We have a resident turtle who lives somewhere (or maybe many ‘wheres’) around our yard. We have a couple of ponds at either end of our land, but they’re each more than 1000 feet away. So given the regularity we see our hard-shelled neighbor, we figure he’s pretty much a land guy. The main reason he’s made our house part of his regular circuit is he apparently loves cat food. And we feed two roaming outside cats who love to leave leftover kibble on our front porch that the turtle comes by and eats later. Who knew?

This morning, however, I spotted the sweet little dear staring hopefully through the lowest window in our back door. Apparently he looked up and saw me eating breakfast at the table and thought it was worth a shot at getting kibble of his own on the back porch without having to walk all the way around to the front. There’s only one spot on the front porch where he can get on, where he’s pushed leaves up against one corner to make a soft and sturdy ramp for himself. Did I mention how smart he is? But to get to that leafy ramp from the back door is quite a hike for the little guy. So, I stopped and grabbed a handful of Meow Mix just for him, and put the fishes & stars into a nice little pile near him. His little neck stretched out immediately. He’s given up any sign of introverted nature long ago, obviously having figured out we’re always good for a handout.

But his favorite food is banana. And we all share a good chuckle when he spots a banana in my hand and scampers over like only a turtle can at high speed. Have you ever seen a turtle run? Yep, it’s quite a sight. But then, our now semi-wild neighbor is quite a wonderful little turtle.