Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Happy Little Lizard Tail

Thought for the day:  I always keep a supply of stimulant handy in case I see a snake— which I also keep handy.  [W.C. Fields]

I've written numerous posts about dogs, cats, rabbits, and birds, but never about reptiles. Hmmm, I wonder why that is? Okay, so maybe they aren't exactly cuddly critters, but it never hurts to know a little something about them, because ya never can tell when some stray little tidbit of knowledge might come in handy.

I'm gonna share a few of those tidbits before telling you a funny tale.



Did you ever have any of these little guys as a kid? I'm pretty sure red eared sliders are still fairly popular pets, but they have been known to carry salmonella. As far as I know, our sliders never carried salmonella. In fact, they lived very happy little lives in a little plastic habitat, complete with a little plastic palm tree. Until they died of boredom.

I had one of these fellas for a while as a kid, too. Found him. Yep, I went out in the front yard, and there he was. Granted, a postage stamp yard in front of a row home in suburban Baltimore wasn't exactly his natural habitat, but there he was. Just as cute as he could be. I figured he must have been someone's escaped pet, but I couldn't find his rightful owner anywhere. Okay, so technically, I didn't look. So sue me. Wouldn't you have kept him, too? Two things he taught me: horned lizards eat a lot of flies, and I am an extraordinarily crappy fly catcher.


I'm not a huge fan of snakes, but I do admire their beauty. (From a distance.) My brother raises ball pythons, and his albinos are especially beautiful. Know why snakes stick out their tongues? They aren't being rude. That's how they smell. Same for lizards.




When our daughter was growing up, she wanted a pet iguana. Nope, no way, nohow. I didn't have a problem helping our kids care for their menagerie of cuddly pets, but I had absolutely no interest in having a scaly critter that big in our house. Sure, I had chameleons as a kid, but they were little. And cute. Iguanas get to be as much as twenty inches long, by golly, and they have to have those fancy heated rocks, heat lamps, and all that jazz. No thanks.


Instead, in my infinite wisdom, I bought her one of these little guys. Awwwww. He was a little on the expensive side, but he really was cute. Only about the size of a quarter when we brought him home, and he had the prettiest light green eyes you ever saw, and an adorable scalloped shell. Know what he is? An African spurred tortoise. Uh, yeah, matter of fact, that is the kind of tortoise usually seen in an outdoor enclosure at a zoo. See, they're the third largest tortoise in the world, and can get to be up to three feet long, and 200 pounds. Oh, and they also live more than a hundred years. She named him Yoda, and had him for quite a few years. Took him with her when she moved out on her own, and by that time, his habitat filled an entire bedroom. So yeah, he did get a little larger than that iguana she wanted. (Now he lives in a nature preserve with other African spurred tortoises.)

A couple other quick tidbits before we go on to that tale:

  • Most lizards have autonomous tails, which means they can break them off to escape predators.  I must confess, I caught and snapped the tails off quite a few skinks when I was a kid, simply because I thought it was funny as heck to see those detached tails wiggle. Besides, I knew their tails would grow back again. However, now I know the regenerated tails are smaller, boneless, and sometimes of a different color than the original. (So to all those skinks whose beauty I marred, I deeply apologize.)
  • Some lizards can squirt blood two to four feet... out of their eyes!
  • Lizards can conserve water by excreting salt. When water is scarce, they excrete enough salt  to form a white residue on their bodies.
  • Most lizards have suction cups on the bottoms of their feet.
  • The gecko is the only lizard with a true voice, because he's the only one with vocal chords. As anyone who's ever seen those insurance commercials could tell you, they also speak with a British accent.
                                                             Okay, ready? Story time.












Cute little guy, isn't he? And he looks pretty doggone pleased with himself, too. Just picture that expression in the story that follows.





WARNING: This is one of those laugh-out-loud funny stories that went around the Internet without attribution some years back, so you might want to set your drink down before you start reading it.


Just after dinner one night, my son came up to tell me there was "something wrong" with one of the two lizards he holds prisoner in his room. "He's just lying there looking sick," he said. "I'm serious, Dad. Can you help?"

So I put my best lizard-healer expression on my face and followed him into his bedroom. Sure enough, one of the little lizards was lying on his back, looking stressed. I immediately knew what to do. "Honey," I yelled, "come look at the lizard!"

"Oh, my gosh!" my wife exclaimed. "She's having babies."

"What?" my son demanded. "But their names are Bert and Ernie, Mom!"

I was equally outraged.

"Hey, how can that be? I thought we said we didn't want them to reproduce," I said accusingly to my wife.

 "Well, what do you want me to do, post a sign in their cage?" she inquired (I think she actually said this sarcastically!).

"No, but you were supposed to get two boys!" I reminded her, (in my most loving, calm, sweet voice, while gritting my teeth).

 "Yeah, Bert and Ernie!" my son agreed.

 "Well, it's just a little hard to tell on some guys, you know," she informed me (Again with the
 sarcasm!).

By now the rest of the family had gathered to see what was going on. I shrugged, and decided to make the best of it. "Kids, this is going to be a wondrous experience," I announced. "We're about to witness the miracle of birth."

"Oh, gross!" they shrieked

"Well, isn't THAT just great? What are we going to do with a litter of tiny little lizard babies?" my
 wife wanted to know.

We peered at the patient. After much struggling, what looked like a tiny foot would appear briefly, vanishing a scant second later.

 "We don't appear to be making much progress," I noted.

 "It's breech," my wife whispered, horrified.

 "Do something, Dad !" my son urged.

 "Okay, okay." Squeamishly, I reached in and grabbed the foot when it next appeared, giving it a gentle tug. It disappeared. I tried several more times with the same results.

 "Should I call 911?" my eldest daughter wanted to know. "Maybe they could talk us through the trauma." (You see a pattern here with the females in my house?)

 "Let's get Ernie to the vet," I said grimly.

We drove to the vet with my son holding the cage in his lap. "Breathe, Ernie, breathe," he urged.

 "I don't think lizards do Lamaze," his mother noted to him. (Women can be so cruel to their own young. I mean, what she does to me is one thing, but this boy is of her womb, for God's sake.).

The vet took Ernie back to the examining room and peered at the little animal through a magnifying glass.

"What do you think, Doc, a C-section?" I suggested scientifically.

"Oh, very interesting," he murmured. "Mr. And Mrs. Cameron, may I speak to you privately for a moment?"

 I gulped, nodding for my son to step outside.

 "Is Ernie going to be okay?" my wife asked.

 "Oh, perfectly," the vet assured us. "This lizard is not in labor. In fact, that isn't EVER going to
 happen. Ernie is a boy. You see, Ernie is a young male. And occasionally, as they come into
 maturity, like most male species, they um... um... masturbate. Just the way he did, lying on his
 back." He blushed, glancing at my wife.

 We were silent, absorbing this.

 "So, Ernie's just...  just... excited," my wife offered.

 "Exactly," the vet replied, relieved that we understood.

 More silence. Then my vicious, cruel wife started to giggle. And giggle. And then  laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?" I demanded, knowing, but not believing that the woman I married would commit the upcoming affront to my flawless manliness.

Tears were now running down her face. "It's just that... I'm picturing you pulling on its ... its... teeny little..." She gasped for more air, and laughed even harder.

"That's enough," I warned. We thanked the vet and hurriedly bundled the lizard and our son back into the car.

He was glad everything was going to be okay. "I know Ernie's really thankful for what you did, Dad," he told me.

"Oh, you have NO idea," my wife agreed, collapsing with laughter.

Two lizards: $140.
One cage: $50.
Trip to the vet: $30.

 (Memory of your husband pulling on a lizard's winkie: Priceless!)

****

So what little tidbit of information could have prevented that priceless experience? Simple. Most lizards... lay eggs.






Don't forget: Every comment you make here during the month of May earns you another shot at winning a FREE signed copy of Hot Flashes & Cold Lemonade. Mention it on your blog, and earn TWO shots.

Oh, and guess what? Both the paperback and e-version will be available on Amazon on the 28th!!! That's just one week away... Woo- HOO!




Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.


[Images from Wikipedia, icanhascheezburgermorguefile, and seniorark]

89 comments:

  1. Loving the pic of the mohawk! Hey susan *hugs*

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    1. Hey, Tammy! Yeah, that pic is something else, isn't it? Reminds me of one of our daughter's high school friends. Nice boy, but we were pretty taken aback the first time we met him and got a load of his multi-colored Mohawk and multi-pierced face. No more weird hair and piercings for him these days. Now he's a teacher.

      Delete
  2. Lol, that story is hilarious!

    My sister-in-law had a snake when she was little. Once, when I stayed over, it escaped and no one told me because they knew I hated snakes. I just heard, "Oh good, I've found him" over breakfast the next morning! *shudder*

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    1. Glad ya liked it.

      Oh yuk; I'm glad someone else found that snake before YOU did. (Not sure who would have been more traumatized... you or the snake!)

      Delete
  3. Hi Susan .. I loved reading the notes on your reptiles - and your brother breeding ball pythons - not keen on that thought!

    Your lizard story is wonderful .. and I can see everyone rolling around on the floor after the event, and a good story for the pub or hilarious evening .. I shall remember!

    Cheers Hilary

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    1. My brother has always liked snakes. (And just about any other kind of animal.) Since we live kinda far apart, I've only seen his current set-up for raising and breeding pythons via pictures. And they're actually quite pretty. Not terribly cuddly, though.

      I'm glad you liked the lizard story. I'd love to be sitting in the pub with you when you tell it...

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  4. Not at all keen on snakes. Yes, I can (sort of, almost) admire their beauty. From a loooong way away.

    The lizard story? I have been smiling so broadly my face hurts. Thank you.

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    1. A close-up admiration for snakes isn't bad, either, as long as they're behind a thick sheet of glass.

      Now THAT'S a big smile. Glad to hear it.

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  5. We've had our share of the cute fuzzy pets but I drew the line at scales and slime.

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  6. Loved the lizard story my friend. I will share this with my coworker when she comes in here in a bit (since she's scared of reptiles haha).

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    1. I'm glad you liked the lizard story. I think it's hilarious, but wasn't sure everyone would agree.

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  7. Replies

    1. Hey, snakes are just lizards whose legs forgot to sprout. Discrimination, I tell ya!

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  8. I thought they layed eggs! But I never figured the playing with his thing....thing.

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    1. HA! You thought right, but I hope the story gave you a chuckle, anyway.

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  9. LOL! That's a way too funny story :) Also, I think that's awesome about your daughter's tortoise. We had a couple growing up and they were lots of fun!

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    1. I'm glad you liked the story, and it's too cool that you had tortoises when you were growing up. (I thought maybe our daughter was the only one...)

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  10. Fun story but I was thinking that they must lay eggs. Aaaha, they do lay eggs.
    I was laughing at your daughters tortoise getting larger than the iguana. My kids had a baby alligator and that grew and grew until finally it was zoo time and a better life, I'm sure.

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    1. Oh wow! A baby alligator? Yipes!

      Reminds me of a wonderful children's book called "The Chicken's Child" about a farm chicken who hatched an alligator egg. Not a single word in the book. All pictures, but they told a terrifically fun story.

      Even so, I was never tempted to have a pet alligator. My cousin had one when he was a kid, and even though he named it Susie after me, that gator hated me. It hissed whenever I came near it. Then again, I don't remember it being particularly friendly towards anyone else, either.

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  11. Love it! It’s a good thing another part of that lizard’s anatomy wasn’t autotomous. That would have really thrown the family for a loop.

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    1. HA! Ain't that the truth! Reminds me of a dreadful (but hilarious) song that was semi-popular when our kids were teenagers. It was called "Detachable Penis." (I kid you not!)

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  12. The horned frog is particularly meaningful to Shawn and me. Really enjoyed seeing the pic of that little guy in your post this morning, Sus.

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    1. Knowing you, I'm sure there's a lovely story behind the significance of the horned frog. Whatever it is, I'm glad its picture made you smile.

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  13. Never will forget the shoebox full of green snakes all escaping into the house overnight. Never found a single one of them.

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  14. I saw an iguana in my front yard in Florida once. Big one too! I was in awe for a second but had NO desire to take him in. ;)

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    1. I don't blame you. It'd be pretty exciting to see a large iguana in the wild, but that certainly wouldn't inspire me to try to domesticate it. Wait! Are iguanas indigenous to Florida? I'll have to look that one up... (Maybe it was someone's escaped pet like that horned toad I found.)

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  15. I...I don't know what to say...
    I was going to share a lizard story before I read about the... trip to the vet, but now... Well, I really must go and try to erase this picture from my brain.
    ~Just Jill

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    1. Oh no, oh no! Jill's speechless? Oh dear, what have I done...? (Get well soon...)

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  16. Lizard masturbation: I had no idea. I put the leg of my grill on a skink recently (I swear it was an accident). His guts smooshed out, while his tail took off and wiggled through the boards of the deck.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. See? You never know WHAT you might learn here.

      Well, I don't reckon THAT skink grew another tail... his smooshed guts is a "dead" giveaway.

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  17. That's so funny ~ We do indeed live and learn. Thanks to my friend Rachael, I have many lizard and snake friends, she has a ton of them that she rescued from a rescue. She has a big heart. You can, if you like, click on one of my lizard stories, listed under my most popular posts. I just love these critters.

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    1. Super! I'll do just that, and see what kind of reptilian pals you have.

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  18. Some of them are cute
    Some are a brute
    Some I would not want to come near
    My little rhyming rear

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    1. A wizard had a lizard
      Whose name was Jake.
      The very best of buddies,
      Many travels they'd take.
      It would've been much easier
      To have a sidekick pup,
      But little Jake the lizard
      Always managed to keep up.

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  19. The first pet my son bought when he went off to college was some kind of lizard that ate small live creatures. Of course, he brought it home and it was not welcomed in our house of Vegetarians. Poor Iggy eventually passed on and then Andy got an iguana that ate veggies and lived a reasonable long life. Next he brought home a cat that we took care of for the next 12 years. The last thing he brought home was his ex-wife. She lasted longer than the lizard, but not as long as the iguana or the cat.

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    1. HA! You really reeled me in with that one. Loved it. One of our daughters-in-law didn't last as long as a snowflake on a griddle. (Comparatively speaking...)

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  20. Hilarious! Poor lizard just wanted some privacy.
    Not a fan of reptiles as pets. As you said, not very cuddly.
    Nice that your daughter's tortoise is at a preserve now.

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    1. Glad ya liked the lizard story.

      Our daughter would have liked to keep Yoda, but he's better off at the preserve.

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  21. You're right, I laughed out loud! And, um, reptiles are fine (sorta) as long as they aren't snakes, yipes! Happy your daughter's turtle is in a preserve.

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    1. I'm glad to hear that story tickled your funny bone, too.

      Yeah, I'm happy Yoda's in a preserve, too. Our daughter's house doesn't have enough space to provide for him properly, so you-know-who would've probably been called upon to take him in... "temporarily". Right. Our cats would not be amused.

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  22. Now that's funny, I don't care who you are :)
    Rick

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    1. Oh, now you've gone and done it. Now I'm imagining Larry the Cable Guy telling that story...

      Thanks for stopping by and for signing on as a follower. Welcome aboard!

      Delete
  23. What a hoot I just cracked up over that story.
    You have the best post !
    As my children were growing up we have had many pets from snakes, bunnies, lizards, hamsters, fish, cats and dogs !

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. Thanks! Always happy to make ya laugh. (It's like exercise on the inside, you know... and just about the only exercise I GET most days.)

      Cheers!

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  24. I applaud you for always taking the time to respond to the comments. It shows that you really care.
    As for the lizard who indulged in self-stimulation......now I've finally heard everything.

    Wow, the turtles sure bring back memories. I had them as pets numerous times when I was a kid and could really tell some stories. They did indeed live in cute little plastic abodes, complete with plastic palm trees. My turtles always liked to eat ground beef.

    I'm not crazy about snakes but I'vre seen so many here in TX that they no longer scare me. I found one in my kitchen when I lived in San Angelo! I like lizards - - but not in the house.

    (my comment is too darn long)

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    1. Thanks. Kind of you to say. I DO care, but I'm also cursed with being an over-achiever. I'm helpless to do anything less. (For now!)

      So you had sliders, too, huh? I don't remember what ours ate, to tell the truth. Pellets of some kind? Tomatoes and lettuce? Dunno. I don't think they ate meat, though, but I could be wrong. (Probably am.)

      And NO, your comment isn't too long. It's just right.

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  25. Hi Susan,

    Having read the comment above my comment which I hope when I publish my comment is still the comment above my comment, I will attempt to not leave a long comment, or, for that matter, a run-on sentence!

    After skimming, sorry, after thoroughly reading your very long and entertaining posting, I forgot what I was going to type. Anyway, all your other commenter's have pretty well said it all. So, before I make an asp of myself, I shall go now before my comment is too darn long.....

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    1. You too? NO! It's impossible to leave too long... OR too short... of a comment. I'm just glad you take time to comment at all, so however long or short you wanta write is okay by me.

      Take care. Adder boy, let's not make an asp of ourselves.

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  26. Hahahahahah! I wish it'd been my husband. Or a brother. I'da never let him live it down!!!
    We were verbotten anything lizard- or turtle-like. However, I did in HS smuggle a little snake in to babysit it for a friend, and it lived around my neck for 2 days. Nobody in my family noticed.

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    1. HA! You had a snake draped around your neck for two days, and nobody noticed? I, uh, take it it wasn't a python, eh? Only snake I ever want draped around me is jewelry. Very old jewelry, actually. It was my grandmother's. A bracelet and matching ring. Very cool.

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    2. He was a little black garter snake (named Sebastian) and he barely moved except in a circle around my neck (it was winter in NYC). Nobody freakin noticed- even my dog.
      I'd love to see that bracelet and ring set. 1920s jewelry and earlier is just amazing to me.

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    3. How cute! (and, um slithery...)

      If I remember, I'll post pics of them on my blog soon, 'kay? (Just for you!)

      Delete
  27. The image that that story left in my head, will haunt me for life...and possibly the after-life.

    Laughed out loud at the story of your daughter's African spurred tortoise, outgrowing the Iguana that she originally wanted.

    When I was a kid, my family thought I was a sadist for pulling the legs and wings off Daddy Longlegs but you have outdone my villainy with your snapping the tails off skinks. That's just hardcore...and juuuust a little bit psychotic! :)

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    1. Sorry, kiddo. Didn't mean to offend your tender sensibilities.

      As far as the Daddy Long Legs... I don't think their legs grow back, so basically, you turned the little guys into what? Living BBs? (I guess they could always roll back to the web, eh?) The skinks' tails, on the other hand, were designed by nature to come off... I just, um, helped them along.

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  28. I'd forgotten horned toads. They used to go scooting across the mesas when I lived in New Mexico. Odd little things... Cute, too!

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  29. Thanks for reading that post. I just read it over again myself and I'm happy that I lectured a bit about pet care and being responsible, since it's one of my most popular posts. Hopefully someone learned something.

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    1. Thanks for telling me about that post so I COULD read it! I thoroughly enjoyed it. You did a super job.

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  30. I try to stay away from anything scaly and cold-blooded. The back porch is as far as I'll let the lizards go. If they get in the house, I yell at them. Or my husband.

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    1. Do the lizards pay any attention to you when you yell at them? (Does your husband? HA!) When my elderly aunt was living in Florida years ago, she got quite good at clobbering snakes with a broom, but she her and husband pretty much peacefully co-existed with the lizards.

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  31. I get very excited when I find a lizard- not as excited as Ernie the lizard though! Most hilarious- I was wondering what species produced live young!! Thank you for the massive chuckles- looking forward to ordering your book, it's on my Summer Reading list :-) xx

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    1. HA! Well, I'm very glad to hear you don't get THAT excited when you find a lizard. That would be most inappropriate, young lady. However, a happy dance is not only appropriate, it's encouraged. (I may squeal with excitement, too, but just a teensy bit.)

      Two lizards that bear live young are the blue-tongued skink of Australia and Jackson's chameleon of Tanzania and Kenya. There may be others, too, but not many.

      Thank you! I love hearing that my book has a spot on your summer reading list. Makes me excited all over. (But, um NOT as excited as Ernie.)

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  32. I have to admit I wondered what the heck was going on with Ernie because I already knew that lizards lay eggs, just like turtles, but I hadn't thought of masturbating!
    I LOVE the image of the lizard "I gots feet!" Love it.
    My older daughter once wanted a white mouse in a cage. We bought her one. Stuffed toy mouse, plastic cage. She was happy.

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    1. You smartie. Can't fool you, huh? Unlike your daughter. That's too funny. She got her mouse... (Somehow, I don't think that would've worked nearly so well if she'd wanted a pony.)

      (Isn't that picture adorable?)

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    2. She was 12 and knew that we couldn't afford a real mouse with all the equipment. Same girl now has a tortoise as a pet, 1 inch long when she bought it for her kids, he is now the size of a dinner plate and lives in their goldfish pond outside.

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  33. I did the pet turtle things a couple of times as a kid. And of course being a typical irresponsible kid I promptly killed them off through inattention. I am sure their reptilian ghosts haunt me even now.

    My worst sin though were killing off my sea monkeys. That was genocide. All told my karma is screwed.

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    1. I have a feeling most of us are haunted by various animal ghosts from our irresponsible childhoods. Mine are a bunch of ticked-off tailless skinks. I wouldn't worry too much about those sea monkeys, though. They're practically no-seem-ems.

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  34. So funny! Thanks for the laugh. I needed it this morning. :)

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    1. Glad you liked it. We can never have too many laughs.

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  35. ROF,L! Oh, my gosh, I think I hurt myself laughing.

    I used to catch horned lizards in my backyard when I was growing up, only we called them horny toads. (Yeah, I know. Kind of fits in with the story.)

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    1. HA! Glad to hear it.

      Yeah, now you've got me giggling. Horny toads is the perfect name for them.

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  36. Yeah, I remember reading that one. It was sent to me by several, lol!

    We had several turtles when we were kids, not that we were allowed to keep them beyond a certain span of time. They were all caught, er, found by us. None of us were much into lizards or snakes.

    That hair! Gorgeous execution but wearing it everyday? Oh my.

    Sia McKye OVER COFFEE

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    1. If several people sent you that tale, you must have as wacky a sense of humor (and friends!) as I do.

      We had a bunch of turtles. My brother hollowed out a big area for them in our front yard, and would put food and water there for them. They came and went at will. Kinda neat.

      Yeah, that hairdo is something else. Makes his mama proud.

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  37. Susan: You have made me a fan! Please, please, please read my post today. You'll immediately see what I mean.

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    1. Cool! But ya didn't have to beg... I woulda visited anyhow! HA!

      Delete
  38. lizards, snakes, etc. kinda creep me out. We have geckos that get into the house in the summer - I try to encourage them back out the door with a broom. Your lizard "winkie" tale is hilarious.

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    1. Glad you liked the wee winkie story.

      Um, do those geckos speak with a British accent?

      Delete
  39. My son will take one of each of those little reptiles, thank you very much! :)

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    1. What a sweet mom you are to let him have all those pets!

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  40. Great lizard tale! The photo of that iguana looks like she's wearing lipstick.

    I'm excited about your book!

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    1. Glad ya liked it. Hmm, I never noticed the lipstick. Guess she was getting ready to go out on a date.

      Thanks. (Me, too!)

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  41. SUSAN ~
    Great W.C. quote to begin the blog bit with! (I'm a huge W.C. fan, by the way.)

    When we were little, my Brother, Sister and I had a big tortoise we named 'Big Mac'. Not as big as the one your daughter had, but he definitely lived up to his name. (A co-worker of my Ma found him crawling across an Orange County, California, freeway and stopped to save his life.)

    And for a tortoise, Big Mac actually had some personality. (He LOVED marshmallows! And I mean the big, white marshmallows - not those little colored ones.)

    My Brother and I (and sometimes friends of ours) were ALWAYS in the backyard playing one form of baseball or another. Very often Big Mac would hear us, come crawling out of his hole and start heading down to our "baseball diamond".

    Someone would always see him coming and say something like, "in one more inning, Big Mac'll be here." Eventually he'd reach the diamond and we'd have to stop the action. Someone would pick him up and carry him back to the opening of his hole. And then he'd start that long journey back down toward our baseball diamond again. I suspect he always wanted to be "first base".

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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  42. Aw. Poor ol' Big Mac. I think he wanted a chance to bat. (He would've needed a pinch runner, though.)

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  43. Very interesting post. Okay, so I'm not a reptile person and had to avert my eyes on occasion, but that little guy with the feets? He's adorable, and I loved the story at the end.

    Looking forward to Hot Flashes & Cold Lemonade. Just five more days!

    VR Barkowski

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    1. Yeah, ya gotta love da feets.

      Thanks! Counting down...

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  44. Haha, I have heard that story before, and it never gets old, haha! What I would love is to see the realization dawn that the tortoise you bought was one of the biiiiiig ones!

    Thanks for sharing, haha!

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    1. Biiiiig is right. Oh well. He was a cutie.

      Thanks for stopping by, and congratulations again on your book hitting the foreign market. Good luck with it!

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