frogs

[ellenkushner]

Guess how many frogs I saw today?

Three!

I am staying at an Undisclosed Location, housesitting for friends at an old farmhouse and trying to get the next draft of the "Katherine" novel (whose name [the novel, not the heroine] keeps changing - hope editor doesn't scream) done.

There is a small pond, and I am learning to see frogs in it. The largest frog (and the boldest - not all that large, though) is only green from its nose to about the middle of its back, and the other 2 are mostly brown. Do they green up as they get bigger?

I do like it here. I can imagine a life in the country - kind of a cross between Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden and Colette in Provence (or was it Burgundy?) in middle-age - implying, of course, access to things like good olive oil and friends who drop by for lunch a lot - so not too far out . . . Just far enough to have frogs, and nice smells like the thyme I've been crouching in, trying to give the frogs a sense of fellow-feeling.

I don't think I can feed them crumbs til they grow used to me and hop tame to my hand . . . that's a different story, isn't it?

Comments

[ewein2412]

I love housesitting.

[tayefeth.livejournal.com]

I saw two frogs last weekend, and the smaller one was green from its chin to its chest and the other was brown. I suspect individual or species variation, rather than age variation.

Good luck getting the title (and the story) to stabilize.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Made some progress last night, and am now into the Fun part.... Must'a been the frogs.

[las.livejournal.com]

The frogs might go for some nice earthworms, though -- I worked at a nature center, and the frogs became quite accustomed to getting snacks when they heard us coming.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Fantastic!

[fufaraw]

I have a toad the size of my thumb in the pot-garden on my second floor deck. He wintered over from last fall! I was surprised to see him sunning the other day, but he's very welcome back. He's almost impossible to spot when he's on a plant or in soil, as he's dark-spotted on paler grey, but he was sunning on the rim of a yellow and blue sunface wall pocket, and not that well camoflaged.

[planetalyx.livejournal.com]

Ironically, I've been trying to get a good look at a frog the past couple days too! "Mine" are at the duck pond near my inlaws' house, but as soon as I get near them they jump into the water and vanish. Mostly I'm seeing a butt, flying legs, and sploosh! Gone!

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

One of mine makes the most delightful little "eep!" noise when it jumps! I didn't even think it was a frog at first, because it went so fast I couldn't see it, and I didn't know frogs eeped. But it does.

[planetalyx.livejournal.com]

I got an eep this morning too--the first!!

[mneme]

I don't think frogs change color (much) as they get older; may just be a brown variety of frog.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Josh!