I've gotten into the habit of heading out the back door to the sunroom to sit, sip my coffee, and ponder life. When we moved in it was just a plastic wall with a mud floor and all the rain splashed up against the house. I didn't find that very useful so I made some conversions, put down a slatted floor, closed off one end with corrugated clear plastic sheets, and put in "Tug's Door" that we had custom made for Tug in the old house. Now (unless it rains... the stupid thing leaks and drips the way it was originally installed) it is a dry space away from most of the elements (most rain, unless it is hard rain) and a great place to go when you want some fresh air, sunlight and a "getaway" from being cooped up inside all day.
I usually have a rug on the floor that I just use out there to keep the drafts from coming up, but when it rains, I roll it up and put it in a corner. It has been sitting in the corner since I left for Canada, last December. Today I thought I would unroll it, lay it out and let it air.
As I started to unroll, I suddenly found this little salamander in the carpet! It was alive... blinking... breathing (shallowly)... but not running away from me as they all do. I realized that it must have been there for some time, was stuck, and probably dehydrating to death.
So I picked it up (it didn't squirm at all), put it on my hand, took it out to the garden, and before letting it down to the moist soil, looked it in the eye (it looked back at me with the most beautiful reptilian eyes), stroked it's back for a while, told it that everything was going to be OK now and that it was free to replenish it's life sources, and move on in life.
And then I let it go.
And I went back into the sunroom... and contemplated...
LIFE.
I love you!
Cam
I need the same treatment lol but need putting somewhere sunny n dry
ReplyDeletety for your story Cam
I love you too, Mou.
ReplyDeleteYou're both cuties!
I love these moments when Creation takes a pause to look you in the eye and say "Hello!"...
ReplyDeleteI've had similar experiences with birds, lizards, squirrels, a racoon, and even *gasp* a SNAKE (which as those of you who know me can attest is my greatest tangible fear... ever...)
Life is beautyfull...
Ah, I love...Life! sigh...
ReplyDeleteLeapin' lizards Cam-Man, you woke the little guy up too early! He was hibernating and they slow down their body fuctions while they "sleep." Did you know that some people who keep lizards as pets can even tuck them away in their refrigerators in a tupperware bowl during the hibernating months? They don't need food or water and just a little air during their down time. Its about a month or two till he was going to wake up anyway and go out in the sun to warm up and scurry about looking for food to gorge on. Bet he's out now wandering round confused as to why he had to get up and go to work so early. ROFL!
ReplyDeleteHey, I don't take care of my brother's reptiles without gleening some bit of info.
Way to go Cam. LOL
ReplyDeleteLOL cute but Sheila is right... reptiles hibernate in the cold months. Here the snakes are starting to wake as are the lizards, but its dangerous and one must take care right now as the rattle snakes like to stretch out on sidewalks, and roads but are to slow still to move quickly or warn you and lots of people are bitten this time of year when the days are warm and the nights cool...
ReplyDeleteNo worries, Cam more than likely he went back to sleep... finding a rock or something to crawl under. That's what I do when I have to get up too early....LOL I am sure he was happy that you were not planning to eat him. LOL
Cool liz dude.
ReplyDeleteNote to self....
ReplyDeleteNo visits to AZ this time of year.... EEK!
Nice story how you "saved" the salamander.
ReplyDeletethis is sooooo cool! something similar happened to me recently with a garden snake.... rescued him from a kitty moo and plopped him on my jeans pocket where he rode quite contentedly for most of the afternoon.... then, i took him out.. stroked his loooooong body and chatted with him before releasing him
ReplyDeletep.s. 48 hours.
ReplyDeleteI remember you talking about that! Maybe we should call ourselves, "reptile kids"...
ReplyDeleteFor me it's 43.5hrs to you.
I love you!
You sure that's a salamander? It looks kind of like a viviparous lizard, and doesn't seem to have the moist skin that characterizes amphibians.
ReplyDeleteOkay, back to lurking now...
ok lola your weird if you put a snake in your britches.............thats a very small salamander........the ones we use to get in our window wells were much larger............do you have a lawn mower cam?
ReplyDeleteI don't even have a lawn, Seamus.
ReplyDeleteIt's significantly warmer now... I'm finding inchworms and all kinda of life out on the back porch... methinks Cam was right on time!!! ;o)
ReplyDeleteWeather is my life. Always has been always will be.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good close shot. Just this morning I was trying to take a picture of a similar little fellow which was sunning itself on my car, but as I neared and hesitated long enough to focus, he scampered off. You did a good thing setting him free.
ReplyDelete