I staffed a resource table at a local college today. The lady at the next table had something small cradled to her chest, covered by a tiger print fleece blanket.

It was Sally the turtle!

I was excited and started making that weird growly cooing sound I make when confronted by tiny and/or cute.

Until Sally’s owner said “oh, I should go and get her dress from my car!”

It was then I started feeling faint and breathless. Spots swam before my eyes.

Then Sally’s owner said “For Halloween? Sally dressed up like my family’s chihuahua, and the chihuahua dressed up like Sally.”

That was the point I exploded into a starshower of tiny Becky cuteoverload atoms.

Then I proceed to take approximately one jillion photos.

Then posed her with brochures from my organization.

Sally ran, literally ran, wild. She used the advantage of starting at the top of a small hill to book towards a large event. A large event consisting of cops, a motorcycle, many spectators and young people wearing goggles that simulate inebriation, some of whom were driving an obstacle course in a golf cart. What could’ve possibly gone wrong?

Nothing, as we all learned to keep an eye on Sally. I like this one of my friend gently turning Sally around, as the turtle tried a risky, Bill Bucker ball-style, through-the-legs manuever.

Sally likes being stroked under her chin. It was a chilly, very windy day (which explains the turtle running for sunnier fields and for awful hairdos).

Not photographed: Sally slipping out of her owner’s backpack, and spending a few undignified moments on her back, doing that adorable flailing thing that turtles do.

I don’t have a lot of contact with animals, since I’m a hopeless city mouse, I don’t have pets and I have a self-imposed ban on visiting anything zoo-like, so this was the best day! 

And a lady on flickr just commented:

BEAUTIFUL ……
Red-Eared Slider turtle….
Used to have many as a child…..one grew out of a 40 gallon aquarium he got so big.

[happy sigh]