House of Reptiles

So, when Paul and I moved into our house about 4 1/2 years ago we discovered someone already living in the backyard: a tortoise. We called him Terpy (short for Terrapin) and started giving him fruit and lettuce whenever he came out of hiding. He goes into hibernation every winter and then, much to our delight, just appears every summer on our back patio to say hi. He spends the rest of the summer hanging out in various favorite spots in our backyard, until the weather gets cold and he hides for good for about 6 months. It's really exciting when he's out. Owen and I love to watch him eat our snacks with his little jaws.... Every summer I get a little worried about whether he made it through the winter and wonder if he'll come back. And he always does..... Paul thinks he's the perfect no-hassle pet (sorry to our cats Isabelle and Percy) and I kind of agree. I think I would be really sad not to see him anymore. It's kind of nice to know he's back there.

On the other hand, the other day, Owen and I were in the office and we came out into the living room and noticed someone had moved INSIDE our house:


(Please ignore the chunks of cat fur on the rug)...I confess I screamed a little as I tried to catch him, but I put on a brave face for my son ( I don't want him to think I'm a squeamish girlie girl) and managed to catch him in a piece of tupperware and take him outside. It freaked me out to see him in our living room and I was so glad I found him before the cats did. That would not have been pretty. (The tupperware is now in the garbage).

So anyway, that's our reptile update.