The Toad Who Came To Tea...

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...When I had a large garden and a big house, lots of critters came to visit.  One such visitor was a little toad who didn't seem to be afraid of me at all.  I named him Hector.  He lived in the garden areas by my kitchen door.  Since he seemed to choose that area for his living space I placed a toad shed the for him. The small "shed" was actually a broken terra cotta pot.  Hector seemed to like the shed,and I would see him retreat to it during the heat of the day.  When the day finally arrived for me to move on from that property, I made sure to take the toad shed with me.  You never know...After five years of living at my current location there were no toads in Le Petit Jardin.  Today was different.  For the first time at this location I saw a little toad in Le Petit Jardin.  Needless to say, I was thrilled.  Immediately I named him Horace and have set out the toad shed for him.  How do I know Horace is a "he"?  Well, I don't.  Frankly, all toads look the same to me, and I don't plan on getting close enough to find out his true gender.  "Horace the he-toad"will be good enough for me.  A local kitty who has seemingly adopted me and Le Petit Jardin, is enjoying watching Horace mosey around the garden.  Just when I was missing the old homestead, a touch of what I considered normalcy from my past graced my life.  Seeing Horace reminded me of the Frog Jump Contest i used to host at one of our local festivals.  It was crazy fun that drew quite a crowd as we had frogs and toads appearing from everywhere.  One boy, who is now an adult with several children of his own, was enterprising enough to provide frogs for those who didn't have a frog in time for the contest.  It goes without saying that man now owns several successful businesses.  Good times, good memories... 

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