House Gecko

Gecko on the porch ceiling

We have geckos in our house. They reside in the attic and probably inside the walls. Every year there is a new batch of youngsters who hang out by the kitchen window because the kitchen light attracts bugs. I can hear the little ones chirping when I go outside. Every once in a while we see a baby gecko in the house, and we try to catch them and take them outside.

These are not native Arizona geckos. My husband says they are probably of Mediterranean descent and may be ancestors of pets from the former owners.  This one that was on the porch ceiling is about 8″ long.

Gecko on the porch ceiling
I love my little gecko friends.

  • Aperture: ƒ/5.6
  • Focal length: 135mm
  • ISO: 100
  • Keywords: Array
  • Shutter speed: 1/2.5s

Bees outside my front door

1133_20110408_0072.jpg

When I let my student in the front door at 12:30, I thought there was a large pinecone in the myrtle bush. When he left at 1:00 we realized that it was a beehive!

It was about 18″ long and about 8″ across by the time I took this photo at 2:00. The bee removal guy said it was a small hive and that the bees probably only started building it that morning.

It took me awhile to find a bee removal service. I called Terminex and finally found a person who told me that they contract out for the service, and that it would be better for me to deal directly with a specialist. I found The Beekeeper. They arrived 15 minutes after I called and it cost $165. Great service from a local company!

I felt pretty bad about killing all those bees, but well, you know…

 

  • Aperture: ƒ/5.6
  • Caption: Bees outside my front door
  • Focal length: 135mm
  • ISO: 200
  • Keywords: Array
  • Shutter speed: 1/80s
  • Title: Bees outside my front door

Six Sox KAL Progress

Color Blox Progress.jpg

Progress on the current Six Sox Knitalong pattern, which is called Color Blox by Sheron Goldin. I’m just using one skein of Reynold’s Swizzle and not going wild with leftovers. One sock is coming from the inside of the skein, and the other from the outside, so the stripes go in opposite directions! Kind of subversive in a very quiet way…

The techniques for the toes and heels were new to me, so they took a little longer than usual. But I’m zipping right along on the legs. Done on one long circular needle, 2 socks at the same time. And the actual color of the yarn is a dark grayish blue, not this primary-looking blue!