There’s a Skink in the Sink!

I really don’t have to be creative. I don’t make these things up. I just observe and end up in the right place at the right time from time to time. The longer I’ve stayed at Mlilwane Park’s campsite the longer the list of intriguing things I’ve encountered in the bathroom. Last weekend there was a striped skink, a common type of lizard here, in one of the sinks. I don’t know how it got there, but it didn’t seem to be able to get itself out. First I tried putting a stick in there to give it a way to crawl out on its own. But I felt a little strange about leaving a stick in the sink unattended as the next bathroom user would surely find that even more puzzling than a lizard if the lizard was gone by then. But staying there just made the skink nervous. Hmm.

I reluctantly decided to just “rescue” the skink by hand, which of course freaked it out quite a bit, but I figured it was better off in the long run. First I grabbed it and put it on the countertop, holding it captive for only a second or two. But this animal clearly wasn’t equipped to move on stone countertops like a gecko does so easily. It skittered on its belly, wiggling its body and tail and using its limbs like paddles in water. Not very effective. So I picked it up again and put it on the ground outside. By this time the poor thing was really stunned. It sat there on the ground with its body kinked up in an unnatural position. I watched it for several seconds and it just stayed there, frozen. So I left it alone to regain its composure and move to a more sheltered location on its own.

Meanwhile, at the very same time, there was a tiny green frog on the wall. I left it alone, other than taking its picture, because it was free to move around at any time. Turns out, it stayed for several days. I don’t know how it ended up on the bathroom wall or why it hung out there for so long.

Now that I’m posting these stories on an actual blog site, there will be an initial flurry of activity since I’ve been sharing these stories for almost three years already (assuming the internet connection is functioning). What can I say? In some ways I have to be dragged into the 21^st century. “An mp3 player? What is that, and why should you even want one?” Ha! I learned the answer and promptly got one. But yes, I tend to be slow to adopt new technologies (unless they’re green technologies, of course).

Posting all the old stories will give newer recipients a chance to read old stories if they feel so inclined. Plus, I’ve gotten behind in the past few months and have at least a few new experiences and thoughts to share, so I have to get caught up on those too. One more handy feature I’ve realized is that I no longer have to remember to include the link to my photos page. It’s always here at the bottom of the home page. And yes, I’m behind on that too. But I’m working on it!

I’ll be playing around with the layout and distribution methods for the next little while so if you prefer one way over another just let me know! And as always, if I’m sending things to you and you don’t want to receive them anymore, don’t hesitate to communicate that. As long as you do it kindly and gently, I won’t be offended.