It has a voice singing and a guitar ringing

[sovay]

Please enjoy my godchild, resplendent in their summer coloration. Last week they sent me a card from horse camp, which arrived this afternoon: a minimalist diary from every day of the week, unsigned and punctuated with vertical bars like telegram stops.



Please also enjoy their equally resplendent reptile, Mr. Slow. He is a box turtle; his brilliant colors are the result of careful nurturing by my godchild, although he decapitated that dandelion himself. I have seen him play the kalimba with his little turtle feet.



Sharing their splendor is prescibed by my godparental duties. I hate how difficult it is to travel safely these days.

Comments

[selkie]

(Are they his little turtle feet, or his little turtle hands?)

*hugs*

[sovay]

(Are they his little turtle feet, or his little turtle hands?)

(He kind of trampled over the entire keyboard.)

*hugs*

[gwynnega]

Yay Mr. Slow!

[sovay]

Yay Mr. Slow!

I really like him. And he is absolutely thriving under my godchild's care.

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, they look excellent and so does the turtle!

[sovay]

Aw, they look excellent and so does the turtle!

I am fortunate in the aesthetics of the ones I love!

[cmcmck]

Splendid pics!

[sovay]

Splendid pics!

I took neither, but really appreciate them!

[minoanmiss]

They are both spectacular. *beams at them, and at you*

[sovay]

They are both spectacular.

They are.

*hugs*

[asakiyume]

Your godchild looks magnificent, their coloration reminds me of this dove that I saw on Twitter yesterday.

And that is a Very Happy box turtle with a great meal.

[selkie]

He is a much-improved box turtle! You can see the clear fingernail-ish area where his shell is growing; he had been a bit neglected when we got him and his shell mostly went upward like an alarming muffin. He doesn't like either of the adult humans -- he huffs and blatts at us -- but he will respond with actual real happiness to even a recording of the kid's voice (he got into a slump while they were at horse camp and wouldn't swim, wouldn't devour a mealworm, etc.). He enjoys music in all its vibratey forms and essentially has all the rights, privileges, and adventures of a teacup-size dog. His habitat takes up an entire desk and he gets slightly high on dried rosebuds, which we hide in his agility log.

[asakiyume]

This makes my heart very full: I'm thinking of a turtle that's being kept as a pet in one of the two schools my second-oldest kid is teaching in in Japan. She (my daughter) feels badly for it: the space it's in is small and doesn't have anything of interest in it, so she bought a shelter that it could also climb on, and fortunately the school was happy to accept it. Sometimes she takes a toothbrush and brushes its shell. I just wish she could do more for it! But so it makes me really really happy to think of your turtle, thriving under your offspring's loving care. (Also maybe I should mention to my daughter about rosebuds!)

[selkie]

They were his favorite from a pre-approved reptile floral mix, so I just dried a bunch from work (I know there are no pesticides applied because I know we haven't paid anyone to apply any pesticides since 2020!) -- here's the list from the bag of the bag in case any are particularly well regarded or easy to get in Japan:

Blue Cornflower
Chamomile Flower
Blue Mallow Flower
Red Cornflower
Rose Petal

I'm so glad she could get the school turtle a more stimulating habitat. And brushing never hurts!

[asakiyume]

I'm going to copy this and send it to her--thank you!

[sovay]

Your godchild looks magnificent, their coloration reminds me of this dove that I saw on Twitter yesterday.

It's stunning. An entire Pride parade in itself. Thank you!

And that is a Very Happy box turtle with a great meal.

He looks to me like he's ready to dance all night.

(My godchild takes wonderful care of him. It's been really warming to watch him metaphorically come out of his shell. Literally, his shell now fits him, which for a turtle is even better.)

[asakiyume]

An entire Pride parade in itself. --for real! I like those trans colors in there. It could be a mascot.

And about the turtle, what I said to Selkie. I wish all turtles had such good carers!

[vass]

They seem awesome, and so does their turtle.

[selkie]

They are kind, fair, and civilly disobedient. They play saxophone, trombone, guitar, and four-pan steel drum -- also called a guitar! They are physically fearless.

They are also a goddamn lot, but it balances out.

...the turtle is very happy as his species goes. He lives in a chicken-wire-topped 40-gallon clear tote full of diggy spots and enjoys sitting in his water dish, even when he has a bigger, purpose-obtained sit pool. I believe he does this to be passive-aggressive.

[sovay]

They seem awesome, and so does their turtle.

I really love them, and have become quite attached to the turtle.

[rydra_wong]

Congratulations to your godchild and Mr Slow on their dazzling pigmentation! May they both thrive and decapitate many dandelions and continue their musical explorations!

[sovay]

Congratulations to your godchild and Mr Slow on their dazzling pigmentation! May they both thrive and decapitate many dandelions and continue their musical explorations!

I shall pass your excellent felicitations on!

[sartorias]

Gorgeous splashes of youth and color!

[sovay]

Gorgeous splashes of youth and color!

I didn't see until I had the two images side-by-side that they actually chime with one another, which I think is only fitting.

[lokifan]

Delightful!

[sovay]

Delightful!

Truly!