Lizard Tales

Guess who I found today?

I will name him Paulie

A lizard.  Or, more precisely, two lizards!  On my deck!

At least, I think they're different.  Could just be a color changer, I'm not sure.  Look into his eyes, tell me if he's the same.  

These lizards reminded me of two stories, which I will share with you now.  Be thinking of questions, because I'll call on the best listener after the post... or something :)

Story 1: 

When I was on my way back from the Darien Jungle (between Panama and Columbia... it's a long story), we stopped over for the night at a little island.  I didn't speak the language, but the children were very nice and they fed us something other than rice & beans, which we had been eating for E.V.E.R.  [a.k.a.- a week].  When we first arrived, I noticed a few nearly iridescent lizards climbing near the eves of the houses.  The children somehow communicated to me (translator? hand gestures?  I don't remember, it was 12 years ago) that I should not let one bite me, because they were very poisonous.  Apparently I had jungle fever or something, because I just nodded and went on with my life.

Until that night.  [dun duh duuahhhhhh]

I was sleeping on the floor in the church in my sleeping bag [the church is not in my sleeping bag, FTR], along with about 20 other people [they were also definitely not in my sleeping bag].  In the middle of the night, I wake up because one of those little lizard things had just jumped on my FACE.  That's right.  Woken up, in the dead of night, to a lizard, that I believe to be poisonous, on my face.  I wanted to scream, but I couldn't wake everyone else.  So I swatted and threw and launched the lizard across the room. [apparently I had no regard for other people getting poisoned...?]  I slept the rest of the night (70*F or more) with my head tucked into my sleeping bag.

I talked to a translator in the morning.  The lizards are harmless.  Darn kids. 

This weird neck thing would have added to the Panamanian kid's tale of terror.
So weird.

 Story 2:

Back in the day, a long long time ago, before my husband was a firefighter [hard to remember!], he was a real estate agent.  One time, while showing one of his first houses, he was having a bit of trouble with the lock.  So he jimmied and shouldered the door, in true professional style.  Apparently his *bump* to the house shook some things loose, and a lizard similar to the ones up above dropped out of the gutter and straight down his shirt.  And then up his shirt.  And then around his head.  And then back in his shirt.  And then... well, you get the picture.

Speaking of pictures, I wish I had one of him doing the dance he must have been doing to get that little lizard off of him.  Let's just say he didn't make the sale. 

They are super fast!

And finally, we seem to have a little love triangle going on over these crawlies.  Duke is totally crushing on the lizard...

While apparently the lizard has his eye on a larger beast...

Tending Duke's broken heart,

TFW