Is There Such a Thing As Ordinary?

Somedays are just ordinary days for Frankie. Today looks like one of those days. For the first time this year, we are expecting a sunny day with temperatures to hit 70 degrees - perfect Frankie and sulcata tortoise weather.

Already at 9:00 am, it's 54 degrees and full sun. Idea Frankie and sulcata tortoise basking conditions.

Right now, Frankie is awake in his Dogloo downstairs in the gecko room. He is warm and toasty. He has been awake since 7:00 am but in no hurry to move at all. He is slow to wake....but once he gets a hint at the fabulous day outside....well!

At the first invitation he will dash outdoors to start a serious sulcata tan followed by hours of the sulcata waltz: step, two, three, graze, step, two, three, graze. Although there is hardly any thing green to eat except a few sprigs of hardy winter grass, there is lots of winter dried grass blades still rooted to the ground, Frankie will cover every inch of the backyard in order to fill his tortoise tummy.

Lucky for him, the few warm March days have encouraged the hardest of spring weeds to peek out and he will come across a dozen lovely dandelions. In his brown yard, they stand out like bright neon bug lights in a row of white bulbs. Frankie will not miss a single dandelion.

The time is ticking closer to the moment when I will release the beast on the waiting day. He has the routine down pat: the gecko room door opens, I pat the signal "come on, Frankie" on my leg and he will look out to a glowing light shining through the garage that hints of a good day. With great hope in his heart, he will get up from his Dogloo, amble into the garage, step outside, amble up the side yard and into the back yard.

Frankie adventures today? He will get into something. It's too good of a day to keep Frankie from finding something worthy of his investigation.

Frankie won't want any mom attention today. But I will have an eagle eye on him because when it comes to Frankie and most sulcata tortoises on a perfect day like today, they can make anything into an adventure: from simple fun to events of catastrophic proportions.

It could be a completely ordinary, uneventful day for Frankie. But since when do things turn out that way with Frankie? Don't worry, I will report back all notable events.