Two short critter stories:

Less than half an hour ago, as I was about to walk in the front door, I noticed a very handsome Alligator Lizard resting on the step. Unlike the Kingsnake that showed up there a few weeks back, it was not in a cage, so I picked it up and took some pictures. It pooped on me. I decided at that point to let it go in the yard - the other option being keeping it until I could release it in the hills while at work. Since I had just a couple of days ago freed the last native creature to end up on the step, I figured the yard would have to do.

The other one happened at work. I felt something in my hair, and thinking it was a leaf or some other innocent bit of plant matter, reached up and plucked it out. To my surprise I discovered that I was deftly holding a Yellowjacket between my thumb and forefinger. I was holding it just hard enough to prevent it from flying away or stinging me. Any more pressure and it would have been squished. Any less pressure and I would have been stung. I let it go at that point, and it flew around the staff room for awhile before finding an exit.