Chapter 3
That summer was a wonderful summer for Katie and Michael. They called it, “The Summer of the Turtles”. Katie was 8 years old and Michael was 5. Because there were so many turtles they tried to rescue, Dad and the kids decided to make an outdoor pen for them to live in. They would need to make a pond too. The pen would need to be partly in the sun and partly in the shade. It would need to have a fence to keep the turtles from wandering away. It would have to be large so that each turtle had space. Finally, it would need to be open so that the turtles could enjoy the sun, the rain, and fresh air.
They picked a spot in the back yard; partly under the deck, to create a shady spot, and partly in the sun, to create a sunny spot so the turtles could warm themselves. Dad got the shovel and he dug a deep wide hole for a pond. He placed a heavy sheet of plastic in the hole. We collected stones from the nearby creek and placed them around the pond. Michael and Katie got the garden hose. Katie held the nozzle. Michael turned the water on. They filled the hole with water.
To make a fence that would surround their new home Dad bought chicken wire. Chicken wire is made of twisted threads of wire. The wire was two feet wide and as long as the driveway; about 30 feet. To make the wire stand like a fence, dad bought thin wooden rods. He placed them in the ground around the spot chosen for the turtle pen and then fastened the chicken wire to the rods with plastic ties. With a few more stones and an old log, the turtle home was ready.