‘The new Fendi bags:’ CCWF residents get their hands dirty for the latest ‘It’ Item
“I had no idea how freaking serious it was. Like, lizards are the new Fendi bags”, said Diamond Vargas, a long-term resident of Charlie yard.
I had also noticed that many people on B-yard were also keepers of lizards. Walking towards my unit one day, I did a double-take at a woman because I didn’t recognize the logo on her t-shirt. Then it moved. It was a small, live lizard, and not a logo at all.
Interestingly, this and other lizards seem quite content to travel around with their adoptive parent, usually on the front of their shirts, in their hair, or on their arms. Vargas’ comparison to high fashion accessories was perfect.
All living things need food. Therefore, the hunt for food — in this case various insects and or bugs — is a serious endeavor. I have seen people on B-yard with small over- the-counter pill bottles, paper cups, plastic bags, basically anything that will hold the hunted bugs.
Places to hunt include around the base of the porta-potty, under concrete drain-pavers, and the base of the metal containment cages for ice water coolers, among others. Until I figured out the reason for this digging under the porta-potty madness, I thought, “What the …. Is this happening? Why …. Aw, hell naw, what is going on?”
People do not normally spend much time on the ground unless there is an active alarm. Suddenly seeing so many people crouched down, kneeling and digging in dirt and not-so-sanitary areas did give me and others pause. I would compare it to something going viral on social media from the way I understand it to work. This is the result of having to have the newest, latest “it” item, right?
Once I understood the entire situation, I was impressed by the commitment people had made to the well-being and survival of their lizards. Most lizards had a comfortable “house” made for them out of everyday items found or repurposed. Picture a plastic non-dairy creamer bottle cut down to create a small “pond” with pebbles, set inside a square five-quart Snapware container with soil, grass, rocks, and a small branch with leaves. The top is covered with a white kitchen hair net that allows air to circulate. The entire container is regularly brought outside to ensure the lizard are given ample access to sun while feeling it was in its natural environ- ment. This was just one that I happened to see myself.
Having these lizards is fun and beneficial to people in a number of ways. Some find purpose in having the reptiles to care for, while others use theirs as a comfort animal. Being responsible for the lizard turned the focus away from negativity and overwhelming circumstances residents may have or are facing. Some people like the challenge of not only catching the lizard, but hunting the food it needs too. And some just think it’s cute to wear on their chest sometimes.
Several years ago, railroad ties were placed around the garden area on C-yard as a way to delineate and define specific planting beds and areas, as well as creating a border for the entire garden space. During our conversation, Vargas described how the search for bugs was causing damage to those borders, due to the sudden onslaught of lizard-keepers on their hunt.
Plants have been accidentally damaged when the railroad ties were uprooted or moved, and plant roots were disturbed in the soil.
The damage began to upset some of the people who tend the garden. As is the need to feed the lizards. The ties were an ideal place to find bugs because the wood had been in the soil for so long and is a safe barrier from danger above ground.
To resolve any issues, a new area was designed specifically to attract bugs that would not interfere with nor harm any of the plants in the garden area. Yard clippings and leaves were set out, becoming a mulch-like piled spot that ended up attracting more bugs than were found under the ties. This allowed the lizard-keepers to easily hunt for the food to sustain their lizards and soothed the areas and the people who tend to the garden.
It’s an example of the ways that so many of us strive to find positive ways to resolve issues and strengthen the bonds within our community.
Some people want nothing to do with lizards, whether from a genuine fear or dislike of crawly critters. Some are dog people; some are cat people. Again, this makes me think of the way some people live for Fendi, while others will only wear Gucci. Lizards are the new Fendi bags, at least for this season.
