Off Like a Herd of Turtles
To Party with a Fluffle of Bunnies
Photo by Jon Sailer (jonmsailer)
This is going to be a quick one, because I’m deep in manuscript-revision after Lucas and I decided to run away to a writer’s conference at the end of September. (We learned about it through a newsletter by the fantastic Chuck Wendig. Check out his posts on AI and leaf blowers. Be prepared for cursing. I also recommend his books Damn Fine Story and Gentle Writing Advice.)
Part of this revision is findings ways to make my characters’ voices feel authentic. To that end, I poked around Midwestern phrases, like this list from Tara Jacobsen. My favorite was “off like a herd of turtles,” which I’d never heard. The implication that a group of turtles would be slow might not be particularly fair, and technically it should be a bale of turtles instead of a herd, but I still find the phrase delightful.
A week later, I searched for the proper name for a group of rabbits. Apparently herd is historically correct here, but someone proposed fluffle as a joke, and now the internet has adopted the term. I think we have to keep it. Who’s with me?
Do you have any favorite regional terms, catchphrases, or new words?
We don’t see turtles often in our neighborhood, but Lucas spotted this one on a run in 2022
I finished Of Time and Turtles yesterday. It wasn’t what I was expecting. The cover is beautiful. I loved the illustrations. I had a tough time connecting with the author. The turtle facts were extremely interesting, the turtle stories both tragic and heartwarming, and I’m happy to know the proper ways to carry a turtle if needed. When Montgomery slipped into the subjects of time and death, I was there for it. But the intensity of her tone regarding turtles made me a bit reluctant to dive back into this book each day. More turtle facts and less quoting of everyone talking about how amazing they thought the turtles were would have kept me hooked.
I was also concerned about one story toward the end, when she describes people trying to rescue a large amount of turtles crossing the road due to a body of water being drained. Because people have died trying to help animals in the road, this felt like situation that, for the safety of all involved, warranted a 911 call for aid. Our book for November, Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, will be an interesting follow-up to this.
What stuck out to you about Of Time and Turtles?
All our planting work in the spring has paid off with beautiful blossoms, gorgeous grass, and a feast of vegetables. The goldfinches have claimed the Swiss Chard (or the bugs on it), however, and we’re happy to leave it to them. Most of the perennials we planted didn’t bloom this year, so we’ll be channeling some turtle-level patience for next summer.
Want to Help Turtles?
In Wisconsin, you can take part in citizen-based monitoring of turtles through The Wisconsin Turtle Conservation Program. And check out Turtles for Tomorrow, an organization with the mission of “implementing conservation, habitat management, and landowner education to benefit Wisconsin’s rare reptiles and amphibians, with an emphasis on endangered and threatened turtles.”
September’s Book
Two Trees Make a Forest by Jessica J. Lee is our book for September, and it’s available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook. You may also want to check out Dispersals: On Plants, Borders, and Belonging, also by Jessica J. Lee. The hardcover is currently on sale for 50% off through Barnes & Noble’s Book Haul.
