i made friends with an alligator in my sleep last night. or was it a crocodile? i was in my kitchen and betsy (my wonderful landlord) ran in, saying, "it looks like you have a new creature in your yard." there was a tiny baby alligator, and it was really cute until we saw the big adult alligator guarding it. the details are a bit fuzzy, but it seems there was a struggle with the back screen door (like when i'm trying to keep my cat from going outside, but this time i was keeping the gator from coming in) before the gator finally made it in. in the meantime, my kitchen had conveniently acquired some tall poles that i was able to shimmy up to safety before the alligator settled in, drank some coffee, and had a bizarre conversation that ultimately affirmed my motherhood. anyone out there wanna take a stab at interpreting that one?