RIP Norbie sorta

     Norbert is our dragon. Yes, I said dragon. He is the friendliest, funnest reptile you would ever meet. The kids love him. And believe it or not he shows he loves them in return.  Hard to believe I know he is a cold blooded creature.

     Norbie used to sit on the table through school hours. After school he would nudge hands for his treats, follow the kids with his eyes, try and jump from the table to follow them out of the room. (Cause goodness knows I am chopped liver.) So can a reptile show affection, yes I believe so.

     He had came to us "fully grown" (I use quotation marks cause like so many of our other rescues he was malnourished among other things.) He has made it far for such an animal. He never reached a normal size but he was still amazing. And at this point geriatric. His age at time of rescue was given as 5. That was 7 years ago. Given that people tend to lie when giving up an animal Norbie could have been anywhere from 3 to 6. So that puts Norbie in the same level of geriatrics of Sid's grandmother in Ice Age.

      Why am I telling you all this? Norbie has gone to that great habitat in the sky. Two nights ago I went to turn off Norbie's light and he was on his side. Poor guy. He had been going down hill for a few months now. We knew it was coming. Life span is 8-10 and Norbie was definitely over the limit. I called Honeybear over. He wrapped Norbie in a baby blanket and tied him in two trash bags. We wanted to let the kids say good bye and make him a marker.

      The next morning the bag was on the floor. Thinking maybe Norbie was just deeply hibernating instead of dead we checked him. Unfortunately no change. So we placed him back on the shelf and tried to make everything to prepare him. Except when we went to get him for burial. He was gone! Honeybear and I conferred quickly and decided the most logical explanation was it being trash day one of the kids had unknowingly discarded him.Upon questioning it the boys confirmed throwing a bag out from the classroom. Case closed.  And we went on about our business upset but what are you going to do.

     That was yesterday. This morning we are going about our morning routine. I walk over to let a dog out and turn around....and there's Norbie walking across the floor. What the heck!?!?  So Norbie rested in peace and now is refreshed. We have a zombie dragon according to the kids. *sigh* Only at our house.