Spring Is Here, According To Geraldine...

Geraldine is my husbands tortoise, he's had her since he was 5 years old. Every winter she finds herself a corner of the garden, under a rose bush, and goes into hibernation. We like to leave her there until the rains really hit, then we bring her in (dirt and all) and place her on the floor of the pantry, in one corner.

There she sleeps, surrounded by canned goods and bottled water, unmoving except for occasionally knocking something over (and spreading the dirt she'd thoughtfully brought in), until the weather warms again. Today was the day!

This morning I heard her stirring, and when I checked on her she had turned around and was gazing out at me, bleary-eyed. I moved some stuff out of her way so she could exit the pantry for once without being a living bulldozer. We learned to do this the hard way from previous experience. I went and got the camera, but by then she had turned again and gone back to sleep. Oh, well, it usually takes her at least a day to REALLY wake up. I left her for a bit to go and get dressed, when I suddenly heard Nadine the crow pitching a cawing fit. I returned to the kitchen and Geraldine was out of the pantry and walking across the kitchen floor in search of me, towards the living room...and Nadine's cage.

I quickly scooped Geraldine up and took her out into the back yard, where she got to freak out the chickens, who year after year manage to somehow forget about the walking rock that suddenly appears every Spring. Lots of excited calling and staring, especially from the younger birds and N.'s pet bunny, Ace.

Geraldine perked up long enough to eat some raw corn on the cob and a few rose petals, then conked out again. In a few days she'll be fully up and around, sticking her nose into any backyard project you've got going.