The Triumphant Return of the Family Toad!

It was morning. I was making the bed when I heard my husband hollering, "I don't care if you have clothes on or not; come out here and see THIS!" Well, I did have clothes on, and so out I went, to discover my husband moving yard implements - rakes, shovels - away from the edge of the garage. Once it was clear, I could see what he wanted to show me: a huge toad was nestled there!

Well, this is good news, and I guess it means it's officially springtime here. The daffodils are not blooming yet but the toads are hopping. Well, actually, not hopping very much. I moved the toad, using a green container, and relocated it to the original butterfly garden on the sunny south side of the house, where it spent a peaceful day. My husband insisted we offer it a swimming pool; this is his version of amphibian hospitality. 

On a more solemn note, this day was the first birthday of my nephew Joseph since his passing in September. It was somehow not my fate to become a mother in this lifetime, so my nieces and nephews have been to me the children I never had. It was a hard day. That is all.

It is my custom to include a soundtrack song with my postings. This song is not for the picture of what is a very fine robust toad. It is for me. Here's R.E.M., with Everybody Hurts.