Consider the Turtle.....

So…consider the lowly turtle, subject of many jokes and stories. In Kansas, the turtle is the subject of truck tires and redneck consumers.
I was in a little café next door to the motel where I have been sequestered for two days, resting. I was eavesdropping on some locals who were talking about making turtle soup, and what is required to kill the really big snapping turtles. One guy preferred a .45 caliber, the other said a .22 was enough. They both agreed that the soup was excellent though. I would say that they both need to go vegetarian, but that is their business.
As I walk westward, the number of armadillos I see, deceased or otherwise, has dropped to almost zero, but turtles have replaced them in the dead animal hierarchy with ease. Empty shells, mostly broken in some way, litter the highways and shoulders all over the place. Unlike armadillos, though, I see plenty of turtles who are very much alive and well, working their little bodies across the hot asphalt. They really can book when they need to but often seem to be wandering like a nomad looking for an oasis. I help each and every one that I encounter, whether they want that help or not. Usually, with the current flooding situation all through the Midwest there are is plenty of water and plenty of ditches full of runoff. I often toss ‘em in the water, figuring that they will figure it out. At least they wont be back on the road too soon.
The saddest thing I see, turtle-wise, are the little guys. They remind me of the little pet turtles I had as a kid, purchased at Woolworth’s in Ellenville, New York, for 50 cents and which never lived longer than a few weeks due to little kids forgetting about them, until the dead turtle smell hit and down the toilet they went. Then, back to Woolworths for another victim. A sad cycle.
But turtles are a tough lot. They have been around since the dinosaurs, (See “Godzilla versus Gamera” for proof) and will long outlast the human race, especially if we develop cars that fly. Can’t hit them on Kansas roads that way.
On the other hand, the guys next to me in the cafe might have more soup than they need....