Oh, Lani. This took me back and reminded me of my own lizard stories in Thailand.
Top three:
1. My eldest boy's first word was 'gecko'
2. I once went to the bathroom at midnight while pregnant and when I closed the door a giant lizard was sitting on the back of it.
3. I might have made my ex husband hack down an entire bush in front of our house because I was convinced I saw a snake.. on second thought I think it was a Lizard's face I saw. He will never know..
😆🙏😁 I love that gecko was his first word. I can honestly say I’ve never heard of that. The giant lizard in the bathroom feels so common, and yet, it never gets old. And lastly, yeah, it probably was a lizard. 😆
Wow, Lani, a whole different world than Colorado, how wonderful it is to have experienced lizards just showing up in your home, I simply can’t imagine, except you wrote the cute short story and now I know, the image of the large lizard in the bathroom is imbedded in my mind🤣✌️&💛Geraldine
Joseph Banks, longtime President of the Royal Society (and in his youth an adventurer), selected a lizard for his coat of arms, apparently for its "instinctive love of mankind". So you're in good company!
Such a great post, Lani! Because I was That Mother on the street (who allowed and maintained a variety of pets) my eldest son had a Bearded Dragon for many years. We thought he looked a bit like Godzilla in profile so he was named 'Zilla. (Till "he" laid eggs that is and then became Zileen after that, lol!) I was super fond of him and he adored raspberries which we hand fed to him. Once he nipped me in his enthusiasm to get to one and left the same marks on my nail bed as a serrated steak knife! Happy memories. Love the description of your bathroom lizard. Your cats sound hilarious - and possibly wise beyond their years!! P.S. I also had to maintain a cricket "ranch" for his lizardy diet and as a result, provided coliseum style entertainment for sleep-over guests! THAT I did not enjoy.
My son’s first pet was a Leopard gecko he named Seth. I didn’t understand why he wanted an animal he couldn’t really pet or cuddle, as a, pet. I remember the live crickets we bought for Seth from Petco and that I made Howie doing his own laundry as a payment for Seth’s food and “shelter”—a glass vivarium with a heating lamp. (And my Mom said I was mean! lol)
Now we live in the PNW and small, grey lizards are everywhere; they are NiuNiu’s favorite hunting games.
We took him to Hawaii for his 10th birthday and the one souvenir he was allowed to bring back home was a huge neon gecko stuffed animal he named “Manu”, after our tour guide 😄.
On the flight back, I upgraded us using my work trip miles. When the crew lady came to take drink orders, he sat back and said “Maitai please”, and then smiled at the stunned lady and added, “virgin,please!” 🤣🤣🤣
Love this post, Lani. When I was in Vietnam, I had some friendly geckos in my apartment that helped deal with the pesky mosquitoes. The spiders, I could not deal with easily 😁
growing up in the Middle East, we had geckos in the house too. I love geckos and lizards. Occasionally I find one in our house, here in Portugal, or in the pool, and try to rescue them. I'm always worried about catching them because they can drop their tails so easily! They also strike me as being very scared of humans!! So I talk to them before I catch them. I find that really helps and made for several successful rescue missions.
I've never met a freaky, scary little dragon (yet) – like the tokay you're describing. It does sound quite fascinating too. I had no idea people are so scared of these (usually harmless) creatures. Maybe it's the connection with the mythical creature?
I think they get scared when they drop on them. And maybe the noises they make, as well. I find it odd because in Hawaii, they're loved. But I've met folks who find them absolutely terrifying, like snakes and ghosts. 😱😅 Glad to hear you rescue them too Veronika! 😍
Great story and memories, Lani! I grew up with snakes and lizards all over Africa, and although not wild about poisonous snakes, I do appreciate the multitude of garter snakes where I currently live, as I believe they signal a healthy environment, along with the frogs and lizards. I have a gazillion poisonous snake encounter stories from my childhood. I still love lizards, even after encountering tokays in Thailand. We have a deck over our basement door, and it seems snakes and lizards love to hang out on the door frame or the support beams for the deck. In spring, they hide out there from birds. I can't tell you how many times I've opened that door and had a lizard or baby snake fall on me. I think growing up with them made me not so squeamish today.
Love that you taught with a rubber tokay on your shoulder! I'm enjoying imagining how the children in your class might have reacted.
Thanks, Jen! Sounds like you've got quite a few stories yourself! 😍 And you're absolutely right about snakes, lizards, and frogs indicating a healthy environment! 🐸
Hilarious Lani — I have got the vision of you two grown up adult kids laughing about the lizards leading you down the path of love. 💖
We love lizards in Aus, not so much snakes (pretty deadly here), and definitely not spiders. Give me a lizard any day 🤣. Or better still, a couple of cats — especially those who don't care about earning their keep.
Oh Lani, I ab-soul-utely loved this! What a funny, tender wander through childhood, culture, fear and all those creatures that slip between words and worlds. You have such a gift for turning little encounters into enchanted places of memory. I could "feel" Hawaii in your childhood stories … the warmth and the freedom, having geckos as companions rather than some kind of bad omen.
And then Thailand ... with its completely different relationship to the same little beings.
Your bathroom moment had me laughing out loud one minute, then jumping on the toilet the next for safety! And that's how good your writing is! Hahaha! I could see you there with the broom, your cats refusing their old heroic roles and the creature clamped on like a tiny dragon! And the rubber tokay prank by hubby … just priceless!
Wow! Teaching with it on your shoulder feels like the perfect origin story for a love story.
It makes sense, really … for lizards and geckos have long symbolised regeneration and unlikely connections, just like the love story you’ve lived into. You really "are" the bridge between those two worlds with your words merrily skipping, dancing, twirling ... even cartwheeling over that bridge! 💖🙏🥰
Oooo, I didnt know that about regeneration. 😱🤔 Makes sense though. And makes me think about how they are curiously on the Rider Waite Tarot. Plus, I see lots of little house geckos without their tails. Talk about 9 lives!
Yes, it is remarkable how differently they are viewed. But to be fair, Hawaii doesnt have tokays or the formable monitor lizards roaming around the countryside or cities!
Thanks, Deborah, for your kind words and enjoying the ride! 🙏💞
Hmm, that’s so true about the original Rider Waite deck … my favourite for what I call my ‘big’ readings. I missed your voice, Lani! Or did I miss the button as the one I pressed on my phone played the automated version of this post? 🦎🙏😕
Sorry. I didnt make the time for recording this one. Caught a bug that had been going around school and just got busy! Maybe I’ll record at a later time.
Oh no … no worries, Lani! There are some poems I can’t read myself because I’m either having a coughing fit or emotionally just too choked up to record. 🙏💖
They definitely make better friends than most people 😜👍
Ha! 🦎😄
Oh, Lani. This took me back and reminded me of my own lizard stories in Thailand.
Top three:
1. My eldest boy's first word was 'gecko'
2. I once went to the bathroom at midnight while pregnant and when I closed the door a giant lizard was sitting on the back of it.
3. I might have made my ex husband hack down an entire bush in front of our house because I was convinced I saw a snake.. on second thought I think it was a Lizard's face I saw. He will never know..
😆🙏😁 I love that gecko was his first word. I can honestly say I’ve never heard of that. The giant lizard in the bathroom feels so common, and yet, it never gets old. And lastly, yeah, it probably was a lizard. 😆
Wow, Lani, a whole different world than Colorado, how wonderful it is to have experienced lizards just showing up in your home, I simply can’t imagine, except you wrote the cute short story and now I know, the image of the large lizard in the bathroom is imbedded in my mind🤣✌️&💛Geraldine
Heh, heh. Yeah, I’ve experienced a few tokays in the house, including my own bedroom! Not for the faint of heart! 😆 Thanks, Geraldine. xo
😅😅 Ahhh, you were the awesome cool mom who went above and beyond. Can't say I'd love to maintain a cricket farm! Love the Zilla story. 🦎
Joseph Banks, longtime President of the Royal Society (and in his youth an adventurer), selected a lizard for his coat of arms, apparently for its "instinctive love of mankind". So you're in good company!
Wow! That’s fascinating. Thanks so much, Jeffrey
Such a great post, Lani! Because I was That Mother on the street (who allowed and maintained a variety of pets) my eldest son had a Bearded Dragon for many years. We thought he looked a bit like Godzilla in profile so he was named 'Zilla. (Till "he" laid eggs that is and then became Zileen after that, lol!) I was super fond of him and he adored raspberries which we hand fed to him. Once he nipped me in his enthusiasm to get to one and left the same marks on my nail bed as a serrated steak knife! Happy memories. Love the description of your bathroom lizard. Your cats sound hilarious - and possibly wise beyond their years!! P.S. I also had to maintain a cricket "ranch" for his lizardy diet and as a result, provided coliseum style entertainment for sleep-over guests! THAT I did not enjoy.
My son’s first pet was a Leopard gecko he named Seth. I didn’t understand why he wanted an animal he couldn’t really pet or cuddle, as a, pet. I remember the live crickets we bought for Seth from Petco and that I made Howie doing his own laundry as a payment for Seth’s food and “shelter”—a glass vivarium with a heating lamp. (And my Mom said I was mean! lol)
Now we live in the PNW and small, grey lizards are everywhere; they are NiuNiu’s favorite hunting games.
Lani, this is such an engaging essay, LOVE it! ❤️
Thanks, Yi! I enjoyed hearing about Seth! Thats awesome. Loving your son the more I hear about him. 🦎😅😇
We took him to Hawaii for his 10th birthday and the one souvenir he was allowed to bring back home was a huge neon gecko stuffed animal he named “Manu”, after our tour guide 😄.
On the flight back, I upgraded us using my work trip miles. When the crew lady came to take drink orders, he sat back and said “Maitai please”, and then smiled at the stunned lady and added, “virgin,please!” 🤣🤣🤣
I bet you love him even more now!
Yes. He sounds all kinds of awesome. 😇🎖️And I look forward to more stories about him… 😁🙏
Love this post, Lani. When I was in Vietnam, I had some friendly geckos in my apartment that helped deal with the pesky mosquitoes. The spiders, I could not deal with easily 😁
🤣 Yes, gotta love the ones who eat the bugs. Spiders do their job, too, but finding a large one in my dress was something I could have done without!
🤯
growing up in the Middle East, we had geckos in the house too. I love geckos and lizards. Occasionally I find one in our house, here in Portugal, or in the pool, and try to rescue them. I'm always worried about catching them because they can drop their tails so easily! They also strike me as being very scared of humans!! So I talk to them before I catch them. I find that really helps and made for several successful rescue missions.
I've never met a freaky, scary little dragon (yet) – like the tokay you're describing. It does sound quite fascinating too. I had no idea people are so scared of these (usually harmless) creatures. Maybe it's the connection with the mythical creature?
I think they get scared when they drop on them. And maybe the noises they make, as well. I find it odd because in Hawaii, they're loved. But I've met folks who find them absolutely terrifying, like snakes and ghosts. 😱😅 Glad to hear you rescue them too Veronika! 😍
Lizard Love, Lani 💕 sounds like the makings of a rock and roll song 🎶
Hope you’re on the mend… I also missed your wonderful voice 😊
Thanks, Sodak! It does sound rock’n roll! Need to make that happen!
Love this story.
Thank you, spottedroo! 🙏😊
Great story! Great meet cute!!
I like lizards too. :)
Always a pleasure to meet another fan. Thanks, Holly! 😇😘
Great story and memories, Lani! I grew up with snakes and lizards all over Africa, and although not wild about poisonous snakes, I do appreciate the multitude of garter snakes where I currently live, as I believe they signal a healthy environment, along with the frogs and lizards. I have a gazillion poisonous snake encounter stories from my childhood. I still love lizards, even after encountering tokays in Thailand. We have a deck over our basement door, and it seems snakes and lizards love to hang out on the door frame or the support beams for the deck. In spring, they hide out there from birds. I can't tell you how many times I've opened that door and had a lizard or baby snake fall on me. I think growing up with them made me not so squeamish today.
Love that you taught with a rubber tokay on your shoulder! I'm enjoying imagining how the children in your class might have reacted.
Thanks, Jen! Sounds like you've got quite a few stories yourself! 😍 And you're absolutely right about snakes, lizards, and frogs indicating a healthy environment! 🐸
Hilarious Lani — I have got the vision of you two grown up adult kids laughing about the lizards leading you down the path of love. 💖
We love lizards in Aus, not so much snakes (pretty deadly here), and definitely not spiders. Give me a lizard any day 🤣. Or better still, a couple of cats — especially those who don't care about earning their keep.
I missed you not reading.
😅😅 Yeahhh, they were having none of it. Sorry I missed recording this time around. Life had other plans. Lizard fans forever! 🦎💞
🦎💖🙏
Oh Lani, I ab-soul-utely loved this! What a funny, tender wander through childhood, culture, fear and all those creatures that slip between words and worlds. You have such a gift for turning little encounters into enchanted places of memory. I could "feel" Hawaii in your childhood stories … the warmth and the freedom, having geckos as companions rather than some kind of bad omen.
And then Thailand ... with its completely different relationship to the same little beings.
Your bathroom moment had me laughing out loud one minute, then jumping on the toilet the next for safety! And that's how good your writing is! Hahaha! I could see you there with the broom, your cats refusing their old heroic roles and the creature clamped on like a tiny dragon! And the rubber tokay prank by hubby … just priceless!
Wow! Teaching with it on your shoulder feels like the perfect origin story for a love story.
It makes sense, really … for lizards and geckos have long symbolised regeneration and unlikely connections, just like the love story you’ve lived into. You really "are" the bridge between those two worlds with your words merrily skipping, dancing, twirling ... even cartwheeling over that bridge! 💖🙏🥰
Oooo, I didnt know that about regeneration. 😱🤔 Makes sense though. And makes me think about how they are curiously on the Rider Waite Tarot. Plus, I see lots of little house geckos without their tails. Talk about 9 lives!
Yes, it is remarkable how differently they are viewed. But to be fair, Hawaii doesnt have tokays or the formable monitor lizards roaming around the countryside or cities!
Thanks, Deborah, for your kind words and enjoying the ride! 🙏💞
Hmm, that’s so true about the original Rider Waite deck … my favourite for what I call my ‘big’ readings. I missed your voice, Lani! Or did I miss the button as the one I pressed on my phone played the automated version of this post? 🦎🙏😕
Sorry. I didnt make the time for recording this one. Caught a bug that had been going around school and just got busy! Maybe I’ll record at a later time.
Oh no … no worries, Lani! There are some poems I can’t read myself because I’m either having a coughing fit or emotionally just too choked up to record. 🙏💖
Coughing fit! Are you okay?
My usually mild hayfever is having quite a moment with the pollen this year. 🤧
Fun fact: my name (an island next to Tahiti, which you may already know) means yellow lizard.
Lizards are really common in Arizona; I didn't know in Hawaii too! I also didn't know that Hawaii has no snakes. 😮
Cute story. 😊
I did not know that about your name! How cool! 😇 Yes, we think of desert lizards or tropical ones. I like them all!