The Blue Frog

The Blue Frog..it sort of sounds like some cute little coffee shop..or perhaps an art studio..or even the name of a weird rock band. Instead..it is just that..a blue frog. This particular blue frog sits defiantly in my garden walk. It occasionally makes its way into the garden itself and might sit under a daylily or iris. Then again, I have seen it perched beside the little minnow pond. Wherever or whenever the mood strikes me, I will pick him up and situate him in a different spot. He makes me smile each time.

There is a bit of a story behind the Blue Frog. In the beginning, he was not blue..he was like any other mottled, brownish-green yard ornament. It was a gift to Son from his grandmother. At one point when he was a toddler, he loved frogs and always wanted any and all things froggy. This was one of them. Grandma could not resist the little fellow's pleas to have this frog. So she bought it for him. He wanted it with him at all times. He wanted it to "eat" at the table with us and "sleep" in his bed. Finally after much persuasion on my part,the critter took up residence in the yard not in the house. Son used to tote this thing around and play with it every time we were outside. The first thing he would do is pick it up and brush any dirt from his prize. This in itself was no easy task for a toddler..the frog is concrete! and weighs a hefty six pounds! Still the frog was carried around the yard like one might do a kitten. As I said, at one time it was a normal-hued frog..then the elements took its toll and the paint started to peel. Son was heartbroken. I pulled out the paints and let him redo his "pet". He chose blue. Why blue? Since when do four year olds need a reason to do anything..he happily painted his froggy. I did not have the heart to inform him that frogs were not blue. I thought surely this paint would peel, too. It did not. So I have a blue frog in my yard to this day.

I refuse to repaint or remove the frog. It represents too much. Not only is it a reminder of when my children were small and of their grandmother..a deeper meaning has become attached to the Blue Frog. Years and years passed. When Hurricane Katrina hit, our yard was buried in approximately ten feet of debris. I never once thought of the Blue Frog. Yard ornaments were the least of my worries. For months..we cleared away debris. Shoveling, raking, hauling ..everything was either hauled away or burned. It was pointless to search for anything that could be replaced. The Blue Frog was lost..buried..never to be found again. I did not have the time nor the energy even if I had thought to search for it..besides at this point, Son was grown. He was not concerned about the loss of a concrete amphibian. The yard ornament did not even enter my mind..nor anyone else's. Then..by some fluke..the Blue Frog was found! I cried. So much was lost..so much was destroyed. A small, concrete frog survived. I wept. I am not sure just why this affected me in such a way as I did not cry over the devastation of our place. It was almost that this frog represented a will to return. Things would be ok..nothing is lost forever. Life goes on.

So now..tattered and chipped..the Blue Frog stands proudly in the garden. He stays there through the droughts, the floods, the freezing cold and the blistering heat. He had survived the worst hurricane to hit the area. He is a symbol of strength.. a "rock" of stability. In all his blueness, he is beautiful! The Blue Frog..I love him..just the way he is!!!!