RIP Tommy

Tommy is gone.

My dad buried him under his favorite tree. (His or Tommy's, I'm not sure)

Thank you all for your kind comments. The longer the day went on the more sad I became. I was alone for a few hours yesterday afternoon and cried for much of it. I just can't believe he's really gone. For good this time. Forever. And the way he died. Hurts me the most.

Nobody really knows how long turtles live. I think they can live forever. California Desert Tortoises are known to die of respiratory infections or they get hit my cars or chewed up by dogs. I've heard of them drowning in pools. But an elevated fish pond? You don't think turtles can climb. You just don't.

I'm not kicking myself. If I'd had him he wouldn't have drown as we have no pond, above ground or otherwise. But he would've gotten out, that I'm sure of.

Mom has a baby turtle. Well, he's hardly a baby, he's 10 or 11 now. His name is Tina. Let me explain.

Once upon a time this little girl wanted an animal but was not allowed to have anything with feathers or fur. Her daddy was (and is still) asthmetic and those things could cause him to stop breathing altogether. Still she wanted a pet. So. In those days you could buy California Desert Tortoises at the local pet shop. This seemed like a good idea as there was no feathers or fur to be seen on this unusual creature. We bought a turtle. Girl or boy I have no idea at this time but I named her Ginger. (My favorite show was Gilligans Island. And it still rocks!) We took Ginger all over. We went to Canada and she came with, in the camper, accross the border. She met all the rele's and even visited the Grand Canyon and Mt. Rushmore! Shortly after we returned Ginger died. Years later my father admitted that he had fertilized the grass and didn't realize it would harm the turtle. She was buried near a rose bush. I thought she would like the view.

Then we found Tom and Tina both. Not at the same time. Tom was strolling accross the street near our home and Tina was crossing Garden Grove Blvd. (turtles get out, they just do) Tom was a large male when I found him and Tina was a tiny female. About half his size. They never got any bigger as long as I've had them. Anyway Tina and Tom had babies. I'm sure they've had many but the little buggars are tiny and get away before you can see them. Tina was quite shy, as the females tend to be and I never did catch her laying. So about 10/11 years ago we found a baby. They are tiny folks. The egg is the size of a ping pong ball, so the turtle, just that size. Small. And they look like dirt or rocks. Turtle camo. They are ridiculusly hard to see.

Taking care of a baby tortoise is work, a lot of it really. I wont go into the details but trust me, it is, and after 2 years I'd had enough. I gave the little darling to my mom, who was tickled pink to take care of this high maintenance creature. She named the little thing Tina, after her mother. Oh by the way, Tina Louise was the real name of Ginger on GI. Right? I know, but I was a kid, there you have it.

Tina passed away about 5 years ago. Respiratory infection. Tina was so shy that we hadn't noticed the signs. By the time I got her to the vet it was too late. After a week on antibiotics she crashed. She's buried in the herb garden at my old house.

Oh yeah I was going to tell you why Tina, my moms Tina, who is a boy, has a girls name. Well you see, girl tortoises flat tummies, it's not called a tummy but it is the bottom side of the turtle. Boys have a concave tummy. They do! But, you cannot tell the sex of a baby turtle for about 10 years. Mom just hoped that Tina would be a girl. A couple of years ago I started to notice the shell curving under there. 'You know mom, I think Tina's a boy.' Didn't matter. She was going to wait a little longer to see. Now? It's real obvious. Still she will not change the name. 'Mom, now that Toms gone you can call him Tom!' That's logical, right? No, she still wont do it, Tina it is.

This is Tina
A very handsome guy, dontcha think?

PS: Dang Witchypoo. The thought of Tommy comunicating with me is facinating! I wonder what they think of us humans. Are you sure you're not getting anything? Anything? Nothing?
Humph!