Vivi is our animal lover, and ever since our beloved cat, Marina, had to be put to sleep last December, Vivi has wanted another pet.

In Utah, she spent her days in Heidi’s front yard playing with “Toby,” the neighbor’s cat. From the moment Vivi’s eyelids flapped open at dawn until the evening mosquitoes chased her inside at dusk, Vivi was either playing with Toby or asking the nearest grown up to help her locate Toby. I’m quite certain that Toby needs kitty prozac now without his sweet Miss Vivi to keep him company; his owners are in Hong Kong until next year, and with a bad rap as the neighborhood bully, Toby is completely friendless. Heidi was hoping that we’d smuggle the cat home in our carry-on luggage.

I tried to convince BT that it would be an OUTDOOR cat; unconvinced, he warned that if we got a cat, he’d become an OUTDOOR husband.

But when we returned from our month-long vacation, BT seemed to have softened a bit. He told Vivi that he had found her a pet.

A pet lizard.

Sight unseen, Vivi declared that her pet lizard would be named “Elizabeth.” Perfect.

The scorching, unceasing summer heat has caused all sorts of pests to seek shelter and water. A family of geckos has taken up residence in our home, and Vivi couldn’t be happier. Friday night, she got to hold her new “pet” for the first time when BT found one in the kitchen while cleaning up from family movie night.



It was love at first sight. She gently stroked Elizabeth’s back, but thankfully BT cautioned her when she wanted to give the critter a kiss. Tad was also excited to hold Elizabeth, but he must have been a bit rough–the tip of her tail fell off.  Gross.

When I warned that if we harbored lizards INDOORS, I’d become an OUTDOOR wife, BT helped Vivi and Tad release Elizabeth to the wild.

We seem to find a gecko each day in our house; Vivi is convinced that her prayers have been answered and that her dear Elizabeth has returned to her.

I wish that I could convince BT that an outdoor cat would be a more suitable pet.