Friends, desert tortoise pre-hibernation season has arrived. It’s Geronimo’s busiest time of year as he eats everything in sight ahead of his cold-weather retreat, and it’s my favorite time of year. I love the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Contrary to popular opinion, we do have seasons here in Arizona, just in our unique desert way.

At this time of year, Geronimo often sleeps under the stars rather than in his burrow. He’ll graze in the early morning hours, retreat into his burrow to wait out the daytime heat, then come out again at dusk. What does he do at dusk? He does Geronimo things. He naps. He eats. It is a content life for the sweetest, gentlest creature. Geronimo is pure love, and I am grateful and honored to be his mother.

I went looking for Geronimo in the late afternoon yesterday, and I found him partially tucked away beneath the unruly ruella, one of his favorite napping spots. The highlight of the hour that followed, as far as he was concerned, was his discovery of the mesquite branches lying on the ground near his burrow. He happily tore into them. Delicious!

The love and trust of a desert tortoise in captivity is incredibly special. Geronimo is precious. He is my whole heart. It is impossible to explain how much I love him.

If you live in Arizona and you have a backyard, you may qualify to adopt a captive desert tortoise through the Arizona Game and Fish department’s Desert Tortoise Adoption program, if you are so inclined.

On that note, happy summer’s end to you all!