The Old King

  For the past few mornings, there has been a visitor in the gardens.  A male skink has been trying to set his dominance over the other male skinks that live in the area.  This newcomer has decided that he should be ruler.  The upstart is boisterous, arrogant and is a big showoff.  Two mornings ago, this rapscallion decided to physically attack the older ruler of "Skinkland".  Mark witnessed the ambush and called my attention to it.  The newcomer was trying to overpower the older, weaker skink and was doing a pretty good job of it.  In fact, the younger, stronger skink had a "death grip" on the head of the old King.  It was not a pretty sight but I grabbed the camera to see if I could document this moment in the "wild".  Needless to say, when I stuck the camera close to the lizard fight, it gave the old lizard the opportunity it needed to cut loose and escape.  Our old ruler ran under the house, all the while, being chased by the rogue.  I figured the melee was over and soon forgot about the skinks.

  This morning, however, I noticed that the Old King had taken refuge in the hollow trunk of an oak tree near the house.  He had come out of a small fissure in a tree root and was trying to soak up a bit of sunshine.  The poor fellow looked a mite worse for wear after the battle.  He appeared weakened and almost saddened.  I suppose he had to relinquish his crown to the young whippersnapper and that did not set well.  His plight touched me as I could commiserate with the fact of getting old.  Life is sometimes not fair to lizard kings nor old ladies.  

  The Old King and I sat in quiet respectfulness for a good while.  Neither of us made the attempt to try to understand why things happen but we just shared a bit of peace.  After a bit, I reassured the Old King that he was still needed and offered him friendship.  I hope he has complete peace in his new dwelling spot.  I am not sure the New King will rule nearly so fairly as the Old King had.  The garden spot is changing.