What's for Dinner?

I've just arrived home from a quick shopping trip to Bucerias, where I not only bought groceries, but also was able to score a new internet modem, now hooked up. Telmex gives you a brand new one for free when your other one goes wonky, which mine did.

My friend Bobby, who only shows up now and then these days and leaves again tomorrow, is coming for dinner. I made Sicilian meatballs, which are simmering in the tomato sauce right now. I, too, am simmering--in a sauce made of San Pancho humidity.

Seems like food and what to eat was even a bigger topic around here this week than usual. For example, my young Mexican black iguana stopped by several times to munch in my herb garden.

I was actually able to feed him a few lettuce leaves, which he nearly took right from my hand. I think he's a him. We'll find out when he gets a little older as the adult males look quite a bit different than the females. Here he is eating the spinach leaves I gave him, which he also liked.

Good pictures, huh? Actually, they're terrible pictures compared to the three following, taken by Trevor Evans, a houseguest of Richard and Linda Prince who housesat for me while I was in the States last month.

Trevor managed to catch my voracious pet devouring hibiscus leaves in the roof garden. I don't have to wonder any more what's been happening to those leaves and flowers.

Quite the dinner guest, isn't he? I mean the iguana, not Trevor.

Now I'll tell you about another unexpected "dinner" guest who stopped by a few days ago.

I was out on the terrace after sunset and spotted a frog sitting on the wall near the herb garden. I hurried inside and got my camera. By the time I returned, he'd hopped up onto the drape.

When I took a flash photo, he hopped to the mirror. So I turned off the flash.

I kept watching and snapping photos. Turns out I wasn't the only one interested in this green fellow, who, according to Richard Prince, is a Mexican tree frog, one of the largest of tree frogs. This guy measures around 3 1/2 inches from nose to tail.

From the ceiling and down the wall crept one of my house geckos, who I depend upon to harvest insects all night long. This one was the curious sort. He stood about a foot from the frog and craned his neck to try to figure out what the heck he was looking at.

Suddenly (and I mean in a fraction of a second), the frog bounded off the mirror sideways and landed perfectly on top of the gecko, which he then proceeded to stuff tail-first down his throat.

I was flabbergasted...as are all the people here I've told about it, who had no idea that tree frogs ate chorros (which is what the locals call the lizards we gringos call geckos). I mean, really -- who knew??

The frog, not much enjoying being photographed in the act, leapt back to the mirror and, hanging upside down, finished his surprised meal, who was still moving around in the frog's belly until the frog ate the head end. (Okay, I probably should've warned those of you with weak stomachs. Sorry...but not very...)

So anyway, Bobby and I are having meatballs.

☺

Comments

[Cele Hahn]

Loved the frog picture ... beautiful. Looked like he was part of the mirror.

[Jeanne]

I sure thought frogs only ate insects and flys. Poor gecko. And seeing him moving around in the frogs belly would have freaked me out!

[Candice]

You may not want to know this...but the frog landed well atop the chorro possibly because chorros can shed their tails instantly if grabbed...which may mean the frog knew all about that and decided to eat the tail first before it got away :-)
Or else he was just lucky.

[Gretchen Goodliffe]

Wildlife unadulterated drama right there in your casa! Cruel but fascinating! When stuff goes missing around here in the north it is the deer who are the culprits. I wonder if that frog chose to eat from bottom to top and why. Poor little chorro.