A New Name

 You remember Dora, the explorer. I found some $ Tree garden fence pieces that someone abandoned. I find them unattractive and wouldn't buy them, but I wouldn't toss them, either. I found them with my garden stuff not long ago. Occasionally I will sort and re-sort my stuff to make discoveries of things long forgotten. When I picked the 5 pieces up and was about to store them in a new place, I took a closer look (not unlike Seth Meyers) and realized that the bars were close enough together for a possible enclosure for Dora.

I was cleaning Dora's habitat and admiring my tiny shoots of grass that I water religiously. Thinking that turtle poop is a fine fertilizer, I let the nasty water run out onto the lawn.

Dora was restless and I remembered the $ Tree garden fence ...

Viola! Look closely and you will see Dora investigating this new enclosure. I was quite pleased with myself. Dora can play in the grass and I can piddle around in my gardens and spread more grass seed. 

Dora went from corner to corner, peeking out from her jail. She never even went to the center to appreciate all the space I had given her.

She kept trying to make an exit through the bars. She could get her head and front legs out, but her shell prevented her escape into the wild. I watched as she tried, and was feeling confidant that she would stay inside her new playground.

I even provided a toy, a giant metal ant that decorated one of my flower beds. The giant ant did not intimidate her in the least, she ignored it. So I walked over to another garden bed to dead head the dianthus. I had my back turned for maybe two minutes. I looked over at where she was supposed to be and could not see her. I walked over for a closer look (Seth Meyers, again). She was gone!

HeWho was close-by, manning the grill with our steaks and corn on the cob. I called to him. He looked up, but did not understand what I had called out ("DORA IS GONE!"). I frantically searched the surrounding area. Finally I saw her, she was at the edge of the ravine, heading down!

I walked to the edge, wondering how she had managed her escape and how she had navigated the mulch as she made her way through the garden bed. I went down on my knees in the mulch (ouch) and that little stinker took off! I was almost lying flat in order to reach her, but I managed to close my hand over her shell.

By then, HeWho had either figured out what I had said or was just curious to see his beloved (me) lying in the mulched garden bed. A mulched bed is not comfy, just so you know. Most of my weight was on my good knee, but I could not get up!

I had my phone in one hand and Dora in the other and would had been laughing if I wasn't so uncomfortable. I put the phone down, handed the naughty turtle to her adoptive dad and tried to get up to a standing position. 

Looking down the ravine was making me dizzy, so I crawled backward out of the mulch, afraid if I stood up I would lose my balance and take a tumble to Dora's apparent destination ... the creek.

I scolded her and she just stared back at me. I rinsed the mulch from her and she went back into her habitat. I went back and fixed the mulch mess in my garden.

Toni Louise was originally just Toni. She earned the middle name when she showed her love of adventure, so much like my old Saint Bernard, Louise.  So, it is only fitting that Dora now has the middle name Louise. Dora Louise is currently tapping the inside of her habitat to get some attention from me. I will be withholding my affections as punishment, for maybe the next 10 minutes!

In case you are wondering how she managed her escape ..... just like the legendary Louise, she dug her way out!