Gecko Invasion

Sorry, no pictures of the three visitors we had this evening, uninvited into our home. Robin came through with cupped hands and told me he had a baby gecko that he found in the hallway. OK, it's not that unusual. We have found them on occasion. But he came through again in a few minutes with another one, also in the hallway. The third one was in the den.

Now I know these baby-bottom pink newborns can't hurt me, but I have an aversion for anything reptilian in appearance. Also, I fear that if a baby lizard can find its way into my home, a baby snake could, too. That's also happened before.

Just a few weeks ago I found a toddler-size gecko in the kitchen, screamed for Robin, and he came to my rescue. Another time recently, Robin got one out of our bathtub. Maybe it's the rainy season we've had, but they seem to prefer being indoors.

I'm on my laptop in the evenings at the kitchen table. The bright lights in there draw the moths to the window, and shortly after, the grown-up geckos. I sit here and watch them dine on moths or just scurry across the glass. There's always two, sometimes three.

I think my aversion to lizards occurred when I was pregnant with Angela and was in the backyard watching the other two kids play. I felt something go up my leg and down went my pants. I doubt anyone has come out of maternity clothes as quickly as I did that day. As my pants went down, a lizard untangled itself from my clothes and hurried off. You are probably thinking he was just as afraid of me as I was of him. I don't think so.

On top of the gecko infestation, we still have a mouse on the loose in the pantry. It has helped itself to many bags of chips and brown gravy mix. Robin set two mouse traps in there (you might remember that one caught my foot recently) and we awake every morning to missing cheese and no mouse. Puny traps. Robin worked on them tonight and now they seem to pack a punch. Geckos might not be the only thing we catch tonight.

Moral of this story: Men come in handy sometimes.