Tom and Yvonne Appreciation Thread

[Yossarian]

I have been coming here for 8 yrs now, I am prone to taking long breaks from online forums sometimes and have just recently been more active here again.

I really want to give a shout out to the two people who I think make this forum what it is, a consistent, reliable, safe place for tortoise carers to learn and share.

@Tom and @Yvonne G have been here ever since I found the place, its a bit funny, sometimes the way people tag them in difficult threads like theyre the parents haha.

My very first post here was as a nervous accidental tort owner worried about things I didnt understand and Yvonne was one of the first people I encountered and her advice saved me a lot of stress. Tom of course is the encyclopedia of tortoise care and if you get him talking about his non reptile life, he has some great stories and experiences to share as well. What is most impressive is that both of them give a great deal of their time and effort to this place, theyre not getting rich off it, they will never meet most of the people that post here, but they have both answered the call for years and years now just because they care about us and the torts. Seriously thanks to you both, cant say it enough.

Of course there are some other members who are important and have been here as long as I have known who deserve honorable mention, I dont want to offend by leaving anyone out but I think the people Im talking about will know who they are.

 

[Cathie G]

I love them too. As soon as I tried to join here they responded and a lot of others too. Don't even think I forgot who they are. I love this site
It's the early response from the crew that captured me forever more.🤗🐢

 

[TammyJ]

Absolutely big up Tom and Yvonne!!! Thank you. Good move, Yossarian.

 

[jeff kushner]

Don't say it......PLEASE don't say it jeff!

suckups

There, you just had to say it didn't you?

God I don't know what I'm going to do with you. If you didn't live in my head, I'd kick you off the island jeff!



Oh yeah.....Y & T....we all know the deal....

thanks!

From Matilda and me

 

[cpl1307]

I have been coming here for 8 yrs now, I am prone to taking long breaks from online forums sometimes and have just recently been more active here again.

I really want to give a shout out to the two people who I think make this forum what it is, a consistent, reliable, safe place for tortoise carers to learn and share.

@Tom and @Yvonne G have been here ever since I found the place, its a bit funny, sometimes the way people tag them in difficult threads like theyre the parents haha.

My very first post here was as a nervous accidental tort owner worried about things I didnt understand and Yvonne was one of the first people I encountered and her advice saved me a lot of stress. Tom of course is the encyclopedia of tortoise care and if you get him talking about his non reptile life, he has some great stories and experiences to share as well. What is most impressive is that both of them give a great deal of their time and effort to this place, theyre not getting rich off it, they will never meet most of the people that post here, but they have both answered the call for years and years now just because they care about us and the torts. Seriously thanks to you both, cant say it enough.

Of course there are some other members who are important and have been here as long as I have known who deserve honorable mention, I dont want to offend by leaving anyone out but I think the people Im talking about will know who they are.

I echo that! With Tom's advice I completely changed everything in my enclosure, apart from my strip light. Everything else was taken out and replaced. The store didn't have a clue! Substrate wrong, basking bulb wrong, heat mat wrong, humidity wrong, food wrong, and ever since his advice my tortoise as never been happier. Even the giant warerbowl was wrong and dangerous! She could of drowned!

 

[zolasmum]

Absolutely big up Tom and Yvonne!!! Thank you. Good move, Yossarian.

When I first found this forum, I hung around on the edges for a long time, as I felt so ignorant and embarassed - now I even feel able to make a useful remark now and then, having learned so much. I always enjoy reading Tom and Yvonne's posts, even when they are not relevant to my own tortoise, and admire them both more all the time.
Thanks from Angie

 

[Wpagey]

Second that! We adopted our big ol’ beast thinking the FB groups, books, and YouTube vids had told me what I needed to know, and luckily found this place when reality came along!

 

[TammyJ]

Where are they anyways?

 

[TammyJ]

Where are they anyways?

Tammy. Stop. It.

 

[wellington]

I second everyone's post. Even Jeff's lol.
Just wish I had found this forum and them sooner.

 

[EppsDynasty]

Is this the right place for this...
So here we go.... just follow me..... In 2009 my family and I moved into a new rental home with 2 acres. On Saturday morning my wife and I were unpacking when she says "whoa what is she doing." There was an older lady on her roof with a 12' pool brush, a garden hose and in Flip Flops. You can imagine the horror my wife and I were sure to see right in front of our eyes. "I'll be back" I said as I hurried across the street to talk to this crazy lady. Excuse me, Excuse me mam.....I said. She explained to me she was washing her solar panels. Sure I was about to see this lady fall and at the minimum break a hip. All sorts of crazy scenarios went through my head as she was up there. She did come down to talk to me, I explained we were the new neighbors and expressed my concern....NO ......fear of her up there. I let her know that I would do it for her free of charge if she would PROMISE to stay off the roof. She reluctantly agreed after some pleading from me. She wanted them done first thing in the morning and usually did it on the weekends, she said. I agreed and started telling her about the family. I mentioned that we were "reptile people" and had several large snakes (10' +) as well as all kinds of lizards. She said she loved animals too, all though not to fond of the snakes.
This led to not just a solar washing job but all kinds of other building projects. One time I even helped dig out her pond for a week, man what a job that was. I helped keep up the lawn mowing and anything else she needed, she wasn't just a neighbor but my best friend. My wife and children loved her as well, son 6 and daughter 2. She was our only trusted babysitter and treated our children great. Our family and her did everything together, it was truly GREAT to know her. She was the most knowledgeable person I knew in husbandry, and knew everything it seemed. Everyday was filled with learning all kinds of things, and lots of outside "Doing things" time. Who knew a Vitamin A deficiency in a box turtle was treated with a carrot water soak........Life had a path for my family that had us move out and away from this house. We had agreed to move into the in laws 5th wheel so my wife could take care of her partially paralyzed mother. It was what my wife and I thought was our duty. I was losing my best friend but was doing what we thought was right. It sucked........
In case you haven't guessed this kind soul that we were blessed to get to live by for almost 2 yrs. was Yvonne. She was and still is the best neighbor ever. My son is now 20 and my daughter just turned 16, they still talk about the times at her house. She helped shape them into who they are, ya know tough ole' yvonne doing what us parents couldn't.....no wouldn't do. We were young and she was always a source of positiveness and help that we could count on. All of the family wish we never had to leave and still were there.
We now live in the California desert and have 10 acres to fill with dreams. I learned so much from you and still use the knowledge you shared with me. You opened our lives to turtles and tortoises and this has made our lives better. You helped teach me patience, and fortitude was a valuable trait. Ammonia is the best-est degreaser, I learned that from you and won't forget it. This keyboard doesn't have enough keys to tell you how much of an impact you made on all our lives. It was truly a whirl wind of Snakes, Lizards, Rabbits, Rats, Mice, a Pig, some horses, gardening, building, and of course Turtles and Tortoises. But most of all for us growing. Thank you for putting up with my "wildness" and showing me Kindness. I can only imagine the people you've touched through this forum, and lives you've saved. You still are the one I KNOW will be right when I have a question. Knowing you has been one of the treats in my life. So glad that this was here, I have always wanted to let you know really how you have impacted all our lives. With you the world is a better place.
SO THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU

As for Tom..... I appreciate being upfront pulling no punches, and that is how tom's been with me. You are a wealth of knowledge and it's great to get to tap into it. You are great at getting what needs saying out. I am relatively new here and don't have as much interaction with you, yet. Look forward though to bouncing things off you and learning from you too. It's pretty obvious you know what your talking about. Look forward to our interactions.

 

[Yvonne G]

Is this the right place for this...
So here we go.... just follow me..... In 2009 my family and I moved into a new rental home with 2 acres. On Saturday morning my wife and I were unpacking when she says "whoa what is she doing." There was an older lady on her roof with a 12' pool brush, a garden hose and in Flip Flops. You can imagine the horror my wife and I were sure to see right in front of our eyes. "I'll be back" I said as I hurried across the street to talk to this crazy lady. Excuse me, Excuse me mam.....I said. She explained to me she was washing her solar panels. Sure I was about to see this lady fall and at the minimum break a hip. All sorts of crazy scenarios went through my head as she was up there. She did come down to talk to me, I explained we were the new neighbors and expressed my concern....NO ......fear of her up there. I let her know that I would do it for her free of charge if she would PROMISE to stay off the roof. She reluctantly agreed after some pleading from me. She wanted them done first thing in the morning and usually did it on the weekends, she said. I agreed and started telling her about the family. I mentioned that we were "reptile people" and had several large snakes (10' +) as well as all kinds of lizards. She said she loved animals too, all though not to fond of the snakes.
This led to not just a solar washing job but all kinds of other building projects. One time I even helped dig out her pond for a week, man what a job that was. I helped keep up the lawn mowing and anything else she needed, she wasn't just a neighbor but my best friend. My wife and children loved her as well, son 6 and daughter 2. She was our only trusted babysitter and treated our children great. Our family and her did everything together, it was truly GREAT to know her. She was the most knowledgeable person I knew in husbandry, and knew everything it seemed. Everyday was filled with learning all kinds of things, and lots of outside "Doing things" time. Who knew a Vitamin A deficiency in a box turtle was treated with a carrot water soak........Life had a path for my family that had us move out and away from this house. We had agreed to move into the in laws 5th wheel so my wife could take care of her partially paralyzed mother. It was what my wife and I thought was our duty. I was losing my best friend but was doing what we thought was right. It sucked........
In case you haven't guessed this kind soul that we were blessed to get to live by for almost 2 yrs. was Yvonne. She was and still is the best neighbor ever. My son is now 20 and my daughter just turned 16, they still talk about the times at her house. She helped shape them into who they are, ya know tough ole' yvonne doing what us parents couldn't.....no wouldn't do. We were young and she was always a source of positiveness and help that we could count on. All of the family wish we never had to leave and still were there.
We now live in the California desert and have 10 acres to fill with dreams. I learned so much from you and still use the knowledge you shared with me. You opened our lives to turtles and tortoises and this has made our lives better. You helped teach me patience, and fortitude was a valuable trait. Ammonia is the best-est degreaser, I learned that from you and won't forget it. This keyboard doesn't have enough keys to tell you how much of an impact you made on all our lives. It was truly a whirl wind of Snakes, Lizards, Rabbits, Rats, Mice, a Pig, some horses, gardening, building, and of course Turtles and Tortoises. But most of all for us growing. Thank you for putting up with my "wildness" and showing me Kindness. I can only imagine the people you've touched through this forum, and lives you've saved. You still are the one I KNOW will be right when I have a question. Knowing you has been one of the treats in my life. So glad that this was here, I have always wanted to let you know really how you have impacted all our lives. With you the world is a better place.
SO THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU

As for Tom..... I appreciate being upfront pulling no punches, and that is how tom's been with me. You are a wealth of knowledge and it's great to get to tap into it. You are great at getting what needs saying out. I am relatively new here and don't have as much interaction with you, yet. Look forward though to bouncing things off you and learning from you too. It's pretty obvious you know what your talking about. Look forward to our interactions.

I really missed you and your family when you moved away. Thank you for the kind words.

 

[TammyJ]

THERE she is! But Tom is still hiding...?!

 

[mojo_1]

I'm new here but I have read a lot of the helpful information you both have posted and I'm thankful for it.

 

[Tom]

THERE she is! But Tom is still hiding...?!

Not hiding. Blushing.

And I've met Yvonne. I try to stop and visit her whenever I'm in the area, and its a fantastic visit each time. She's met my dogs and one of the hawks too. @EppsDynasty has done a terrific job of explaining how wonderful Yvonne is.

Threads like this are a wonderful sentiment, but I just like talking tortoises. I don't think its anything special. There are lots of helpful experienced people on this forum that also like talking about tortoises, and I feel a bit awkward being singled out when I look around at the rest of the company we keep here. The list of people to thank and appreciate is long and ever growing. I hesitate to name names because so many contributors will be omitted, and they shouldn't be. I have learned volumes from some of the membership here, and I appreciate the entire warm, friendly, helpful community. Even some of the people who are new to tortoises are just awesome people that put new members more at ease than my more direct approach. Its a group effort here. I love Yvonne too, and she is at the top of a long list of people who deserve thanks, appreciation, and recognition.

I hope this very special place in the world lasts for a very very long time.