Lions and Tigers and ...Alligators...Oh My!

An alligator was sighted a few weeks ago in Kyle,....an alligator in Kyle Texas...not Florida...Kyle TEXAS...can you believe it?   

Though born and raised in the Midwest, I lived in Florida for several years before moving to Texas.  In the time I lived there I could not get used to the fact that people would water ski in lakes where they knew alligators would be.  Call me a wimp but the entire time I lived in Florida I was afraid of sharks and alligators.  So when I heard that an alligator was sighted in Kyle, I about had a kniption fit (might be a Midwest term). 

But it's true...there was a confirmed sighting of a 3 foot alligator in the drainage ditch in Plum Creek TEXAS! (Yikes I live in Plum Creek!)  An off duty Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden tried to catch it but the alligator was too slick for him and took off into the drainage pipe to avoid capture.   Now how that alligator got there is anyone's guess.  My guess is that someone was in Florida and found a tiny cute little alligator and brought it home and then let it go in the drainage ditch rather than kill it when it wasn't so ‘cute' any more.  In general it's said that alligators are more afraid of us than we are of them, but I find that very Hard to believe.

In any case all joking aside, while we should always be careful not to let our kids play around drainage ditches, until the critter is caught, we need to be especially vigilent.  And for those of you reading this blog from other areas, don't hold this against Kyle (or against Plum Creek) as this is definitely not normal. (For what it's worth we all anticipate that now that we know the alligator is there it will be caughter and taken to someone more appropriate.)

But while on the subject of nasty critters, I'm frequently asked about scorpions in the area.  I have lived in Texas over 20 years and I can honestly say that I have never seen a scorpion in my house or yard (knock on wood).  That's not to say we don't have them in the area.  I'm sure in all of the open areas, and rock formations there are all sorts of things I don't want to know about and I'm sure if you wanted to find one out there you probably could.  But here's how I coexist with all of God's creatures...as part of being a real estate agent requires me to walk fields with my clients who are checking out the land they are wanting to purchase I enter the field "announcing" to all the creatures that I am there and I don't want to see them any more than they want to see me.  I encourage them to run and hide for a few minutes so we can get this done and we'll be on our way.  (Now I do this laughing but in realty I'm not kidding I really do hope any critter out there is listening.  Ok, so I feel a little ridiculous but hey if it works...)  They way I see it, I'm better off giving them a bit of notice before I start walking through the fields.  

It's possible I haven't seen a scorpion in my house because I live in the middle (versus the edge) of a neighborhood and I have a ‘bug guy' come every few months to spray the outside of my home.  Who knows but I don't see any thing in my house...except pesky little ants in the my kitchen which I can't seem to get rid of...

But back to the alligator story, in case you ever happen to run across one (hopefully at a store not in a drainage ditch) here's a recipe you might want to try out.  I've never tasted alligator but I hear it's pretty darn good. 

Recipe for Alligator Bites

Cut the alligator tail into pieces no larger than 2″X 1″ thick.     Place in shallow dish.    Pour on small amount of vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste.  Let stand for 30 minutes or so.   While it's soaking prepare the coating.  Mix 4 parts corn meal to 1 part flour.  Then put about 1″ oil in skillet and heat to 400 degrees.   Shake the alligator bites in the coating mixture, then place in hot oil and fry until golden. Use only enough pieces to cover the bottom of the skillet.   Serve hot.  

In the meantime, if you or someone you know is looking to buy or sell real estate any where in the Austin area, give us a yell.  We'd love to be your Real Estate Agent. 

Have a great one!

Celeste