Froggie

I wrote about the karmic retribution I witnessed on the morning commute today, but I have yet to write about the other thing that happened during my drive to work.

I’ve yet to write about the frog.

On two past occasions, we have somehow found a tiny little frog hanging out in our house. Once our former cat, the late great Miss Patches, cornered a frog in the living room. Years later our current pair o’ kitties cornered a frog in the hallway between the living room and the bedrooms.

A little research lead me to believe that the frogs are a tree climbing variety of froggers who climbed a tree next to our house and then came inside via the chimney through the fireplace. Seems logical.

This morning while I was in the car stuck in traffic on route 93 South Jen called me. She was calling to let me know that the cats, Miss Robin and Miss Lily had once again cornered a frog. This time in the dining room. They had it underneath a piece of furniture where it was paralyzed with fear. It would hop a little, the cats would freak out, it would freeze. This repeated itself a couple of times.

Jen wasn’t sure what to do. I said to see if she could cover it with a bowl or a box or something. She was already thinking the same thing. She didn’t think she’d be able to do anything with it if she trapped it. She has a bad back and leaning over to scoop up a tiny amphibian would be difficult for her. I said to cover it with a bowl and leave it and I’d get rid of it when I got home.

Fast forward 11 hours and I come home to find a bowl flipped upside down on the dining room floor. I cut a piece of cardboard off of a box and slid it under the bowl and walked it outside. I flipped it over to see if I had anyone with me and sure enough there was a tiny little frog in the bowl. I let him go in the front yard. It’s very likely he will be eaten by some predator tonight, but it’s equally likely he will climb a tree and hide out and be safe. Assuming of course that he is not so traumatized by the experience that he just sits there in the grass in a state of utter shock.

However it turns out for our froggie little roommate, he was alive when I left him. Everything else that happens now is out of our hands.

Good luck, my hoppy little friend.

Frog

This morning when I took out the trash…

Tonight, after I took the barrel out to the street. Keyword being after…

Does the frog ever leave? Does it just sit on top of the barrel 24 hours a day seven days a week? What’s going on, frog?

Autumn in the Back Yard Update

I went outside just now to bring out the trash. I took the opportunity to get an update on the fall foliage in the back yard. I will break the two minute experience into three pieces.

Part One: The Leaves are Changing

DSCN2508 — A couple of trees are turning yellow

DSCN2510 — This thing is turning… red? Purple?

Part Two: Are These Poisonous?

DSCN2509 — If the deer eat these berries will they get sick?

DSCN2511 — If the deer eat these berries will they get sick?

Part Three: Frogger

DSCN2512 — Every time I bring out the trash, this frog is on the lid waiting for me.

DSCN2514 — This was after I lifted the lid. Mr Frog looks like he’s hanging on for dear life.

And that is the summary of the two minutes I was outside. The sun is blazing and the air temperature is a glorious 73 degrees. It’s practically summer again except that it will probably be chilly again in a day or two.

Frogger 2022

I have taken out the trash twice today. Both times there has been a frog sitting on top of our new city-distributed trash barrel. Jen joked that he was trying to find his way down the chimney. I laughed.

Whats up, Frogger?

Amphibious Visitor

Well that was weird. Doubly weird because it’s the second time it’s happened.

We’ve been in this house for almost 12 years. Once, maybe 5-6 years ago, we had this weird episode where a toad hopped out of the fireplace. The fireplace hadn’t been lit in years, so Mr Toad was not on fire, but somehow or other he got into the house through the chimney. We had all sorts of weird theories. Maybe a hawk picked him up from the ground then flew over the house and dropped him? Maybe? Whatever, we had a frogger in the house and we had to get rid of it.

Well, it happened again today. Jen was in her office upstairs, I was in my office downstairs. She was actually conducting a job interview for some lucky person who might get the chance to be her co-worker when Mr Toad’s Wild Ride hopped into the room. It was covered in dirt and dust and clearly scared shitless. She texted me asking for help. I thought she was referring to a blood sugar monitor update Harry was sleeping through so I went to Harry’s room first and made sure all was well. It was. Then I walked back to the office to give a thumbs up and I happened to look down and there was a small amphibian on the floor.

I scooped it up into a Tupperware container and took it outside to let it go. Granted, before I took it outside I went back to the cellar and grabbed a camera. I mean, it’s still me. I let our Frogger friend out of the container near the bird feeders. It is now free. At least until a bird comes and takes another crack at it. Assuming it was a bird that got it up onto the roof. Assuming that’s how it got into the house. Assuming assuming assuming.

ADDENDUM: Google solved the mystery! I searched for toad and chimney and got a whole bunch of hits for stories of the same thing happening. Turns out it wasn’t a toad, it was a Grey Tree Frog! No one carried it to the roof, it climbed up a tree and jumped in itself! You go, Mr Frog! You’re a little amphibious superstar!