Life Goes On

Here Comes the Sun

Desert tortoises wait out the long, cold, lonely winter every year and they emerge in the spring ready to live life again. This year we feel like we’re joining the world with them.

For over twenty years, our family has been the proud caretakers of a couple of desert tortoises — Patrick and Wendy. Every year we place them into hiberation at Halloween (October 31). This involves basically getting them ready to go in a box in a safe, dry, warm place and leave them alone. Then, on St. Patrick’s Day, we bring them out and let them enjoy the world again (March 17). It’s a long, deep sleep for four-and-a-half months.

Whether or not Patrick and Wendy think about life outside that box while they’re in hibernation, we sure enjoy the idea of bringing them out. It’s a rite of passage for the family. It means that the warmth of the sun and the longer days are upon us. Seeing these two tortoises roam throughout what we call the Tortoise Shire really lifts our spirits.

This year’s return seems even more special. Not only are our two friends re-joining our family, we feel like we can relate to them more than usual. All of us are coming out of hibernation as well.