A Box Turtle to Cheer Me!

When I was a child, growing up in Austin, we often found and took as pets box turtles and horny toads. It has been years since I've seen either one of these creatures, ubiquitous in those long-ago years, in our yard. Yesterday, after we returned from the sobering sight of our old neighborhood now being demolished, Bob came in to tell me, "We've got a turtle in our driveway!"

I grabbed my camera and ran out.  It was uncanny how much seeing this turtle cheered me up!  I told him that I would be most happy if he'd make his home in our flower bed!

Here are a few more views of him:

And now for a few sad pictures.  All of these piles of rubble were once houses of dear neighbors and friends.  It looks as if a tornado has demolished these homes, but not so--it was most definitely a man-made, monster machine after decisions made by the powers that be.  In less than a day, a two-storey house becomes a pile of trash.