A few months back, a young lad visited the Bayou. He, like most boys his age, had a great interest in the Frog Pond. He caught tadpoles and let them swim free from his hands, chased dragonflies and spent an hour or so croaking like a frog. During this time, his grandmother kept telling him to "Be careful!", "Don't chase the frogs!" and "No, you cannot pet a frog!" Well, I was all for the being careful. You just never know when there might be a snake among the lily pads. I was ok with not chasing the frogs, although, frogs don't really care. It was that statement about not petting frogs that struck a chord. Yep, you CAN pet frogs! I know Grandma did not mean that it was wrong to pet them but rather that she did not think he COULD pet them. Yep, you CAN pet frogs.
There is one green frog that has been in the pond long enough to become familiar with me. This little rascal sits on the side of the pond or beneath a piece of driftwood on the edge and is not easily frightened. I have petted it many times and, well, that little boy needed to pet it, too. After asking his grandmother's permission, I gave the lad careful instructions. He needed to move slowly, be quiet and not make any sudden movements. He agreed that he could do this so I let him proceed. His grandma and I watched as he eased to the edge of the pond where the froggy sat. Slowly, ever so slowly, he reached his hand down to the frog and, after a few seconds, started petting it!
I have never seen so much excitement in a little fellow's eyes as I did then. Even though you could tell that he was about to burst with glee, the little boy did not make any sudden movements to startle his new friend. Once the frog had enough of the attention, it hopped into the water and swam to a lily pad and the little tyke bounced around the yard with sheer happiness. Grandma, on the other hand, stood in disbelief of what she had just witnessed. "Never in my dreams would I have guessed that he could pet that frog!" she exclaimed. I just smiled. Yep, you CAN pet frogs.
It is that time of year again when the little Frog Pond needs its annual cleaning. About a billion water hyacinths will be dragged out of the water and hauled to the compost pile. Only three will remain in the pond to add a bit of beauty during the summer months. It always amazes me just how quickly those things multiply! It is no wonder that waterways can become clogged with the invasive plants if ever any manage to "escape" the confines of controlled ponds. I am careful to dispose of the excess plants so none will infiltrate my Bayou! The same goes for the waterlilies. Even though the lilies are not quite as troublesome as the hyacinths, they, too can create massive problems when left unchecked. Again, with these, I am careful.
While out checking the pending chore the other day, something struck me as a bit curious. On some of the waterlily pads, a strange "writing" had appeared. There were some rather visible "hieroglyphs" scrawled around the outer edge of the round leaves. This made the pad almost resemble a sundial! Well, now! That is most intriguing and well worth a ponder. Did some critter take a liking to the lily pad and munch its way around the edge or is this some sort of mysterious augury?
Not sure of the source of my hieroglyphs, I pondered! I could "feel" a fanciful tale evolving in my brain of how to account for the arcane writing! This could become another of the Bayou's Wondrous Tales! Ponder, ponder......the wheels are turning!
