My wife Nancy likes to screw around with the tree frogs in our backyard. Let me explain. We have a small army of tree frogs among the aging branches of the white maple trees in our yard, and the miniscule amphibians love to sing. Beginning in early spring and into the summer, they puff up their throats and carry on as a mighty chorus. One starts singing, and then they all join in. It sounds … [Read more...]

We started off the year with two frogs which sprung to life when the water began to warm in our goldfish pond. One was small, the other much bigger. The little one split right away but his larger pond mate hung around and bellowed at night for a bit longer, then he also skipped town All spring and summer we were “frog-less” because I had not stocked any tadpoles in the spring for … [Read more...]

After a long winter’s nap, two frogs in our goldfish pond awakened from their underwater siesta and emerged on the side of the pond. Being cold-blooded, when the water gets cold, frogs simply sink to the bottom, go dormant and don’t breathe again until they are stirred by warming weather. Then when it warms to a certain tolerable temperature, the frogs spring back to life and surface. Not long … [Read more...]

A handful of raisins adds lots of fiber and satisfaction to a bowl of cereal or a tossed salad, but that same handful can be deadly to a dog. I found that out last week, when my daughter’s dog, Sampson, got into a cake of suet with raisins and ended up in the Vet’s emergency room. Not every dog is susceptible to the dangers of grapes and raisins, but even one raisin, which contains tartaric … [Read more...]

It was a lazy afternoon. Nancy was out of town. I headed for the back yard, settled in my front row seat beside our goldfish pond, lit up a cigar and enjoyed a splash of Evan Williams Small Batch bourbon. My first encounter with a backyard critter was a cottontail rabbit. He hopped down the sidewalk, took one look at me and figured I was way too old and out of shape to give chase. So, he … [Read more...]

I believe I am one of a select few that has daily interactions with frogs. Last winter, we had three frogs. One large one, one small one and one teeny one. Cold weather appeared and the frogs disappeared, sinking as they do when the water cools to the bottom. They simply turn off their engines and hibernate. Early this spring, we had three frogs emerge. The same three, I’m sure. Today, we still … [Read more...]

I have long since given up trying to predict or even figure out frog activities in our yard. We have a small (35 gallon) lily pond and a larger goldfish pond and frogs come and go, Last winter, we had one fairly large bull frog that wintered in our larger pond. When he thawed out, he hung around for a week or so, then vamoosed. Or at least we thought he left. Last month, I saw a nose peeking … [Read more...]

  Beautiful water lilies and hyacinths will come. Fish will come. Frogs will come and you can look forward to many pleasant hours sitting beside your goldfish pond. That is, if you build it. We did, obviously, and I’d like to share our experiences just in case you’d like to put in a pond in your yard. The hole is the hardest part. If you or a neighbor have a small backhoe, then you’re … [Read more...]

We have had goldfish in our various backyard ponds for over 20 years. They all originated from a dozen small goldfish I had bought for bait. I used 4 of the goldfish without luck and had 8 left over. Thinking I might try again, I put the survivors in Nancy’s 35-gallon lily pond and was severely reprimanded when the illegal aliens were discovered. But Nancy began feeding them. They came eagerly to … [Read more...]