I had to run to the grocery store to buy a few items I'd forgotten for
John's visit (he'll arrive tomorrow afternoon sometime).  There in the
middle of the road, right smack on the double-yellow line was a box turtle.
I went up to the next street and turned around, thinking I'd better get the
little fella out of the road before he gets squashed.

He'd already been clipped.  I had to wave a few more cars off so they
wouldn't run over him.  (Why can't people drive within the confines of the
lines in the road?!  Several of them were right on the line or crossed
slightly over it, and while it's a country road there's plenty of room on
either side.  Sheesh!)  Anyway, part of the side of his shell (about a 1"
wide strip) was hanging off and he was bleeding but it wasn't completely
detached.  But he was alive, as was proven when I picked him up and he stuck
his back legs out and waved them (which startled the crap out of me!).  I
carried him over to the grass by a mailbox.

There was a woman across the street feeding alfalpha or something to her
horse.  She asked if it was alive and I said yes, but it had been hit.  I
said I didn't know how badly or if it would live.  There wasn't much else I
could do, and she went back to feeding and petting her horse (a gorgeous
deep red horse with black mane & tail).  I turned around and headed to the
store.

I was in the store about 30 minutes.  When I drove back by, the turtle
wasn't in the grass where I'd left it.  I don't know if the woman maybe went
up to the house and got a box and took it back with her or if it crawled off
on its own.  I'll never know.  But I hope the turtle wasn't too badly hurt
and that it will survive.  Spare purrs would be appreciated for this little
buddy of nature.

Jill