My next door neighbors are very nice people. Not the Neighbors From Hell, but the folks on the other side of us. They like dogs. They just aren't keen on squirrels. They have come up with several subtle hints to get me to stop encouraging the squirrels to come around. You see, I feed the squirrels peanuts and always have fresh water set out for them.
One day, they told a tale of having rats in their attic. I guess they figured the rats were eating the peanuts, too. Then they mentioned the annoying peanut shells in their planters. Today, I was informed their tree trimmer told them squirrels and rats cohabitate and all those enormous nests in our trees are lived in by both rats and squirrels. She also expressed her opinion that "squirrels are rats with fluffy tails." When she said this, she paired it with a facial expression intended to express shock and the look that says, "Aren't you just as shocked as I?" I was not.
Okay, so you don't like squirrels. The neighbor on the other side doesn't like cats. I happen to like pretty much all creatures, so we are at an impasse. I will continue to feed any and all creatures who are hungry. Why, if I could, I'd have a horse in my backyard. And a llama. And some ducks.
I am also amused that no one around here seems to be able to connect the dots between the rat population and feral cats. As in, feral cats keep the rat population down. Speaking of feral cats, I am still trying to convince the little white cat I am not a cat eating monster. I have named it Shadow because, if you turn your back, it's gone. I will prevail.
Copper had a bath today. Well, I stuck her in a tub of water and made her stay there for a few minutes. I brushed her back with a tiny toothbrush. She tolerates just about anything I do. I'm guessing she figures if she doesn't, I'll flip her over on her back and eat her. After the bath I wrapped her in a towel and clipped her nails. She looks at me askance, like I'm trying to pull something. That's okay. She'll figure out eventually I am not a lizard eating monster.
Oh, I nearly forgot. The list of acceptable foods for a Bearded Dragon mentions prickly pear as a food they can eat daily. I had no earthly clue what a prickly pear is or even where to find them. Well, it just so happens they sell them at Publix.
I went up to a produce person (a different one than the last guy I shook up) and asked if he knew where they might be. He pointed across the aisle, and there in a basket were these greenish/purple things that looked like cacti without the thorns. Not only did he know where they were, but he was somewhat of an expert on them.
I learned the proper way to peel them - if you grab them with your hands you will get prickers in your fingers. They are the fruit of a cactus which is why they have prickers and why lizards love them. Also, they cure gout. So, if I ever add gout to my list of maladies, I know what to do.
When I got home, I decided to see what the inside of a prickly pear looks like. I held it with tongs and cut it like I was handling plutonium. It was red inside and tasted like a bland kiwi. Copper seemed quite pleased though. I am getting this lizard thing down pretty well.
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