It’s been so hot and nasty this summer that we’ve spent almost zero time on the deck. Just too damned uncomfortable out there. So the umbrella over the table has been cranked down and buttoned up for months.
But in the last week or so the heat has moderated and we’ve had a string of bluebird days with low humidity, reasonable temps and a fresh breeze. Nice enough, in fact, to eat dinner on the deck Friday night.
Before firing up the grill to burn some burgers, I took the bungee cord off the umbrella and cranked it up to give us some additional shade. As I was finishing up the chore, I happened to look at the crank handle and there sat a tiny frog, scrunched up between the inside of the crank and the pole.
When I say tiny, I mean downright miniscule. Tiniest frog I’ve ever seen…maybe twice the size of my thumbnail. An inch long at most. He—or she or it—was light brown and green. At first I thought it was a toad, but a little poking around on the Internet showed it was a Northern Cricket Frog.
Not wanting to disturb our little lodger any more than I had already, I left the umbrella up when we were done eating. Seemed like the least I could do for our guest.
By dusk there was no sign of the frog anymore, so I cranked the umbrella back down.
08/13/06
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