Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Remember this post?? I sorta left ya hanging, didn't I? Sorry...
But, I'll answer the question now....
WHAT has Grace so "de-cited", you ask?
Why...it's Dave...the white tree frog

WHERE did you get a white tree frog in the middle of winter, you ask?
Well that my bloggy friends is quite a good story...and it's a fantastic way to kick off a series of posts I will title 10 people, 6 dogs, and one homeless frog...it must be Christmas

Here goes... post #1
Because of Danny's work schedule, we (the Farris family) were unable to leave town for Christmas. So...everyone came to us. Quite a deal if you ask me. I sure do like sleeping in my own liddle bed. My sister and her family arrived on the 22nd. I was THRILLED!! No really...I was! I miss her dearly and don't get to see her as often as I'd like. (Although I have a sneaking suspicion that if we did live in the same town--or in the same state for that matter--we would get arrested). I was also glad to have them come a few days early so that Grace would STOP asking me "Are they here yet? Are Bailey Rose and Isaac here yet? Huh, Mom? Huh? Are they here yet???!!!" So they arrived before lunch on the 22nd and we immediately loaded up in my van and headed to take the kids to see Santa Claus. (I like to get a picture of each child with Santa Claus every year. It's a fun way to see how much they've grown over the past 12 months, plus I like to torture them...nothing like a big fat guy in a stuffy suit with a creepy beard to freak a kid out.) Then we went to my absolute favorite restaurant ever...Noodles and Company...can I just give a quick shout out to that delicious noodle filled place?? Seriously, it is ah-ma-zing...if you have one anywhere near you, go...go now...order the pad thai with tofu...and sink slowly into a food coma. Yum. Anyway...then we went to the DAV thrift store. Of all the thrift stores to choose from in my area, the DAV takes the cake. Great prices. High quality merchandise. Lots of stuff to dig through. I go at least once a week. I love that place...almost as much as Noodles and Company. And if you know anything about my sister and I, you know that going to a "hot" junk store is our version of going to a really rocking mall. We love a good deal..gets our blood pumping. We survived the DAV with 4 kids in tow...even found a cartload of wonderful deals, then headed out to the car to go home and relax and enjoy the joyous holiday sounds of our husbands playing the xbox (if I knew how to "strike through" on a post...I'd do it now...there is nothing "joyous or relaxing" about the xbox...nothing) As we headed out to the parking lot, I looked down (dunno why I looked down) and saw--in a puddle, in the middle of a concrete jungle, in the pouring rain--a liddle tiny frog. Well, I couldn't just leave him there. It was cold...the weather man was talking "rain turning to ice and then snow" and he was a FROG for goodness sake...he woulda been a frog-SICLE in a matter of hours if left to his own defenses. So I scooped him up, showed him to the kids, and placed him in an empty snack container I had floating around in my van. And there he lived until GrandTone arrived (she came a day later than my sister)...GrandTone (lover of all living things) immediately sat in the middle of the kitchen floor, grandchildren all around her, and began her inspection of our little foundling. She identified him (via the Internet) as a White Tree Frog. And announced that we needed to go to PetSmart (a place we've been frequenting a lot lately) and get him a small terrarium with a heating lamp. We would also need to get some live crickets...for him to eat...lovely.

So we did...and now...almost 2 1/2 weeks (or is it 3?) later...Dave is alive and well. We aren't really sure how he found himself in the middle of a parking lot in the freezing rain. Nothing really adds up...he shoulda been hibernating. But he wasn't...and now he is fat from eating crickets (5 a day!) and warm in his little terrarium on my kitchen counter. My mom, my sister, and I like to believe that he is a gift. From our dear friend Susy. She has been gone for almost 2 years now....we miss her everyday. She loved frogs. They were her "signature" in a way. And she loved to give gifts. Esp. to our children. We like to think that Susy sent Dave to us...a very fun and unique gift for Christmas from a sweet friend in heaven. We'll release him in the spring (if we don't go bankrupt buying him crickets) but I'm glad we got to spend these chilly months with a very amazing creature in God's creation. Thanks Sus...one of the best gifts I've ever received.

2 comments:

Toni said...

Itsa GRAY tree frog! Not white...SO glad he is doing well...I'm thinking Every home needs to experience a little froggie in its borders!
I remember Susy and Ross laughing and laughing at the "little tiny" *Kamakazee* tree frogs who would shreek loudly as they dived into their pond.

mitchy7 said...

We have a peacock tree frog (since August) there is some orange cricket food you can get at pet store by the beauty supply store across from Metro North Mall on Barry Road that has greatly extended the life of my crickets!!!! Ella loves her frog and I never would have thought that the frog would be a great pet!!!