses!
Email to Turtle From Turtle
Hello. I am your long lost relative. I belong to the little one's sister. My name is Johnny after the great Johnny Cash. Do you just go by turtle? I think that is cool - it keeps it real. Your home sounds really neat. Mine is not that big and I also get scared in it sometimes. These 2 cats are always looking at me and last week one of them even knocked the top off of my home. Since you are older & wiser do you have any advice for me about this? My owner now keeps the door to the room shut but that means the dog can't keep me company during the day and he is nice.
Thanks & love, Johnny
Turtle Reply
I am so excited- this is my first email ever. It’s good to hear from you and nice to know I have relatives in the South if I ever need a vacation from Chicago. It’s nice you have a name and Johnny Cash is a good person to be named after. I am called Tiny but go by Turtle- its an alias. I am just glad my name isn’t soup! My owners don’t have any cats, but I went on a trip to Grandma Nacin’s house one time and she has cats so that was pretty scary. I think us turtles are good snacks for cats so my advice is to stay far away from them. Also, I don’t think cats like water so if they are near you go in the water. They like something called cat nip so maybe you can give it to them. I hear it makes them go crazy. Hopefully you can all learn to get along. It’s too bad you don’t get to see the dog during the day, we can’t have dogs in the condo, but I have seen many at the beach and they seem very friendly. You should schedule a trip to Chicago for a visit but I would wait until the summer so we can go to the beach together!
Love Turtle
Email to Turtle From Tanya
Dear Turtle,
My personal trainer raises giant turtles form the Galapagos Islands. His fence is only 12 inches tall. He says that they are perimeter animals. Are you related to his turtles?
Sincerely, Tanya of Sunny California
Turtle Reply
Hi, and thanks for the email. Sorry it's taken me so long to respond, but this went to my spam folder. I didn't even know what spam was since I am so new to email. To me it sounds like ham so maybe I would like it. I am related to the Galapagos Turtles but they are a distant relative. I think they were on the Islands there by themselves for a long time so they are different than most turtles and they get really big. They live a long time, but all turtles live a long time. I may live to be 80 years old or more. Sunny California sounds like a fun place to go. Maybe I will visit sometime soon.
2nd Email to Owners From Tanya (concern for turtle)
Dear turtle owners,
I wrote to the turtle, but he never replied. Is turtle OK? I keep asking my best friend the Doctor to call and see if turtle is OK. He says I am crazy! I often check out the turtle cam for "live turtle antics", but it's kind of hard to see him. Is it possible to adjust the camera?
Tanya
Turtle Reply to Owner email
I (turtle) am doing fine and enjoying life in the tank. I got really busy with the holidays. When my owners put up the tree I stare at it all day long. I like the lights so I didn't have time to reply to email. I am fascinated by the lights. My owners turn the light off at night so that it's dark so if you try to see me at night it would be hard. The big one cleaned the lens the other day and that helped some. I don't know much about web cams they don't teach you that at turtle school. Thanks for the emails and I will try to be quicker on the response from now on, but us turtles are not known for our speed.
Love Turtle
Email to Turtle from Megan
Dear turtle,
Do you like to go to the beach or is the pool better? Do turtles “tan”? Do you have to wear sunscreen? I think you should get a turtle-sized pair of sunglasses. I heard you didn’t have any power at home for awhile. Were you afraid of the dark? I don’t like it when its too dark out- I get scared when my imagination runs away with me. See you on the web!
Your friend, Megan
Turtle Reply
Dear Megan:
I am so glad I finally got your email. I was having spam problems and then lost power. Life is hard without electricity. I didn’t have my light to keep warm or my filter to keep my water clean. I was also without my email so I had no outside contact to the world. I wonder what turtles did before electricity? We lost the power for 8 days which was pretty scary. I got really scared for a few days and hid in the corner and slept underwater. Sleeping under water makes me feel safe. The power is now back on and I hope that doesn’t happen again. I like the beach better than the pool because I can’t go to the pool anymore after the incident. The beach is more fun and they allow turtles at the beach. I also get chicken strips from the Beachtro which are really good. I don’t wear sun tan lotion and I don’t tan. I have pretty dark skin with a little color and I don’t burn so that is good. My owners wear sunscreen but forgot the other day and were really red. They looked like lobsters and it was pretty funny. I would like to get some sun glasses but they don’t make any my size. Maybe I can get a floppy hat those are fun. Hopefully now that the power is back on the big one has makes some BBQ chicken. I think I will go swim by the side of the tank and act hungry and see what happens!
Love Turtle
Email from Alaina, Tessa & Lyla:
Dear Turtle,
Where are you? Every time we visit your site, you are not on the green thing. We like you, please come back!
A couple questions: How old are you? What’s in your habitat? What does your bed look like? Do you wear turtle pajamas? How do you type emails from the tank? What does your shell feel like and why is it hard? Is there a pattern? What do you like to do there? Do you go to school? Do you ever go shopping?
Thanks! We’ll check back, bye bye
Love Alaina, Tessa & Lyla
Turtle Reply:
Thanks for the email. It’s too bad you keep missing me on the green thing. I am there a lot because it’s where I go to warm up. Turtles can’t regulate their body temperature so we need a place to warm up and I do that under the light on the green thing.
The rest of my tank is water and I have a floating log and some other places to hang out at. I like to swim around the tank and float on the log. When I am tired I just sleep so I don’t have a bed. I can even sleep under water believe it or not. I have to come up for air every now and then but its quiet under water so I like it there.
I have to go over to the computer to type up the emails because you can’t put a computer under water for some reason. Doesn’t make much sense to me because I think everything should work under water. There isn’t a turtle school to attend or I would go since learning is fun. I have never been shopping since there isn’t much I need and I don’t wear clothes. I heard my owners talking about a Santa Hat one time, but I don’t have one.
My shell is hard and it’s there for protection. If I get scared (which is a lot) I can pull my entire body in the shell and I am safe. It also helps me to look like a rock so you can blend in if you are in a lake or stream. Sometimes no one knows you are there so that is fun you can sneak up on people that way
I am 15 years old so I have been around for awhile. Some turtles live to be over 100 so I am still very young in turtle years.
Thanks for the email!
Love Turtle
Email from Roger the Cat:
Hi Turtle,
Yes, I’m a cat but I’m really nice (or so my owner tells me). I read your blog and thought I should write to you. I get scared a lot, just like you. Thunder is the worst! I have to crawl under the quilt or hunker down by the front door when a storm hits. My owner tries to comfort me but I just don’t like it. Recently, some jets were flying really low over my house and I didn’t like that one bit! My owner made a little fort by the front door so I could hide. Your owner (the small one) told my owner that your house was under construction. Is it done yet? That would scare me… having lots of strange people in and out of my house. Do you sleep a lot? I do! When my owner is gone during the day, I have to patrol the house and then take a series of naps. Then at night I sleep on her bed and hog as much of it as I can. I don’t eat BBQ chicken but I do “put away”, as my owner says, a lot of kitty kibble and water. Well, I have to go now and take a nap.
Love, Roger
Turtle Reply:
Roger, Roger:
My owners like to watch silly movies and I think that’s from airplane. They laugh a lot while watching that one. It’s good to hear from a cat and this is my first email from a cat. Very exciting but a little scary. The little ones Grandma has cats and I visited one time and was very scared. Her cat is afraid of my owners so it stayed away from us so I didn’t get to talk to the cat.
I am scared of thunder too, but I hide under water so it isn’t too loud. I heard a lot of airplanes one weekend- I wonder if they were the same ones you heard? I wanted to go to the beach that weekend but my owners said there were too many people there so I had to stay home. They were there for an air show. Not sure what that is but it sounds like fun. Maybe they will take me next year.
Most of the construction is done but there are some little things left. I don’t mind the people they come by and look at me but they leave me alone. I was hoping they would all feed me but that didn’t happen. The really loud noise it over for now so that is good.
I eat and sleep too- it’s my usual routine and lots of fun. I don’t eat kibble since I only eat meat but I drink a lot of water. I thought cats only drank milk? You learn something new each day.
Love Turtle
Second email from Alaina, Tessa & Lyla
Dear Turtle ~ We saw you move your head tonight! We have a few more questions.
Do you have any crayons or pencils? Do turtles ever have friends? Do you ever get to go on walks or get taken out of your tank and get to go around the house? Do you have any baby turtles? Do you ever play games?We have a dog and two cats. Sometimes our dog goes to the potty in the house. She likes to lay and sleep on the back of the chair in the sunshine. We are very nice to her when she is on the chair. Sometimes she growls at the cat. Sometimes the cat goes under our bed. She is silly. Sometimes our dog goes under the bed too. She also likes to sleep on top of our covers.
Take care! We’ll look for your reply.
Alaina, Tessa & Lyla
Turtle Reply:
I am glad you saw me move my head so you know I am real. I like to sleep on my green thing so sometimes I don’t move for hours.
I am not allowed crayons or pencils in the tank and the paper dissolves in the water so it’s not the best place to draw. I had a tank-mate for awhile but then he went away and I haven’t seen him since. My owners said he went to a better place, but I am not sure where that would be since the tank is pretty nice. I haven’t gotten another tank friend since then, but maybe some day I will. I get out of my tank a lot and walk around the condo. I also go on walks, but going to the beach is the most fun. I play hide and seek. I hide in the condo when I get out and my owners get to find me. Hiding in the large ones shoes is the best spot, no one can see me there. Dogs and cats are fun and cuddlier than turtles. Dogs do silly things and I just got an email from a cat so I think they are OK. I like to lay in the sun shine too maybe all animals do.
Love Turtle
Email from Dave in Chicago:
Hello Tiny, I was wondering if turtles celebrate St Pat's day?
Turtle Reply:
Wow! How exciting I haven’t gotten an email in some time. Hopefully I remember how to type. Turtles do not generally celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but I do live in Chicago so that changes things. All Chicagoans are a bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day and my last name is Murray so I party it up. I can’t go to the parades since it’s still too cold out for me in March so I stay home and celebrate. Hopefully I will get some corned beef this year. It’s really good and I only get it this time of year. I wonder if it’s available at other times. Who knows? There is a good Irish restaurant downstairs so you can probably get it there. Once I am done eating I like to watch all the crazy people on rush street out the windows. They are really funny and put on all sorts or crazy green stuff and drink green beer. I am not sure what beer tastes like since I only drink water, but it seems to make people happy. One time my owners drank green beer, went to the parade and came home with really silly tall green hats. I was terrified but then realized it was just them. They were acting goofy and then put on some loud music so that was fun. I like music even though I do not have ears. I can feel the vibrations. Happy St. Patty’s Day!
Love Turtle Murray
Email from Sue in South Carolina
Hi,
I bought a very small water turtle for my niece from a beach store in South
Carolina. Since my niece could not take the turle onto the airplane, I have
acquired the turle and I live in South Carolina. I'm enjoy "Poke", the
turtle.
He lives in a glass bowl, with rocks to climb and he can bask in the sun. I
change his water everyday and feed him. Do you know if my turle can join my
goldfish in the outdoor pond. It has a nice waterfall and rocks. Will my
turle hurt the fish?
Turtle Reply:
Hi, and thanks for the email I am always excited to meet new turtles and owners. I have never been on an airplane but it seems like a lot of fun. I heard my owners talking about taking me on a trip with them but they weren’t sure if I could go in the regular seats or if I had to go in the cargo area. The cargo area sound pretty scary to me.
The turtle and gold fish may get along but,
If the gold fish are small your turtle will eat them. He will have to catch them first us turtles are pretty crafty when it comes to getting food. When I have feeder fish in the tank I do anything to catch them. I even sit on the bottom of the tank for hours waiting for one to come by so I can grab one. It’s really fun to chase the fish around the tank but if I get tired I will beg for food from my owners and they usually fall for my routine.
If the gold fish are really big they may scare the turtle. I once had a gold fish that kept getting bigger and bigger until one day my owners had to let it go in the lake. I was really glad when they got rid of the fish because it was terrifying. It would chase me and I was afraid he was going to eat me. My owners said this couldn’t happen but I was still scared.
The last thing is if you live in an area where it gets cold your turtle may hibernate. This is a natural thing but you may think your turtle ran away when in fact he’s below the mud asleep.
Love Turtle
Email from Tank the Lhasa Apso:
Dear Turtle,
I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to e-mail a turtle! I'm a
Lhasa apso (dog) and I have my own blog too. I must say you do a fine
job for a turtle - your typing skills alone are amazing! Sometimes I
complain because I have no thumbs, but you - well how do you do it??
Sincerely yours, Tank
P.S. feel free to visit me at my blog anytime www.tankcolnar.blogspot.com
Turtle Reply:
Dear Lhasa Apso (aka Tank),
Thanks for the email. I am always happy to hear from Dogs since they are nice. Lhasa Apso’s sound like a really fun breed. I really like your blog and thanks for the shout out for my site. I enjoy writing the blog it is hours of fun. Typing can be tricky with my claws so I do the best I can. From your picture it looks like you are accustom to typing. You know what’s funny? Your name is tank and I live in a tank........... it is almost like we are the same being.
It is a beautiful day today here in Chicago as well. It is 60 and sunny and my owners say they have something called spring fever. I am not sure what that is but it sounds bad. I may stay under the water so I don’t get it. I wonder if it will be warm enough to have a beach party this weekend. If not we will probably have a BBQ and I am putting in a request for chicken right away.
I hope you get to the park and it was great hearing from you!
Love Turtle
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