It's a Skink!

WARNING: Not for the faint of heart. Do NOT click on the links if you are squeamish about crawling creatures. Your skin will tickle and you will have nightmares. Don't say I didn't warn you.

So I have been told it is not a good idea to advertise slimy creature problems. But, I am beginning to believe my backyard is a refuge for all things yucky. When I first moved in I found a few wood spiders in the house, and watched one wiggle its way under my kitchen door. The largest I came across looked a bit like this. Except it was dead. In the bottom of my dishwasher. Tongs a wad of paper towels and some serious sterilization took place following that ordeal. I like to think I am somewhat of a big girl when it comes to critters. But this house has been seriously testing that theory. I think it's the woods. And the farms. What was I thinking moving back to farm land? Recently, I have had two baby brown toads, and one lard ass green frog stuck to my back door on three different occasions. I did yard work and now have the worst case of poison ivy known to man kind. I stepped on a nasty black lizard while assembling patio furniture, and (I am rather ashamed to admit this, but) I emitted the girliest shriek of my life when it came scrambling back out from under the table's box. I may have even jumped onto the picnic table when he darted at me. Although this can be neither confirmed nor denied. The next day I saw its spawn scrambling over the wall of my flower bed. And today I came across another of the suckers that looked a little something like this chilling in my lawn chair. It had an electric blue tail and while it sent my heart to palpating, I did dart inside to find my camera hoping to get a mug shot. I found the little creature again hiding behind a stack of firewood, but before I could focus and snap he skirted up the house and under the siding. No amount of kicking or banging could make him reappear. Or maybe it's a her. We'll find out in a short while, because as I have learned females will keep their blue tails while males turn all red and ugly. I did a little googlizing and it turns out my lizard friends are skinks. They are the second largest lizard family, following the gecko, and they are carnivorous. Which doesn't bode well for me. I got the heebie jeebies just reading about them. So, little skink family, I can share my lawn and patio furniture with you. Just please try to be courteous and stop skittering across my path or I will have a heart attack. And if you find a way through the siding and into my house, you are donezo.