whatever

Diane - My two bits regarding your turtle. Make sure your children wash their hands with warm water and soap after holding him. Turtles can carry salmonella.

Fat Cowboy - Free Yertle!!!

tina - When you write a blog, it’s out there for all to see. I think ‘hater’s’ is the wrong term. No one is hating on Meg! We love meg and that’s why we come here and comment. Nature and the eco-system is a touchy subject, especially in the past 10-20 years. We know more now, so we are aware of the effects on the environment. Animals are truly the most innocent creature’s on “God’s” green earth….so i can see how many people perk up there chests when something so innocent like this happens.
With all do respect to Mandy friend…it’s not just two turtles…because if 1000 reader’s view this blog and half of them would like to try the same thing…then that’s 1000 turtles which have been displaced and so on and so on.
No hater’s meg…just animal lovers 🙂 Your blog is awesome!

Sandy W - If you are going to keep the turtles just please make sure you give them a container of water large enough for them to get in and a way to get in and out. They do need water to survive.

sue - Laura….Thank you.

Julie - I think you need to paint Phil’s shell! He would be the coooooolest turtle eva!

Maggie T. - Pi love the turtle! Such amazing detail, what an amazing God! Thanks for sharing….

holly S - oh my there are a lot of haters on this post. I love your blog and all your pictures. You have a beautiful family and are a very inspiring person! Thanks for sharing your wonderful life with us on your blog.

Christina - Congrats on your running!!
And your thoughts/comments on the turtle were awesome…I have lost my ability to wonder (as in, be in awe) at creation. Thank you!

sue - meg gave me and others the impression that she was going to keep the turtles. She never said it was just for the over night or till the morning and i think if she had made that clear we would not be discussing this the way we are. Having a blog is alot of responsibility and i don’t think she made it clear on what she was going to do with it. we are not haters but just like wild life to roam free.

Tracey Garcia - Oh good gravy! I read through all the responses the the “save the turtle” folks seem a little over the top. ya’ll found two turtles, put them in a big trough, and are observing them. It’s not like you threw them in a pot to make soup! I have every confidence folks that Meg does not intend to make these forever pets. The turtles are not being tortured or mistreated and the kids are learning about them and nature. Yes, it is important for kids to learn about animals and their natural habitat. Yes, wild animals are wild and not pets. But the kids ARE learning and being respectful of the animals. They’ve kept them outside in a turtle friendly environment. Relax for goodness sake.
And Meg, I think your 100 mi is AWESOME!!!! Big congrats. Maybe I’ll try to walk a 100 mi in April (I only run if I’m being chased—-which I may be my the turtle folks after I post this comment)

Jolene (Homespun Heritage) - HA! That is so cool!
We have a tortoise called Bubba. He’s pretty awesome!

lisa k - Over the past year of reading your blog, you have inspired me to do many things. This past month I have decided to join you in running 100 miles in march, I think it is such a great personal goal that you cant cheat yourself out of, and I’ve been looking forward to going on jogs everyday now 🙂
Im at 82 miles, and congrats to you 86!
Thank you thank you for your inspiring, down to earth blog 🙂

holly - OK, so it seems like there are a lot of hater this morning….anyways, it is a water turtle. Phil has webbed feet. Land turtles are really dry and scaly.I had one when i was a teacher. not only did I take it out of it’s natural habitat, but I took him to school, kept him in an aquarium. He lived several years and got very big. Finally I had to let him go, so I did. Sorry haters.
congrats on the running! You will meet your goal!

Georgia - So cute!

Jacci - One more thought… judging from the photos, it’s hard to tell whether or not Phil is getting any sunshine. Because Phil is cold-blooded, he needs to be able to keep his temp regulated by moving in and out of sun. So, he needs both shady spots and sunny spots. The end 🙂

Jacci in Ohio - Okay… First of all, I really enjoyed this post! The pictures are lovely and
Phil is a looker 🙂 Now… About the wild turtles. It’s true, your turtles may be trying to mate or lay eggs right now. BUT it is most definitely NOT true that your turtles might need to “take care of babies” or “teach other turtles to swim.” God has made turtles to lay eggs and never look back. They do not care for their young like birds or mammals do. So no baby turtles are in distress because of your actions 🙂 Don’t you feel better already? 🙂 decades ago, when children were far more in tune with the creation around them, it was not at all uncommon for classrooms to teach “nature study” in the early school years instead of science. Nature study is hands on, focusing on close observation, and natural habitat. We approach science this way in our homeschool. We often observe creatures for an hour or two before letting them go exactly where we found them. Children that learn to care about turtles the way yours do are going to be far more likely to truly understand wildlife issues as adults than those that merely saw turtles behind glass and filled out some worksheet about their habitat needs.
Maybe this should’ve been an email 🙂 the only other things I’d mention are that Kansas may have laws concerning whether or not you’re even allowed to keep Phil and for how long. Here in Ohio, if we keep a wild caught turtle for longer than 4 days, it’s illegal to return it to the wild afterward. And the salmonella concerns are legit, but washing hands well is enough 🙂

Kelly - So, does this mean you are starting your own turtle farm now?! 🙂

happygirl - We had a turtle named Cynthia for FOUR years. Turtles are horrible pets. Don’t bring this one in the house. They poop A LOT. just sayin’. Awesome running. I am so impressed.

sue - You know your going to get alot of mail on this but please put the turtle back where it belongs. I know you have good intentions but that turtle has to teach other turtles how to swim. You know its the right thing to do .

karen - very cute turtle. i would let the turtles go. your kids are lucky enough to have hundreds of wild ‘pets’ in the country. FREE THE TURTLES!!! lol!

Jen Brandt - Going to hit your running goal – YEA FOR YOU!!! That is awesome. Love Phil. Yes, he does have beautiful colors!

Terrie G - I’m having a hard time reading your posts…they all make me cry.
I miss living on the farm….so many memories of our kids growing up.
And the sounds..I miss those the most at night.
we went to the farm to clean up last week and I took a good look around the place…
with my camera. It was probably one of the last times I’ll go there…so I reminisced…and cried.
A lot.
Happy Wednesday!
PS – You’ve inspired me to start walking…not up to running yet. 🙂

Kate S. - You’ve openly admitted you know little about farm or wildlife, so why are you attempting to keep turtles as pets? They’re wild animals and you’ve unwittingly trapped them and are forcing them to live their lives in captivity.
I’m reminded of this quote: “God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages.” –Jacques Deval.
Please let the turtles go. Your children can learn about turles elsewhere.

jeana - The turtle is gorgeous! God is amazingly creative, and just to imagine none are exactly the same?! Wow. Congrats on the running. I hate running, it always seems so miserable.. maybe I’m missing something?

Rebecca - When you look at Phil’s most perfect design, isn’t it hard to believe someone wouldn’t believe in God?

Susan - Turtles have been on the move in our neighborhood lately…we have tons of creeks winding around our neighborhood…a couple of times I have seen one crossing the road and wanted to stop and get it for our back yard. I have two cats and worried about how that would work out. In my case the turtles are probably better off in the street!

Jana - Also, in our area (central Illinois) tiny painted turtles make a pilgrimage to our neighbors pond and it is a pretty remarkable feat! I am sure your children would enjoy that as well! Mine always did!

Jenn - Yay for you on being so close to your goal! That’s awesome! And a BIG thank you, too! You have inspired me. I have three children and back in January lost a baby at almost 18 weeks. It was crushing. I’d lost two other babies, but much earlier in the pregnancy…because of that and the constant nausea, I hadn’t exercised in a several months…and I was packing on the pounds…and it wasn’t very pretty. And you have inspired and encouraged me to start running. I am only up to a mile and a half five days a week, but wow! I’m not dying at the end! And I’m doing it! And the weight is beginning to come off! And I feel so much better! And I never would’ve done it had you not been sharing about running. Thank you!!! Thank you!!!

beth - That is a huge turtle! And the fact that you had a large pot in your trunk really cracked me up. I’m so glad you’re enjoying farm/country living! So, what’s next? Your own chickens? A little goat maybe?

MaryMargaret - I know that I’m going to get some flack from this, but please, please put the turtles back into their natural habitat. You may have good intentions, but taking a turtle off of the road may be taking a mother from her nest. Wildlife is called “wild” for a reason, please don’t upset the ecosystem. If you explain that to your children, they’ll learn to respect that now and later in life. Sorry for sounding so preachy in the morning, but I’m a country girl that believes in nature.