Sunday night, while camping in our RV, I saved Ol’ Fuzz Face from the attack of the electric coal skink. I knew his life was surely in mortal danger, especially when I accidentally discovered this skink’s secret power. And though this incident didn’t turn out quite as I expected, it was one of the most courageous acts I ever performed.
That’s my story, and I’m Sticking to it!
Hi! Mr. Monte here.
To my 23,417 feline followers, especially my many cat cousins residing in Virginia and Ohio, today I will tell you a tale of great courage. You must understand that I relate this story with the deepest humility. I’m certain that it will edify you and aid you in your never-ending quest to protect your humans from great harm.
Coal Skinks Are Not Our Friends
Many think coal skinks (Plestiodon anthracinus) are merely harmless creatures. Although they may bite, they are not venomous. That said, we felines know that small creatures that trespass in our humans’ habitat are not to be tolerated. Indeed, we take no prisoners – they must be exterminated!
History of the Coal Skink Menace
My first recollection of the menace coal skinks posed to my humans goes back to our post Oh, Shenandoah, we came to see you. When you read the section labeled Mr. Monte’s Log, you will note how seriously I take my job as Serendipity Farmhouse Chief of Security. In that particular log entry, I stated the following:
“Observe the picture of the lizard that menaced our RV. I suspect it was a Northern Coal Skink. As soon as he approached our camp site, I alerted and went into stealth predator mode. Fortunately for him, he sensed my presence and was urged by his instinct of self preservation to avoid conflict with a superior force.”
There have been many other encounters with coal skinks menacing my two human’s loved ones. For example, in the post SFH Critter Control, Grandsons #2 and #4 were unfortunate enough to encounter one hidden in the stack of wood they were moving.
I had briefed them earlier to be cautious. So when Grandson #4 found the creature, he immediately nullified the threat by scaring off the skink and forcing it to climb a tree. – Grandson #4 is a lad with great courage.
How I Ended the Coal Skink Threat
Fuzzy was snoring loudly. Nothing new here. He was sleeping like a log on the dinette bed. The only usable light came from the weather station view screen just above Fuzzy’s feet. I watched over him from the over-cab bed. – My instinct told me something was wrong.
At about 0145 hours (military time, of course), I saw a thin, black shape move near Fuzzy’s feet. Like a flash, I CATapulted from my observation post and pounced on the shape which could only be a coal skink’s long, black tail.
Even my keen, feline night vision could not reveal much useful information concerning the presumed coal skink intruder. I shoved my massive, polydactyl paw between the cushions and searched out the body of the beast. I was only able to nab a portion of its slithering tail. Immediately, I pulled it into my waiting jaws and bit down with all my might.
Two things happened simultaneously. I felt the snap of the bones in the tail, and most unexpectedly felt a sudden numbing electric shock. Like an electric eel, that lizard-like beast had used a heretofore unknown electric shocking power to stymie my attack.
Despite the unpleasant sensation, which rapidly approached a level of intense pain, I held onto that tail until it snapped and the electric charge had died.
I was a bit surprised that the entire area was now in complete darkness. I noticed that the weather station panel was no longer illuminated. But, that was of no concern to me. After all, Fuzzy was safe and I had defeated the beast!
The Menace has Ended
Ol’ Fuzz Face woke up just as the battle ended. He looked to find out what had happened. But, because of the weather station malfunction, Fuzzy had no light by which he could see. So, he had no understanding of my struggle with the electric coal skink and my battle to protect his life.
While still groggy, after being wrenched from his deep sleep, Fuzzy seemed to be somewhat annoyed with me. I don’t know why. – Then, he pulled me close to his side, gave me a pat on the head, and said that tomorrow morning we needed to have a long chat. I was sure that he wanted to thank me for my act of great courage and perhaps give me one of my favorite treats.
And though our chat didn’t turn out quite as I expected, I maintain that my effort to thwart the attack of the electric coal skink was one of the most courageous acts I ever performed.
That’s my story, and I’m Sticking to it!
Note: After reading my story you might be interested in the amazing powers we felines possess and how we have used them during 9,500 years in service to our humans. If so, read the article The cat’s meow: Genome reveals clues to domestication.
Hi! Mr. Monte here!
As we have noted earlier, SFH is likely to have the largest grape harvest ever. To protect the mass of new grapes, I have set up a temporary fence around our extensive vineyard that contains our single vine. The job was labor intensive but I was compelled to do it with my own two hands. Now all we have to worry about is Japanese beetles.
Hi! Mr. Monte here!
visitor, Miss Tiffany Turkey, certainly appreciates the fact that more recently-arrived local inhabitants prefer romantic moon watching over turkey shoots.
Yes, February is coming to an end and already everything that fills this vast estate we call Serendipity Farmhouse is poised to move boldly into March and that season we call Spring. The snow on the Blue Ridge is melting and the North Fork of the Thornton River is running high and fast. The sound of the river serves as background music to accompany the first sun-seeking of the daffodils and resurrection lilies.
purchased a bread maker. It proved itself to be a very good one as you have seen in many of our posts. Though it had served us so well, it too was one of the temporary things of this world. The last weeks of its life it moaned and groaned. Mechanical scraping sounds were evident – metal pieces had fatigued and were bent out of shape. Hubby explained to me that it could not be fixed and had to be replaced. With proper solemnity he prepared it for its trip to the metal recycling bin at the county dump. I watched on as he took my old friend from the pickup truck to the bin – I could see he too was a little choked up. Then we made our trip home in silence.
Hubby and I made a first test loaf from a mix. The quality and texture were not quite as I had hoped. But, it wasn’t clear if it was the fault of the machine or the age of the mix. – This week and next there will be a lot of bread making going on. And it will continue until I master this new machine. Until then, Hubby better be prepared to eat a great deal of toast, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and anything else that might make a meal of experimental bread.
Nevertheless, I hold the highest regard for those dedicated people I’ve known who make their bread entirely by hand. I have one friend in Idaho who makes her own bread the traditional way. That is just one aspect of her many charms and accomplishments. Someday, I hope to develop the type of skills she has. And I hope to go one step further. There are many talented cooks among the granddaughters in our fine family. Wouldn’t baking bread with one or two of them in the old way be just the perfect thing for a rainy day like today, when the drops of rain are announcing themselves on our metal roof?
This last week, we revisited a type of dish that is quite open to variations, modifications, and innovations – sheet pan meals. We learned about this style of meal quite a while back from an 
stranger to SFH. In fact she has been featured in several posts including 
Of course the result was a perfect example of the finest dishes ever produced at the soon-to-be-world-famous SFH Test Kitchen. But it didn’t end there. No, if you refer back to our post 