Alex has friends

It is so good to have Alex home with us.  He almost died of a broken heart when we left him in Arizona at Nana's. Once he woke up from hibernation and found he was alone....his buddy Ben, the rabbit, met his demise with a coyote! It still brings a gut wrenching feeling in my heart and tears to my eyes when I think about that. We have loved all our pets and Ben was special. Anyway,  Alex traveled all the way here in a box, in the cab of the truck, alongside my parents and was released into our lush, grassy yard. He instantly perked up. His life was new. He is a new man. I think he missed us as much as we missed him. I know...you're thinking....he's a tortoise! We have had him since he hatched from an egg 27 years ago. So he isn't just an ordinary tortoise. This is Alex who we are talking about. The one who manages to get in the house and roams around the living room if you aren't watching. He comes out to visit every time someone is in the yard. He chases the dogs from their patch of sunshine. And now, Alex has friends.

 These little guys came for a visit. Our wonderful neighbor has a friend who adopted these cute little guys. They didn't know another person who had a tortoise as a pet. Until now. I was so excited for the kids to see how small these guys were. Though Alex was much smaller than these little friends, and flatter when he was a baby. He was as flat as a pancake. It was fun to share their size so our kids could see just how small Alex started out as.

I'm kind of glad that he didn't really notice them on his back. Alex, being a male, can be very territorial when in close contact with another tortoise. Then he is back to his sweet demeanor and docile self. We love Alexander.