Last weekend, the guys cleaned the yard and yesterday they put the Christmas lights up.
In fact, that memory was so vivid - I suppose because I'd never seen a live salamander before - that I wrote it into a scene in Emma's Outlaw. Emma awakes in early morning and in her foggy state, she thinks she's looking at 2 black dew drops until she realizes dew isn't black. She flinches at the thought of what's staring her in the face and the salamander skitters away. Somehow it seems symbolic that I'll see one again on the eve of submitting Emma's story.
This pic is for perspective. The shoes belong to my 12 yr old. So really, the salamander isn't that big.Are there salamanders where you live? What colour? (Emma encounters a gray one.)
We have tiny little salamanders (smaller than the one you took a picture of). Taz gets a kick out of sniffing them - then she jumps back when they scurry off.
ReplyDeleteGot my fingers crossed for your submission, Anita :)
I think the last time I saw a salamander was when I was in grade five (just a few years ago!) We had a terrarium (sp?) in our classroom with a couple of salamanders. I remember being fascinated by them at the time. I'm pretty sure I haven't seen one since.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your revisions. You're almost done!
Jana
We have salamanders here very similar to yours, maybe a tad bigger. The first one we found was a dessicated corpse the cat left on the porch. All dried up it looked like a tiny dinosaur. The second one and I had a brief encounter in the window well of our old house. It scared me, I scared it. The third one was in the yard... yeah, I guess we have quite a few!
ReplyDeleteHey Janet - really? I only lived in Nova Scotia for 3 months while in boot camp but I don't remember salamanders. You'd think with all the time I spent kissing the dirt I would've seen one. LOL
ReplyDeleteBut, my youngests says they're born in fresh-water and then move to land and boot camp was overlooking the salty Bay of Fundy. Just my luck.
Thanks for the visit.
Anita Mae.
Grade 5, eh Jana? Uh huh. :D
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't see one the whole time I lived in Winnipeg or visited the rural areas. And yet, Manitoba seems to have so many more lakes than Sask. At least in the Southern part.
My youngest says the salamanders around here are born in water, then go underground and live there as adults, only coming out to breed in the water before returning to the ground.
We don't have a lake nearby, but we have a very large and deep dugout which JJ says is ideal for them.
And there you have the life cycle of a salamander. Heh
Thanks for dropping a comment, Judy.
Anita Mae.
LOL Niki - yeah, I guess you've seen a few.
ReplyDeleteAll dried up it looked like a tiny dinosaur.
That's a fun image - reminds me of a 'rock' I found in the Souris Quarry... shaped like a triangle with 2.5 inches across the top and tapering to a blunt point. It had kind of a dull black covering that had cracked away at the point to show an ivory colored interior - also triangular.
It looks weird and exotic. I told the boys it was a dinosaur tooth. Since they knew I'd been rockhounding for fossils, there was a possibility I was correct. And neither had ever seen a real dinosaur tooth. So they just stared with their eyebrows furrowed. It's not often I get to pull one over on those smart whips.
Maybe someday I'll write an Inky post about how we have this black coating outside and creamy white inside and then I could use the analogy you talked about for my ancient coins post? :)
Anita Mae.
Salamanders were around the Moose Mountain Prov. Park around when I worked there, particularly in the campground! I don't know what kind they were but they mostly came out at night.
ReplyDeleteI like that you included one in Emma's Outlaw. Just goes to show you never know where inspiration will come from!
I seem to go to Moose Mountain every year but only to drop the kids off at Band or Bible camp, then leave again. I'll tell the kids to watch out for the little creatures. Mind you, if the salamanders are smart, they'll stay clear out of the area when 200+ kids are running around.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the inspiration, too. I changed the color though. The one here is a Tiger salamander (or so JJ says) whereas Emma encounters a gray one which blends into the gray Wyoming terrain.
Thanks, Karyn.
Anita Mae.
Very cool! You've done it!!!
ReplyDeleteMissing you at my place. Now you have fewer excuses!
Monday is my D-Day. But things are good now.
Blessings, dear one.
Patti
Hey Patti, it sure would be nice to live closer to you and Julie. Ever since I posted the Indian Summer post the weather has turned. It started snowing last night and everything's white. Again. sigh
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I can't believe how organized you are. Prayers going out for you. (((Patti)))
Anita Mae.