It's July

 Warm enough for Malcom to be outside.

The harvest is going strong: squash and peas and beans, tomatoes soon.  

We've had some nice wild mulberries and raspberries and blackberries this year.  Now the boysenberries are getting ripe!

Of course, there is still mowing to be done in summer.  

It's hot and hilly but the groundskeeper is unafraid.

The Annual It's Hot Enough for Malcom 2021

 

It's been an unusual year.  Malcom was outside in early May when it was 80 degrees then he was back inside in mid May when it was in the 40's.

Now it's July.  Hopefully we can now announce that it is officially hot enough for Malcom to be outside -for a while. 

It's that Time Again

Here is our annual It's Hot Enough for Malcom to be Outside picture.

It's That Time Again

Here is our annual It's Hot Enough for Malcom to be Outside photo.

 Malcom enjoys an ear of Michigan corn.

Summer is Here

That is certain.

For here is our annual It's Hot Enough for Malcom to be Outside picture.

Malcom's Secret

As many of you know, Malcom the tortoise and I have been living together for nearly forty years.  Way back when we met, I named him Malcom because I liked the name.  With the name, Malcom became a "he".  The possibility that Malcom was not a he was always there.  Now it is glaringly there because yesterday something unexpected was found in Malcom's enclosure.

 

 

Gosh Malcom, we didn't know you had it in you!

Malcom Strikes Again

Yes, Malcom.  That irrepressible, indecipherable Tortoise.  Just because we've lived together for over thirty years, doesn't mean I understand him.  So naturally,  I continue to speculate wildly about his motivations.

Malcom's enclosure is located in my office.  Malcom himself is all of four feet away from me as I sit at my desk.  Indeed, at this very moment, were he not asleep, he would be staring fireballs into the back of my head.

Critters like Malcom need exercise.  It's easy to forget that because Tortoises have a phlegmatic quality.  Unlike say, a ferret.  The lanky animated ferret simply looks ready for action.  Still, Tortoises are made to move, albeit, slowly.  It is therefore true that Malcom regularly moves about inside his enclosure.  He doesn't do laps around and around or back and forth.  He moves until he hits the wall, quite literally.  Then he hits the wall again and again.  Bumph, thunk.  His feet make a sort of grinding sound in the pea pebbles that cover the enclosure's floor.  Malcom's workouts are noisy. 

Picture it, you are at your desk reading or writing or doing something that requires concentration and right in the next cubicle, so to speak, there is a persistent thump scrape thumpking.  This goes on and on until you want to scream or run out of the room.  You sigh and return to your task.  But the beating of Malcom's shell against the glass persists.  Now all you want to do is grab Malcom and throw him out the window.

It is with great shame that I admit these thoughts.  Even greater is the shame at the number of times I have had these bad violent urges.  Happily, I am neither insane nor evil.  Malcom remains unharmed- even while he continues his efforts to drive me mad by thummmkk, scraaak, scrape, bummnk. 

For years, Malcom has been working to drive me out of my mind.  He alternates between silently staring at me with something that is either bland or malevolent, and hurling his shell against the wall causing a sharp yet dull sound with the beat of a slightly off  kilter metronome.

True Summer

What does summer mean?  School's out?  Lazy days poolside?  Softball games and picnics?  For me summer has officially arrived when Malcom can go outside.  As some of you may recall, Malcom is a tortoise.  He is my pet, my captive and a source of fascination and responsibility ever since 1975.  And it is because of Malcom that I view summer not merely by when it's warm enough to plant Basil or when the pond Lilies bloom but when it is OK to put Malcom outside.

Being a cold blooded creature, Malcom's environment is more than just a matter of comfort, it is a matter of survival.  Thus, his cage is outfitted with a warming/basking light and a heating unit that warms a section of the bottom.  This way Malcom can easily move into the appropriate clime to keep his body at the right temperature. 

Real sunlight is critical for good health too.  So in summer Malcom spends time outdoors.  Long ago, my dad made a containment unit with wooden sides and a top made of chicken wire.  This keeps Malcom safe from predators and getting lost in the Peony patch while allowing him to nibble on fresh grass and to bask in genuine sunshine.  A portion of the containment area is shaded by a piece of cardboard (we like things high tech around here).  This way Malcom can alternate between sunning himself and chillin' in the shade.

Malcom may be a laconic and unaffectionate fellow but he has vast power over my plans and actions all year.  As for what summer means, let's just say that summer is not measured by the calendar or even simply by the weather.  True Summer is measured by whether it is warm enough for Malcom.

Long Lasting Pets (like Malcom)

Yes, pets are a responsibility.  But some are more of an investment than others.  Investment of years, that is.  Consider the difference between a Betta Fish and an African Grey Parrot.  Well cared for, the Betta may live a year and a half, the Grey seventy years.

Many people make provisions in their wills for the care of their pets.  Laws vary from state to state in the US but usually a trust fund can be set up to provide for the pet's needs.  In addition to the monetary provision, a guardian is named to manage the pet's care.

The topic of pets to grow old with gives me an excuse to talk about Malcom.  In the summer of 1975, I was thirteen.  Macomb Pet Shop was about a mile away and a frequent destination for my family.  My brother was an avid tropical fish hobbiest and I often came along to look at the Mynah Bird that apparently lived there in the store.  And there were the turtles.  I had enjoyed terrapins as pets.  Then I found out about tortoises. Very cool critters and less dirty water to clean!   A shallow pan of water is all they require for drinking and occasional soaking.  Tortoises need to be keep warm, so a light and/or undertank heating unit is necessary.  

Red Footed Tortoise

Malcom was about the size of half  a shoebox when I bought him. These days, when you buy a Red Footed Tortoise from a pet shop he'll be a baby, slightly smaller than a baseball and captive bred.  Malcom was probably caught in the wild and shipped to the pet shop.  This likelihood has always led me to believe that Malcom harbors not a small amount of animosity towards me.  (This may be more my hang up then his, however.) Still, there is no denying that Malcom is a prisoner.  But then, arguably, most pets are prisoners.  As Warden, you try to make it a nice prison. 

The day Malcom came home with us was hot and sunny.  So, by Red Footed Tortoise standards, quite comfortable.  Under my giddy and watchful eye, Malcom strolled around on the grass in the backyard.  He was magnificent- elephantine hind legs, dark brown shell decorated with three tidy rows of yellow squares.  His head was sprinkled with yellow and orange polka dots.  Dark orange circles accented his feet.  Malcom's front feet looked like standard turtle feet (though thicker) shaped at an angle with nails suitable for digging.  Of course, tortoises tend to be thicker all around than terrapins.  It is no doubt by design.  Terrapins need to be more stream-lined for swimming.  Tortoises need to be heavy and sturdy to handle the challenges and perils found on the ground. On this lovely summer day, Malcom ate his first meal in Lynn's Prison yard:  a perfectly ripe strawberry.

My relationship with Malcom has spanned some three decades.  Stay tuned, more excuses to talk about Malcom are forthcoming.

  

Image: from the book, Turtles by John M. Mehrtens

Recommended reading:  Turtles by Hartmut Wilke and Exotic Pets by Arthur Rosenfeld