There are chores to do around Cruft Manor, one of the dirtest is cleaning out the spa. The spa died several years ago and for safety reasons, it is covered with a large plywood cover to prevent accidents.

After a few rains and nights of damp weather, the spa fills partially and becomes a haven for all sorts of 'icky' life. This morning I recieved the order from the top that today was a spa cleaning day. As a veteran of many battles with the spa water and it's denizens, I was prepared. I lifted the cover and the earwigs, crickets, pillbugs, spider, and other went scurrying.

I lowered a sump pump into the water and fired it up. Next, I used the hose to wash things down and help dilute the dirty water so the pump could push it up the hose into the garden. Soon, all that was left was for the sump pump to do it's work, so I went inside to goof off.

After a short while, I returned to check on the progress and saw this:

Yes, a lizard!

Obviously, the smart lizard found the insect haven and was getting fat on the buffet I had provided. Somehow it had fallen into the water and could not climb out of the spa.

At once, I called to the girls to take a look. They came outside and instantly the Lizard Rescue Service of South Pasadena formed and sprung into action.

At first I wasn't sure if it was a land lizard or some sort of slamander due to it's extremely long tail. After it set in the sun for a bit, it's skin dried up as it soaked up solar energy, and I was sure it was a simple lizard. It sure has one long tail though, doesn't it?

We placed the lizard into a styrofoam box and headed from the backyard to the nearby garden that borders on grass right-of-way near our house. Our thinking was that the garden and the right-of-way are not mowed and there is plenty of bugs of all sorts. Hopefully the lizard would agree. But lizards can't talk, so we will never know.

Once the box was on the ground, the lizard just sat there, staring at me, not getting out of the box. I reached in and carried the lizard out of the box. I didn't want to simply dump the already traumatized reptile.

Soon, the lizard was resting in the shade, getting used to it's new surroundings. The work of the Lizard Rescue Service of South Pasadena was done.

Posted by michael at February 04, 2007 01:05 PM