Frogs!

This afternoon I accompanied Kerry on a quick trip to a new house he's been working on in a new subdivision not too far from our house. As we wandered around outside I was drawn to the sound of frogs croaking in a swampy catchment basin next door and went over for a look. I couldn't get too close due to the large fence surrounding the basin. I saw bullrushes growing in the marsh and a bird flitting from one rush to the other.

Growing up on Thomas Road, which became 182 Street, I heard frogs all the time growing up. I had a favorite swampy area a couple of houses up the street and way in back of their property. It was a prime location to catch frogs. Armed with an empty plastic sherbert container we'd walk through the marshy ground, often in bare feet, sometimes wearing gum boots and catch frogs. We'd hold them for awhile in the container, sometimes bring them home, but they'd usually jump out and hop off.

We also liked collecting eggs or tadpoles with the idea of watching them grow to frogs but I don't think we ever kept them around long enough to see the transformation. I remember one of my city friends Nancy Ann visiting and I took her out to the marsh to catch frogs. She brought some eggs and tadpoles home with her and left them on the back porch. Unfortunately her unsuspecting mother stepped onto the container and knocked them over and that was the end of them.

But as Cloverdale becomes more developed the frogs are silent.