critters. part one.

yeah. there is a part two to follow.

So, I've talked before about all the cute little creatures we've found around here, mostly the toads and the frogs. The wolf spiders aren't so cute but they're fun to look at...


Neil has had some fun finds lately, working out in the yard has meant unfortunately disturbing what may have been living where Neil digs and remodels. 


A salamander, that Neil found while digging one day. He put the shovel in some dirt, and pulled this up with it. I actually thought this was a pretty cool find, as you don't see these out and about like lizards, unless conditions are right or you know where to look.

  
A little western worm snake. hanging out in one of the rock walls.


Female five lined skink... who Neil preceded to let bite him.


and then run around on his shoulders. 


and so far I've enjoyed all this... Neil is crazy about all these guys and everything else that lives outside our door. Ever since I've known him, picking up snakes, lizards, etc. is just no big deal.
And you know, I didn't even mind so much when on rainy nights a misguided frog would hop in the open door and we'd have to shoe him out. And while working at the kitchen table one night, I watched a tiny toad come hopping out from under my fridge. I thought it was cute!

And then... this little guy crawled up my shower drain:

a baby male five lined skink. 
And you know, I've seen lizards and been around lizards many times in my life. Not handled them much though. He didn't bother me too much... what really bothered me was that if he could come out of the shower drain, what else could.

Not too many people believed me that he even did in fact come up the drain. He had to have come in some other way. I was told to get used to country life now, which if you know me, I've lived in the country before, and been in outdoors situations throughout my life. No, I'm not like Neil, I don't grab random critters and being surprised by spiders still creeps me out but I'm not completely clueless here. But I knew, I just knew, something wasn't right about that tiny lizard just showing up in my shower, fifteen minutes after I'd just been in there.

Unfortunately, I was right.
Because yesterday evening, when Neil went to go use our other toilet, he opened the lid to find a garter snake staring up at him.
Yeah.  
I didn't get a photo of that one.. in fact, Neil grabbed the thing and got it outside before I even knew what happened.  
Like I don't have enough paranoia right?

Part 2 tomorrow.