tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post3900878453404480422..comments2024-03-14T03:43:02.583-04:00Comments on EPBOT: This Floridian Life (AKA, "Lizard! LIIIIZARRRRRD!")Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11888187687405622408noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-48024158959682455702015-04-29T03:59:58.050-04:002015-04-29T03:59:58.050-04:00I love the lizards we have here in FL. There are ...I love the lizards we have here in FL. There are even some albino ones that hang out near my front door at night. I love seeing them scurry around my front and back porch but hate it when one accidentally gets in. I know my well meaning but incompetent animals would try unsuccessfully to catch it and tear up my house. Once there was a small lizard in my garage that I was trying to catch to release outside. Like a bad sitcom I managed to actually guide *into* my house instead. (Apparently the animals aren't the only incompetent ones.) Even though it was late at night my husband still physically moved the washer and dryer to carefully catch the lizard and put it outside. That's the definition of love, right there. SillyRntinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-39740539329793905312015-04-28T16:02:26.054-04:002015-04-28T16:02:26.054-04:00Lizards I would be totally fine with, but bugs hav...Lizards I would be totally fine with, but bugs have totally put me through that ordeal. I pulled a t-shirt out of my closet, went to put it on, and as I swung it over my head, saw a loose string hanging from the arm. Grabbed it to pull it off, and realized it wasn't a string, it was a strand of web, and there was a big spider dangling from it, crawling back toward my hand. The scream woke MY John and then I made him go through and clear every shirt in the closet, turning them inside out one by one to check for more spiders. He is a good John.<br /><br />Or the time when we moved out of a ground floor apartment that had a spider issue. When John was packing his socks, he gets to the bottom of the drawer and there's a big live spider in there. ICK. Then I'm unpacking a box of cleaning supplies at the new place, home alone, and found a giant spider in the bottom. Closed up the box with a couple of bottles still in it, COVERED it in Duct tape and put it outside by the front door, as trash day wasn't for a few days. John came home and I explained, and he carried the box down the street to a dumpster in another complex. He is a very good John.<br /><br />Or last week as I was packing up my office for our office move, and while one of my coworkers was chatting to me, I saw the biggest centipedey-many-legged thing I've ever seen, bright RED, on the wall, crawling toward my already-packed boxes and yelled OH MY GOD. She turned and freaked. And then I made her kill it. What the hell that thing was doing on a 3rd floor wall in the middle of DC, I have no idea, but it made me a lot happier about moving than I had been! Never seen one that color or size before.<br /><br />In my house now, I have camel crickets, which are huge spider-looking crickets that like to LEAP at you. That's not fun either but they mostly keep to the basement.<br /><br />I am obviously a complete wimp, and I'm sure you're so thrilled you're getting 100 of these stories :) If you want to kill/set free my bugs, I'll happily set free your lizards, mice, whatever isn't a bug!<br /><br />Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16880525302786213307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-26536536288396219482015-04-28T12:36:19.350-04:002015-04-28T12:36:19.350-04:00LOL! I love John's recap. This is fabulous!...LOL! I love John's recap. This is fabulous!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10694042915005281756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-69052626583450785232015-04-28T12:34:33.446-04:002015-04-28T12:34:33.446-04:00ha ha! This is great. Thanks for taking one for ...ha ha! This is great. Thanks for taking one for the team so we can have a great story ;)Rnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-64572038996691234762015-04-28T01:19:15.783-04:002015-04-28T01:19:15.783-04:00I love this story! We have one or two in the hous...I love this story! We have one or two in the house every year in SoCal. I don't mind the regular lizards, but there is a variety that looks like a snake that I can not stand. We had one come in while we were moving and it still makes me nauseous thinking about it a few years later. My brother and sister in law live a few miles inland from us and get scorpions. I think if that happens we will have to move.Alihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11479986195076770746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-60744311824963493412015-04-27T09:29:24.128-04:002015-04-27T09:29:24.128-04:00When we lived in Texas, I had an experience where ...When we lived in Texas, I had an experience where there was something crawling around under a newspaper, and I was terrified it was a scorpion. When I finally looked, it was just a gecko, and I was so relieved. So definitely could be worse.<br /><br />And just for the record, I totally read John's post in my head in Don LaFontaine's voice.Nagzillahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17759428185831351862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-78134075765328390172015-04-27T00:54:38.140-04:002015-04-27T00:54:38.140-04:00I lived in NOLA for a little while, and I had to r...I lived in NOLA for a little while, and I had to rid the house of several lizards (and I had to be quick, because my roommate's dog would try to catch them if she saw them). But the worst was when I was packing to move, and I dismantled the wire shelves in my craft room, and found a very dead ex-lizard under them. :-( I had to get my roommate to get it; it was way too gross. ::shudder::Laura E.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16953033981480052580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-781760820516046042015-04-26T10:20:39.368-04:002015-04-26T10:20:39.368-04:00Hilarious! I used to have 2 of them as pets - they...Hilarious! I used to have 2 of them as pets - they sell them at Renaissance Fairs as baby dragons. <br /><br />Pro tip: They hate water as much as cats. Spray them with a water gun to chase them onto a dustpan for easy transportation.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05028558997383919768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-7448596946455708592015-04-26T10:14:00.218-04:002015-04-26T10:14:00.218-04:00Anything that eats spiders is allowed to move in ;...Anything that eats spiders is allowed to move in ;)Nikihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05198826901406216426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-4932857575047231812015-04-26T06:29:42.910-04:002015-04-26T06:29:42.910-04:00D'aaaw, but that little guy was cute! Dat face...D'aaaw, but that little guy was cute! Dat face! He looks like a miniature dragon! <br /><br />That said, I know what a phobia is, and whenever we had these fat black spiders in the house, our battle-scarred tomcat was utterly useless as well. He even used to nudge the horrible things with his paw so they would move around more *shudder*Kat_Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06303997498423290179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-51958122160271494322015-04-26T00:21:09.281-04:002015-04-26T00:21:09.281-04:00good kitties!!good kitties!!GingerUThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11818643761909533977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-71984621767503150442015-04-26T00:02:07.561-04:002015-04-26T00:02:07.561-04:00My cats think that place mats are there to soften ...My cats think that place mats are there to soften the hard wood table for their delicate tushes. :)<br />Karmell@RRUnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-61184462343675969162015-04-25T17:26:43.789-04:002015-04-25T17:26:43.789-04:00Never posted before, but had to now. LOVE it. My M...Never posted before, but had to now. LOVE it. My M-I-L lives in Naples and complains about the lizards all the time. So much that we give her "lizard gifts" for different occasions to aggravate her. We have equally useless cats at our house in NC with NACTs (nasty a$$ cricket things) (aka Camel Crickets--look them up--horrible, very high-jumping things) that somehow think jumping AT you is the best defense when being chased. We have similar reactions to your hubby. Ugh. Feel your pain, but oh so funny!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-26701252962604017012015-04-25T16:57:40.967-04:002015-04-25T16:57:40.967-04:00Don't worry...we have the wolf spiders and pal...Don't worry...we have the wolf spiders and palmetto bugs here too :) Lizards eat the bugs though, so I try my best to catch & release. Pro tip: don't catch it by the tail -- they detach as a defense mechanism and keep wiggling.Jamilynhttp://parkhopper.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-46112943641216448052015-04-25T16:25:00.498-04:002015-04-25T16:25:00.498-04:00Loved it! But my favorite phrase: as such I let...Loved it! But my favorite phrase: as such I let out a strong, modern shriek -- absolute perfection there!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-73706693923480937722015-04-25T14:25:59.496-04:002015-04-25T14:25:59.496-04:00What's this? A fellow geek migrating to O-town...What's this? A fellow geek migrating to O-town? Why, we should meet up some time! Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11888187687405622408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-7371701003857196192015-04-25T14:22:12.756-04:002015-04-25T14:22:12.756-04:00Oh, man, I can't remember the last time we act...Oh, man, I can't remember the last time we actually had a *meal* on the dining room table - that's just the Craft Table/Cat Domain. Ha! Of course, we eat on the pop-up coffee table, and the cats lounge there just as often...Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11888187687405622408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-69445675086745311632015-04-25T14:17:53.746-04:002015-04-25T14:17:53.746-04:00**hugs****hugs**Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11888187687405622408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-58865688560610465972015-04-25T09:07:55.413-04:002015-04-25T09:07:55.413-04:00This absolutely made my evening! Sorry to laugh a...This absolutely made my evening! Sorry to laugh at your expense, John, but the narrative was awesome! My dad had a similar incident (and reaction) happen to him when we stayed at one of the Fort Wilderness cabins, so you are not alone.Miss Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12238350777844809269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-81930191922301926912015-04-25T08:05:51.172-04:002015-04-25T08:05:51.172-04:00Am I the only one who actually had lizards like th...Am I the only one who actually had lizards like this as pets? We studied anoles in my seventh grade science class and I won the pool at the end of the unit to bring them home. Since we already had a cat, a dog, a frog, and a toad in the house, Mom was very patient and understanding about adding two lizards to the mix. I understand how some (okay, most) people are creeped out by lizards. For me, the only thing creepy about owning them was that I had to feed them live crickets. Eww.<br /><br />Owing them did give me valuable knowledge. A couple of years ago when hubby and I were in Orlando at a waterpark, this little girl who was in line in front of us caught an anole. She then tried to force feed the poor thing a leaf. By her accent, and that of her parents who were also in line, she was from Great Britain. So, I spoke up on behalf of that poor lizard and let her know that they are, in fact, carnivores. She then let the little guy go. Win one for education!risforrosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04058943111721611827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-18615078234900656532015-04-25T07:07:28.260-04:002015-04-25T07:07:28.260-04:00I lived for 7 years in central FL, so we had lizar...I lived for 7 years in central FL, so we had lizards all over the place. My son got very good at catching them by trapping them under a big plastic stadium cup, then sliding a piece of cardboard underneath to transport them back to the great outdoors. I once had a grandma at one of my son's baseball games say that when she was a kid, they'd catch them and let the lizards bit their earlobes and wear them around like earrings. Now THAT'S going native.dlindachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11113446241728428042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-50343443038081984292015-04-25T05:05:05.355-04:002015-04-25T05:05:05.355-04:00That is freakin' hilarious! And now you have m...That is freakin' hilarious! And now you have me totally terrified because I'm about to move to a house about 30 minutes away from you! So glad I have lizardy closet surprises to look forward to. Like the giant wolf spiders and palmetto bug/roaches here in Georgia weren't bad enough! Thanks a lot! ;)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07022826976547977901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-84994085424990222352015-04-25T02:54:13.703-04:002015-04-25T02:54:13.703-04:00I live in a sub-tropical city in Australia - I fee...I live in a sub-tropical city in Australia - I feel your pain! I had a frog land on my pillow the other night after a rain storm. Luckily it was about the size of my thumb nail and completely adorable, so I didn't freak out.Theanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-24800467620797735082015-04-25T02:44:55.661-04:002015-04-25T02:44:55.661-04:00My first thought was, "HEY, if Jen lets her c...My first thought was, "HEY, if Jen lets her cats sleep on the dining table, why do I get such grief over it?" My mom gave me a plaque for the kitchen that says, "cat hair is a condiment in this house".....subtle, eh? The last thing one of my cats brought INTO the house was a foot long garter snake...and he jumped the baby gate into the house with it, only to let it go and me see it slither under the couch. Lizards or bats.....I'd be having a hairy fit. :)Karmell@RRUnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1724594058209899258.post-20239931375138563632015-04-25T02:09:01.617-04:002015-04-25T02:09:01.617-04:00Thank you for this desperately needed laugh. I lov...Thank you for this desperately needed laugh. I love both or your writing styles. At least the tail didn't come off in your hand like it did to me when I was a kid!MadTigerKittynoreply@blogger.com