A lizard houseguest would probably appreciate water

Clay Thompson is off today. Here’s an old favorite from Dec. 16, 2010: oday’s question:

TThere’s a garden lizard — probably an ornate tree lizard — that I’ve spotted in my house a few times over the past month or two. I know they eat bugs, so he’s probably getting little ones here and there around the house, but what does the lizard drink? If he needs water, I’d rather put it out for him than find a dead lizard one day. An ornate tree lizard? I’d never heard of that one before. I looked up a picture of one, and it didn’t look especially ornate to me, but perhaps other lizards find it to be a regular Mr. Lizard Fancypants. In any event, I think it’s cool that it has taken up residence with you and you are not freaking about it. Lizards, as a rule, get a lot of their water from the stuff they eat. However, you might try leaving out, say, a bottle cap of water in spots where you tend to see the critter or in places you think it goes to stay warm.

We all appreciate the winter visitors who come and leave millions of dollars behind, but I have noticed that many Sunday visitors let the collection basket go by with nary a coin deposited therein. Is this what they do back home, too, or is it because they feel that being anonymous here, they don’t need to help?

First of all, I agree with you that long-term visitors should chip in.

But don’t you have anything better to do than watch to see who gives and who doesn’t?

And how do you know your winter visitors don’t make a lump sum gift when they arrive or before they leave?

My advice on this is to butt out.