We have lots of lizards in Florida. Today, one less.<\/p>\n
Pam<\/a> had been\u00c2\u00a0out in the driveway hosing down a trashcan. We like to keep ’em clean – bears, y’know – and Pam was handling that chore while I was in the garage installing\u00c2\u00a0new foot controls on her motorcycle. She called me outside.<\/p>\n Pam\u00c2\u00a0was saying something about the hose and the water and how it wasn’t flowing, and my mind raced\u00c2\u00a0ahead.\u00c2\u00a0I was thinking the worst, of course: plumbing failure, well pump failure, and so on. I caught myself and tuned back in. Pam had checked the hose for kinks and, finding none, removed the high-pressure nozzle. And the root-cause of the flow issue\u00c2\u00a0had become\u00c2\u00a0painfully\u00c2\u00a0obvious.<\/p>\n A lizard apparently entered the garden hose. Then\u00c2\u00a0Pam came along, connected the hose\u00c2\u00a0to a\u00c2\u00a0spigot and added the\u00c2\u00a0high-pressure nozzle in order\u00c2\u00a0to\u00c2\u00a0work on the trashcan.<\/p>\n The lizard was undoubtedly\u00c2\u00a0quite surprised by the face full of water.<\/p>\n The exit hole of the high-pressure nozzle is no more than 3\/16 of an inch when fully open. The considerably larger lizard made a valiant effort at getting through that tiny hole, tail end first. It\u00c2\u00a0failed. But along the way it\u00c2\u00a0managed to slow the flow of water to a near stop.<\/p>\n And that’s where I came in.<\/p>\n Lizzie was in pretty bad shape, as you might imagine. I tried, for a bit, to clear the nozzle.\u00c2\u00a0But it quickly became clear that tools would be\u00c2\u00a0needed and it wouldn’t\u00c2\u00a0be the most\u00c2\u00a0pleasant of jobs.<\/p>\n I suggested the medium-pressure nozzle and Pam resumed her work. I left the lizard-clogged\u00c2\u00a0nozzle in the grass and resumed my work.<\/p>\n With that move the lizard assumed its place in the food chain. By tomorrow or the day after, I figure, the nozzle will be clear.<\/p>\n No pictures because, well, y’know, it’s really kinda gross. I’ve got no qualms dispatching insects but dead lizards are sort of sad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We have lots of lizards in Florida. Today, one less. Pam had been\u00c2\u00a0out in the driveway hosing down a trashcan. We like to keep ’em clean – bears, y’know – and Pam was handling that chore while I was in the garage installing\u00c2\u00a0new foot controls on her motorcycle. She called me outside. Pam\u00c2\u00a0was saying something … Continue reading Lizard – –<\/span>