Loved reading about Fred. We have a 16-year old Sulcata Tortoise who currently weighs in about 60 pounds. My husband and I are 72 and 79--and we wonder, too, about our beloved Darwin’s future. He was the size of a 50 cent piece when we impulsively made the decision to bring him home. We definitely weren’t considering the future! 🤷
We have a 70-80 year old giant tortoise living next door and one of my dogs is completely smitten. They lie next to one another and gaze lovingly at one another through a hole he ate in the fence (my dog Mikey did it...not the tortoise).
I’ve scolded him for falling for a much older female. 🤷🏻♂️
A few years ago, I looked outside and there was a little tortoise walking by my goldfish pond! I assumed he was wild, but my neighbor thought otherwise, and posted something on Facebook about it. It turned out the tortoise was someone's pet, Scorch. He lived in my overgrown yard for some time, but eventually he showed himself and I got him back to his people: https://medium.com/illumination/the-day-a-tortoise-brought-me-breakfast-1c5854f0e862
I particularly loved this feature because 1/ I love anything (or anyone, like Fred) that helps give me perspective on my own mortality and 2/ like Hanya, my experience at Smith was complicated.
There are at least 2 animals you never think of being pets.
1 is a bird..... until I hand raised the family pet, Shiloh the Cockatiel, I thought birds would be boring. He was a very cool pet. He learn whatever we wanted to teach him.
2 A Tortoise - once again it seemed it would be a boring pet. -my grandson got one which fit in one hand. Before you knew it - two hands were needed to pick him up....... it seems any “pet” may give years Of the love & care.
Loved reading about Fred. We have a 16-year old Sulcata Tortoise who currently weighs in about 60 pounds. My husband and I are 72 and 79--and we wonder, too, about our beloved Darwin’s future. He was the size of a 50 cent piece when we impulsively made the decision to bring him home. We definitely weren’t considering the future! 🤷
We have a 70-80 year old giant tortoise living next door and one of my dogs is completely smitten. They lie next to one another and gaze lovingly at one another through a hole he ate in the fence (my dog Mikey did it...not the tortoise).
I’ve scolded him for falling for a much older female. 🤷🏻♂️
A few years ago, I looked outside and there was a little tortoise walking by my goldfish pond! I assumed he was wild, but my neighbor thought otherwise, and posted something on Facebook about it. It turned out the tortoise was someone's pet, Scorch. He lived in my overgrown yard for some time, but eventually he showed himself and I got him back to his people: https://medium.com/illumination/the-day-a-tortoise-brought-me-breakfast-1c5854f0e862
Incredible name
I particularly loved this feature because 1/ I love anything (or anyone, like Fred) that helps give me perspective on my own mortality and 2/ like Hanya, my experience at Smith was complicated.
Time to dig into the NYT essay!
Bailey this was SO GOOD
Gah thank you Yoko!!
Thank you...
So beautifully written Bailey! I forgot about Harriet, thank you for the reminder 😉
This is a wonderful read, as is Yanagihara's essay, which I hadn't previously read. Thanks for bringing it to our attention!
Awww Fred! 🐢 also wow, so impressed that she kept at her first novel for 18 years! That’s perseverance! 😮
There are at least 2 animals you never think of being pets.
1 is a bird..... until I hand raised the family pet, Shiloh the Cockatiel, I thought birds would be boring. He was a very cool pet. He learn whatever we wanted to teach him.
2 A Tortoise - once again it seemed it would be a boring pet. -my grandson got one which fit in one hand. Before you knew it - two hands were needed to pick him up....... it seems any “pet” may give years Of the love & care.
(Other than spiders or snakes.....nope)
My grandmother had a desert tortoise. She had to give it away when she got really sick. And it died the day after she did
😱 that sounds like a beautiful short story or animated film