anyone missing an iguana?
The phone rang.
“Judy, it’s Ann. There’s an iguana in your son’s back yard.”
Huh?
“An iguana.”
Ohhhh. I wanna see. I’ll be right over.
I was thinking something big. Not Monitor Lizard size, but dog-size at least - and they do get that big, according to Wikipedia. My son and his family live across the street from me and next door to Ann, so Ann’s call was not surprising.
I went into Ann’s back yard, rather than my son’s. If it was a dog-sized iguana, I wanted to look, but not touch. Lizards I can deal with. Catch them in the house and toss them outside so Lilly, the Great Hunter, won’t kill them. But not a dog-size iguana. Ann stood in her back yard with a broom in her hand. She was ready, she said, to fight off the beast.
Where is it?
She pointed to my son’s dock. “Over there.”
I looked. Where?
“OVER THERE!”
I looked again but still saw no beast. From the way she talked on the phone, I thought the iguana was at least eating the orchids or attacking the screened porch. But I still couldn’t see him - or her.
Where?
OVER THERE UNDER THE PADDLE BOAT.
Ah. There was the beast. His - or her - bright green head peeked out from underneath the overturned paddle boat. He - or she - must have sensed we were looking at her - or him. 
He - or she - crawled out from under the boat and trotted down the sea wall to another neighbor’s house.
The beast was hardly a creature to fear - at least individually. It was a little bigger than the one in the photo here. But not much. It will grow, however. And given that the green iguana has become an invasive species in Florida - particularly along the gulf coast including in Pinellas County - he - or she - will multiply.
Great - another destructive invasive species attacking the area. Too bad they don’t eat punk trees or Brazillian pepper.
Crossposted at Judy Hill Online.
Tags: environment, Florida, pinellas, quality of life
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August 29th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Judy,have you ever read The Night of the Iguana/ It always reminds me of getting older and older and all the things I have to accomplish in such a short time. By the way you have beautiful grandchildren-and all the first days of school,what I would not give to have first days in anything any more.
August 30th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Hey, Junior. I have read The Night of the Iguana. You’re so right about the days dwindling while the tasks seem to grow. Thanks for the feedback on my grandkids. They are great. I know what you mean about running out of firsts. Time passes far too quickly.