Our wonderful old tortoise, Bob, has moved on to greener pastures. He was easily the most adventuresome of the three, having just figured out (after numerous attempts) how to scale the step to the back door and thus being one step (no pun intended) closer to his treasured goal of moving into the house and burrowing deep into our wood floors.
But Bob decided to climb a series of rocks designed to protect him from falling into our little pond. Sadly, he made the climb but slid into the pond and couldn't figure a way to get back out. Tortoises don't swim. They do, however, shut down their bodies and go into an emergency hibernation mode. This saved Jasmine long ago when she wandered into our pool, but we were too late to rescue Bob.
The good news is that Jasmine seems remarkably unconcerned, and shy Dribble has an apparently new-found daring as he has been accompanying Jasmine on her daily walks. Before the tragedy of Bob's demise, Dribble could usually be found in deep dark corners trying to be invisible. But I'm proud of him, rising to the occasion, firmly standing by Jasmine's side in her time of need. Sometimes challenging times bring out the best in us.
Dribble (upper left) and Jasmine (lower right)
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