This is a funny little example of the way our world works.

As we were leaving the house for Easter…
E: Turtleor is upset that we’re leaving. She thinks we are going to bring her a baby brother or sister.

As we were driving into Dime Box…
L: I hope we don’t find another turtle. Two might be a lot more work, but I won’t be able to leave it there.

As E was reaching into the water cutoff to make sure the water was turned on…
E: “Baby, you aren’t going to believe this.” Then he hands me the tiniest Red Eared Slider I’ve ever seen. She had been stuck in the valve area for a while, was emaciated, and was so dehydrated she could not open her eyes.

As we battled getting the water turned on at Dime Box, I checked on her from time to time. I also texted a picture of her to Twitxr, which showed up on facebook. Name suggestions included Dribble and Speed Bump. E suggested Valvet since we found her in the valve. I suggested Turtleand and Turtlebut to go with Turtleor….but ultimately Valvet is the most telling/descriptive name for our new addition.

Turtleor has made it abundantly clear that she is the alpha with the fluttering of her front feet. At the same time, she seems to “cuddle” Valvet under her belly in a protective way. Valvet hasn’t eaten, yet, but it took Turtleor ~3 days to eat when we brought her home, so I’m not too concerned about that, yet.

Pictures to follow, of course.