The Tractor and the Turtle

I just spent most of my day at my grandma's house with my dad, doing some of the work that comes with having a gorgeous pond in the spring, including wading into mud a foot deep, chopping off branches from trees, and pumping air into a hose underwater so that we could retrieve a sprinkler pole that was knocked down during an incident with my dad's kayak. All in all it was a good day, especially since I got to be in the water, which was surprisingly warm.

And then, to top it all off, Dad let me drive Grandma's little tractor-thing up to the barn. I love to drive. I love driving the riding mower, although last time I drove it I was this _______ close to hitting our car, I hit a post, I backed up into a bush, and I mowed half the lawn before I realized that the blade was off. I also really like driving my Grandma's little tractor. It goes faster than the mower, and it also stops faster, so there is no fear of backing up into a car with your foot jammed on the brake. Today was only the third time I had driven it, but I enjoyed it. I'm a little scared to drive a car, since I have mostly tried to steer from the passenger seat, and that normally results in me swerving all over the road, trying not to get too close to either edge. But like I said, I enjoy driving.

I was taking the little tractor up to the barn, glad that I had asked Dad about driving it for the third time, when I got up to the barn. Right next to the fake fire hydrant (that I had only just noticed today after going to Grandma's house for years) was a six inch round little painted turtle. I pushed in the brake, then turned the key. I lifted up my foot and the tractor lurched forward. Not a very dignified stop. Plus, I was six feet away from the barn. Dang.

I ran over to the turtle and picked it up. I ran to my dad and yelled, "Dad, look what I found!"
He looked at it and said," It's a little painted turtle! Where did you find it?"

As I opened my mouth to answer, I dropped the turtle. Poor turtle. I picked it up again.

And it peed all over my flip-flopped foot.

Poor me.

I set the turtle down, and went to rinse off my foot.

Never drop a turtle. Ever.