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

[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!