What Stella Wants Next (194/365)

TIME: 6:54 PM
PLACE: Tye-Dyed Iguana
SUBJECT: Ball Python

Another Friday evening excursion with my Stella!

She wanted to stop at the Tye-Dyed Iguana to look at ball pythons – she said she’s been wanting another reptile for a little while now.  (Her gecko, Blade, passed away in October of 2016).

I’m not so sure about a snake, but he is pretty cute and very chill.

I’m thinking about it – I’ll probably cave.

While there, we also checked out the gecko tree….

The bevy of bearded dragons….

And Aphrodite, an albino Burmese Python – who was just finishing up shedding her skin.

Shedding (126/365)

“Shedding off one more layer of skin
Keeping one step ahead of the persecutor within”
― Bob Dylan

TIME: 6:58 PM
PLACE: Home
SUBJECT: Blade

Blade shed (and ate!) his skin today.

Chapter 4: In Which Eeyore Loses a Tail, and Pooh Finds One (136/366)

"Dear, dear," said Pooh, "I'm sorry about that. Let's have a look at you." So Eeyore stood there, gazing sadly at the ground, and Winnie-the-Pooh walked all round him once. "Why, what's happened to your tail?" he said in surprise.

"What has happened to it?" said Eeyore.

"It isn't there!"

"Are you sure?"

"Well, either a tail is there or it isn't there You can't make a mistake about it. And yours isn't there!"

"Then what is?"

"Nothing."

"Let's have a look," said Eeyore, and he turned slowly round to the place where his tail had been a little while ago, and then, finding that he couldn't catch it up, he turned round the other way, until he came back to where he was at first, and then he put his head down and looked between his front legs, and at last he said, with a long, sad sigh, "I believe you're right"

"Of course I'm right," said Pooh

"That accounts for a Good Deal," said Eeyore gloomily. "It explains Everything. No Wonder."

"You must have left it somewhere," said Winnie-the-Pooh.

"Somebody must have taken it," said Eeyore."How Like Them," he added, after a long silence.

A. A. Milne. Winnie the Pooh. Methuen & Co. Ltd. (London). October 14, 1926

TIME:  8:13 PM
PLACE:  Home
SUBJECT:  A tailless Blade

We had an incident happen while the girls and I were camping the other weekend with the Girl Scouts.  Someone *cough* HandsomeHusband *cough* left the top off Blade’s cage.  Blade got out and ended up losing his tail.  We don’t know for sure if the cats or the dog were involved in the tail tragedy, but nevertheless, there is no longer a rear appendage attached to our boy.  The sad part is, he cannot grow a new one either.  Poor Blade.

It’s Like Looking In A Mirror (050/366)

[Sean Archer and Castor Troy, each wearing the other's face, meet]
Castor Troy: It's like looking in a mirror. Only... not.

Face/Off. John Woo, dir, Paramount Pictures. 1997.

TIME:  6:56 PM
PLACE:  HandsomeHusband’s shoulder
SUBJECT:  Blade and friend

We celebrated StellaDella’s birthday with family tonight.  Of course Blade had to come out and join the festivities.  Part of Grandpa’s gift included this “Squishimal” lizard.  I think Blade is impressed with it’s craftsmanship.

“A” You’re Adorable (003/366)

“I adore simple pleasures. They are the last refuge of the complex.”

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), Anglo-Irish playwright, author. Lord Illingworth, in A Woman of No Importance, act 1.

TIME:  6:27 PM
PLACE:  Living Room
SUBJECT:  StellaDella and Blade

I came across this photo-a-day challenge list of things to shoot for the month of January.  I saved it on my computer for those times I am in need of an idea.  It’s the 3rd day of the year and I’m already utilizing it.  *shakes head and rolls eyes*  Today’s suggestion was “Something You Adore.”  Well, SD most certainly adores Blade.  I am adoring the smile that has been appearing on her face each time she holds him.

Christmas Fun (359/365)

“At Christmas play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year.”

Thomas Tusser (English Farmer and Writer. 1524-1580)

TIME:  7:03 AM
PLACE:  Living room
SUBJECT:  StellaDella, DramaQueen & MonkeyBoy

I hate using the flash, but had to do it this morning to get a decent shot of the kids.  This is right before the presents were opened.  They were all very happy with their gifts.  We do have an issue trying to get MB’s new Turtle Beach headset to work with his Xbox 360, but I think a trip to the store tomorrow for a compatible cable with fix that right up.
~*~*~*~
My gift?  Glad you asked.  I must have been very good this year. (Or, more than likely, I whined so much about it that DH decided he couldn’t take it anymore and bought it to shut me up.)  I am now the owner of a Canon EF-S60mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens!  Can I get a “Woot-Woot!”  I played around with it a little this afternoon.  I think I’m gonna like it.


TIME:  2:25 PM
SUBJET:  Blade


TIME:  2:34 PM
SUBJECT:  MB’s eyelashes (he was napping)


TIME:  2:41 PM
SUBJECT:  Bubbles in a bottle of Windex cleaner

TIME:  7:14 PM
SUBJECT:  Radiatore noodles

A Girl & Her Gecko (357/365)

“A cherub's face, a reptile all the rest”

Alexander Pope (English Poet, 1688-1744)

TIME:  6:24 PM
PLACE:  Home
SUBJECT:  StellaDella & Blade

“Awwwww Mom…look how cuuuuuute Blade is!  Isn’t he the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen?   Ooooooh…I just love, love, love him sooooo much!  And look, he loves me too!”

Gecko Greetings (352/365)

“With your lovely smile.
I see you slither away with your skin and your tail,
Your flickering tongue and your rattling scales
Like a real reptile.”

The Church. "Reptile." Starfish. Arista Records, 1988

TIME:  6:48 PM
PLACE: Home
SUBJECT:  Crested Gecko aka “Blade”

StellaDella has been fascinated by reptiles since seeing them at the library two years ago.  She has had HH and I take her to the exotic reptile store a number of times over the past year.  Apparently, for her, these trips were actually scouting expeditions to determine the reptile she was going to ask Santa to bring.  After many conversations with Santa, it was decided that she could have a Crested Gecko this year.  Since Santa can’t bring reptiles on his sleigh (it gets too cold for the critters), he called HH and co-ordinated the pick-up of the gecko from the Tye-Dyed Iguana today.  She promptly named him “Blade” and is one happy girl.