Larry, Daryl & Darryl

 Good morning, friends!

As I was putting in my 2-miler this morning in my new 'walk-fit' tennies (which I LUV btw), I passed by the big pond at the bottom of the hill by my house.  The granddaddy bullfrogs were croaking away with their deep voices.  I think they were telling all the youngsters to get their bums up out of bed and that they were missing the best bugs of the day.  My thoughts immediately shifted to the small pond I built last spring off the corner of our deck.

On a beautiful 65 degree day late in March, I decided that I wanted more than my Angel Boy fountain by the front porch to feed my need of hearing trickling water.  We love this vintage fountain, and can hear it's soothing sound as we drift off to sleep every night.  It's amazing.  Anyway, since I once worked for a landscape company who specialized in water gardens, I gathered the materials and started digging.  

It took me just one day to complete....

....and it took only two days for the frogs to find it.

Where they came from remains a mystery to us.

Our first tenants were Larry and Daryl.  (yup, we named them.)  Then Darryl arrived.  (Remember Larry, Daryl and Darryl from the old "Newhart Show"?  They now have frogs named after them.) We really weren't expecting any additional newcomers and were very happy with our little trio.  But as summer arrived in full force, the trio decided they were having such a grand time, they invited Sam and his buddies to the pad (no pun intended).  There was soon a full all-out party going on out there morning, noon and night. THIRTEEN OF THEM! And every one of them had something to say when dusk fell.  Deep croaking bass tones mixed with the higher alto tones which blended beautifully to create what we fondly call the "Froggy Serenade". 

During the day, they all sit out on the rocks sunning themselves and hoping to nab a fly passing by or a bumblebee landing in the catmint nearby. But rainy nights is when the fun reeeally begins. The Frog Party moves to the driveway where they position themselves in various strategic places and wait --- for worms.  Now, for some odd reason unbeknownst to me, these worms feel the need to cross the pavement.  Why? Must be kinda like the riddle "Why did the chicken cross the road?"  Why DO worms stretch themselves out across the drive during rain, anyway?  Don't they know how gullible and exposed they are? Don't they hear the slap of little frogs' feet jumping ever closer?  Do they even HAVE ears...?  

 (If you've got any answers to those befuddling age-old questions, I'd love to hear them.)

The frogs become Hoover vacuums on steroids, sucking up one worm after another like professional Italian spaghetti slurpers.  My curiosity actually got the best of me one night and I found myself down on my knees nose to nose with Larry watching him slurp down his dinner.

I was amazed - but totally grossed out - at the same time.

By morning though, Larry would make sure all his buddies were back in their home pond, bellies looking like a bunch of little green Buddhas, full and happy.  We thought we heard them belch once..... (*wink)

Yup.  They're our boys!  

And, oh yes......we have a very clean driveway.

 ("Cleaning provided by 'Frog Patrol on Sterioids'".   Call us today to clean YOUR driveway!) 

And (sigh), we also know why the pond always turns green.

Hmmm...I wonder if I could teach them to use the outhouse.....

 Happy slurping!

~ Laurie