A Friend For the Squirrels and Raccoons

I am exhausted. This month has been non-stop so far, and this weekend will be more of the same. Don't get me wrong - it's all great stuff - but I am just not a high energy person, I think. Anyway, I let the boys play outside on the driveway when we got home (after the "watch out for snakes" talk), while I planned a little couch time. So, I have the news on and Cameron Kent is talking to Lanie Pope who is evidently at some golf event. Rustle, rustle, rustle. "That's some funky background noise" I thought, but didn't really pay attention as I was checking out all of my friends' blogs (Hi Lori! Hi Dawn! Hi Dana! Hi Kristin! Hi Other People Who Don't Know I Stalk Your Blog!). Rustle, rustle, rustle. OK. The noise is annoying me now. And then it occurred to me that the noise was coming from inside my house instead of from inside my TV. Push the mute button on the remote - yes, the noise is still there. I thought it was one of those nasty wasps that invade our home from time to time. Rustle, rustle, rustle. It seems like it's coming from somewhere near the TV. So, Brave Girl That I Am, I tiptoed over towards the TV. RUSTLE, RUSTLE, RUSTLE. Ummm, yes, it's louder now. I see a shape moving inside of a plastic grocery store bag that is on our hearth. A SHAPE. MOVING. IN THE BAG. And then I could see it was a lizard. A five-striped skink to be exact. In. My. House. Being the Mother of Boys, I went into the kitchen and got a bowl and then with my fingers picked the skink up by the tail and put it in the bowl for Show and Tell. Matthew and Michael loved it. Of course. So, is there some sign outside of our neighborhood that says 'This Way To A Hospitable Critter House"? Let's see, in our house, we have had raccoons, snakes, bats, mice, squirrels, unbelievably large spiders (one tried to carry Michael away one time), and now skinks...