Now you've got yourself in a fine fix!

  I firmly believe there is something to that old saying of "being in the right place at the right time".  It can also be true when turned around the other direction..."being in the wrong place at any time"!  Before dawn this morning, I turned on the coffee pot, fed the cats and then went to do a load of laundry.  As I headed into the laundry room, I heard the slightest of skittering.  Hmmm?  That did not sound to be something scritching on the wood floor.  It was too melodic..too tinkling to be on wood.  A quick search turned up my critter!  In one of the mason jars that I washed the night before, a tiny gecko was trapped!  Oh, my goodness!  He was so darling!  Around and around in circles, he raced as if trying to escape being seen.  Poor little guy!  His endless race was futile as I could see him no matter how fast or how far he went.  It kind of reminded me of some folks I know.  They race around so fast and so far with so many things that "need to be done" that they never accomplish a single thing.  There can be a lot to learn from one little critter trapped in a mason jar.  Little Guy..you sure got yourself in a fine fix!  Just sit back and relax.  There is no need to get yourself all wound up in a tizzy.  I promise that I will set you free and then you will never have to see me again.

  The geckos have free run of the place around here on the Bayou.  They eat an enormous amount of bugs that would otherwise munch on just about anything edible (and some things that I would deem inedible.)  The lizards do not even bother me if they romp around inside the Little Bayou House.  I know that they are only there to protect my interests.  I am quite sure that this little guy came in while the back door was open yesterday. It was too hot to keep everything all closed up so all of the windows and doors were flung open in hopes a cooling breeze might whip up across the Bay.  Last evening when I went to latch the screen door, two green tree frogs decided to pay me a visit as well.  Ten minutes was spent literally playing leapfrog!  I do not mind the froggies either but both the frogs and lizards would soon die if left indoors...especially those that become trapped in mason jars.  With the lack of water, they dehydrate and I will find little mummy frogs and lizards in the oddest of places.  It saddens me when I find their little corpses so I always try to search out any that might wander inside.

  This fine specimen of a gecko was about two inches long!  Such a tiny little guy to have such a huge adventure!  Can you imagine just what must have been going through his little head?  First, he was in a strange, new place.  Then, while exploring, he found a beautiful clear house that he thought he might claim as his own.  Little did he know that that glass jar might also become his death chamber.  Once inside, he could not escape! Just as he was about to give up trying, a huge monster of a person waltzed into the room and started talking to him.  Now if I had known "gecko-speak", things might have not been quite so terrifying to the little lizard.  (But I am sad to say that I do not.)  

  After a few photographs, the tiny gecko was toted outside to the woodpile and set free.  There, he could find tons of delicious bugs and the daily rainstorm would give him lots of water.  The woodpile, itself, could provide shelter from the noonday heat and from any predators seeking supper.  Be free, Little Gecko, be free!  And DO NOT COME BACK INSIDE!

Survival!

Behind the house is a large pile of lumber or at least what used to be lumber. Most of it has seen better days so Son is sorting and discarding. By sorting, I mean..saving what is salvageable to use as garden walkways or to build birdhouses and feeders. He pulls board after board from the pile and "tests" it for strength. To do this he just whaps it on the ground and if it breaks then it is deemed no good..if it stands to the test, he moves it to the save pile. This is the same pile that has been here since Hurricane Katrina and the same pile that passes through this ritual every year. Sort..test..restack..and forget for another year. Why we just don't toss the whole thing and forget about it is far beyond my wisdom. Still, every Spring..it is the same..sort..test..restack..and wait another year. Hmmm..whatever would we do without our pile of lumber..or stack of rotten boards??

In the middle of this stack, he found a huge centipede. It was one of those.."don't touch" centipedes. The kind that are big enough that they would pack a hefty wallop if they decided you were stressing them. I know..I have been bitten before and hope to never have that delight again. Anyway, this centipede was probably about five inches in length and was not one bit happy about being disturbed. I am quite sure if it could have it would have probably given us quite a tongue-lashing about privacy, intrusion and meddling.

It was skittering along, hunting for a new place to hide when suddenly..danger loomed on the horizon. This formidable predator was being stalked. Out from under one board came a green anole. It eyed the centipede and carefully lifted one foot to sneak a bit closer. I thought sure the end was near for the centipede. I was to witness a battle for survival between two tiny but fierce foes. But..the trouble doubled for the centipede. A very large gecko popped up on top of the board. It, too, ogled the centipede. Which would have lunch for the day? Or would either lizard?

The anole eased in closer..measuring each step..slowly creeping closer to the prey. It has a very distinct hunting method in which it will watch almost motionless until the prey is close enough to grasp. The gecko on the other hand..simply bursts into action..it more or less seems to depend on its speed to catch its dinner. (Yes, I did waste quite a bit of time watching lizards and centipedes!) At about this point a hapless fly wandered into the scene and distracted both lizards. The centipede took advantage of this diversion to slip under a piece of plywood and made its escape! Smart centipede! It has lived to tell the tale of being stalked by two enemies!

Rain, Geckos and Purring Cats!

It was a wonderful day on the Bayou! Finally..a rain! A wonderful, cooling rain. The good kind of rain..the soaking kind that is godsend for the gardens. The water came down for a good hour and since then it has been drizzling. It is far too late for the dried tomato plants but I know the other plants are rejoicing! Everything looks and smells so much better now. The rain has cleansed the dust and grime from their leaves so now they can breathe! Outside my window, the tree frogs are still calling for more and in the distance grumbling thunder says they might get their wish. I hope so! With this rain came a few minutes of high wind that blew the Cosmos to the ground and flattened the Blackeyed Susans. This is a minor problem that can easily be tended in the morning. There are already stakes cut that will support their lanky stalks until the sun pulls them straight again. No doubt there are other plants blown over but that too shall wait until morning. I have not ventured out to see how any of the other gardens faired but I am sure that regardless of any wind damage, most of the plants are happy. Plus!! In the morning I can remove the old tomato stalks and plant the Butternut Squash! The rain is good!

I did poke my head out the back door just long enough to let the cat, Ms Put, inside and noticed a tiny gecko crawling on the flower pot holding the Forsythia bush. This little gecko is a House Gecko so named for its habit of living in and around homes in warm climates like we have here. They eat a massive amount of bugs and spiders which makes them welcome here. This little gecko was acting so strange that I just had to investigate. It was flipping from side to side and the little feet were moving as if walking but it was not getting anywhere. What was going on here..I grabbed the camera and slipped out the door. Quietly I walked across the porch and down the steps..flip flop..flip flop..what was it doing?? I admit that my eyesight is getting poorer as I age, but I still could not see what it was doing. As I said..it was a tiny gecko, probably only about two inches in length and it was easy to see that it was in distress just hard to see what was the cause of this distress. I stared and stared trying to focus on the gecko and not on the drizzling rain that kept sending rivlets down my glasses. Five minutes of standing in the rain and then I saw..what is normally a gecko's prey had now become the predator! A large spider had my poor little gecko in its sight and in its web! I went into action, the spider slipped into its hole under the flower pot and the gecko now frantically flip-flopped! A larger monster (me) now loomed menacingly over it. Flip flop..flip flop..poor little guy! Obviously, it was not tangled so much that it could not move but given time the spider would have eaten my baby! A single thread of spider silk was stuck to its leg and try as it might, it could not break loose. I made like a super hero and quickly with a single stroke, broke the web and the tiny gecko sprinted to safety! Bayou Lady to the rescue! One happy gecko, one hungry spider and one rain-soaked crazy person!

Returning inside, I had nice surprise. Ms Put, who normally is rather stand-offish, graciously allowed me to hold her for a bit. As another thunderstorm grumbled outside, I was in a cozy house holding a warm, soft, purring kitty. Those few moments made me feel that all was right with the world.