(A gecko looks a little like a transparent baby alligator)
My blogger friend over at
An Extended Vacation has an anecdote about a
gecko in the dishwasher which I thought I would follow up with a couple of my own gecko stories.
Gecko Tale #1: My first encounter with a Louisiana gecko (not to be confused with the charming anole) was a terrifying experience. I was looking for something under the kitchen sink when I moved one of those 2 quart Rubbermaid iced tea pitchers. A gecko had somehow managed to climb in, but because the sides were so high and slick, his little velcro paws couldn't get any purchase. Frustrated, Senor Gecko was running around in circles about 78 rpm around the bottom of the pitcher. I peered in to see what was causing all the fuss and saw this 4" translucent reptile with black buggy eyes and thought for sure it was a baby alligator! Like my friend at An Extended Vacation, I didn't go near the kitchen sink for weeks!
Gecko Tale #2: Getting ready for school one morning, I was looking for earrings in my jewelry box. I didn't have my glasses on, so I was Mr. Magoo'ing the offerings on the vanity when my eyes stopped on the lint roller about six inches from my face. The lint roller to which a gecko was stuck, and had been for some time! The gecko was still alive and allowed himself to be peeled off the sticky backing. We tried to rehydrate him with water, but whether he scampered off into the philodendron or was eaten by one of the local pigeons, we'll never know. Amusing in retrospect, but not at the time!
(Anoles, like chameleons, change color according to the environment)
On hot steamy nights like this one, you can count the geckos on the ceiling of any veranda Baton Rouge. Geckos and anoles are part of the Louisiana landscape. They eat bugs and are harmless... just as long as they stay outside where they belong!
