There appears to be something very strange going on in my backyard. This morning I awoke to find the valve box lid on our sprinkler system had come off and was lying beside the valve box. I figured some armadillo or something must have uprooted it, and I went to put it back on. As I neared the valve box, however, I found it full of water. That's unusual. Furthermore, it appeared to be bubbling, as if something living was inside. I cautiously bent down to peer into the water. All I could see, at first, were mosquito larva twisting and turning about. Then, at the very moment that I realized the face of a small creature had risen to the surface and was staring back at me, it darted back down again. I jumped with a scream. It all happened so quickly that I never did see what it was. It appeared to be maybe reptilian more than amphibian, but I can't be sure. The monster hasn't
surfaced since my one sighting.Any ideas what this could be? A tiny eel? A baby sturgeon? Perhaps a miniature plesiosaur? I don't know, but I DO know it wasn't a duck or a log. I'm not exactly sure how deep our valve box is, but clearly it's deep enough to hide this creature. I'm not about to fish around in there until I know more about it. Richie is out of town. When he gets home, I'm going to solicit his help. Until then, there is definitely a puddle monster of some kind in my valve box. I've attached some pics of the puddle and of the lid lying beside it. I may never get a pic of the creature, but I took one of me by the puddle, to say I've been there. Sorry for the poor quality -- the camera just wasn't cooperating when I tried to take the pics.
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In November Sahar Dimus, our guide on four CFZ Sumatra expeditions, died of liver failure leaving a widow Lucy and four Children. On the 2nd November, Dezyama D. Sangma, wife of our friend and colleague Dipu Marak, our collaborator on the 2010 Indian expedition died, leaving her grieving husband and two small children.
3 comments:
Sooo...a lizard or salamander perhaps? Even a stray frog might match the sketchy description.
I have a feeling if you had been a young boy rather than a girl your first reaction would be to catch it rather than to scream and turn away. Then you would have gone around chasing the girls with it. I know that's a horribly sexist thing to say but it's been my experience.
Best Wishes, Dale D.
Hmmm. I guess I am not very good at getting a joke across online.
I know it's a frog. The only thing that irritates me is that I CAN'T catch it. I guess leopard frogs are really shy. The large toad that hangs around our house is a more personable.
My previous comment about getting a joke across online made no sense. I was half asleep when I read your comment, Dale, and misread it entirely -- hence my nonsensical reply. lol. Sorry.
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