Thursday, May 24, 2012

The Austin Frog Pond Says Goodbye

With a heavy heart, I emptied the frog pond this morning.

This pond began as a project back in 2010, after I lost my job.  I carefully nurtured the pond and its inhabitants, learned a lot about frogs, fish and bugs, and learned a lot about myself in the process.

But in a few days, we move to California because I have a new exciting job waiting for me.  So, I give up this Austin frog chapter in my life.

I will miss them so much.  They became an enormous part of my life.

I thought about keeping the pond going, but the pond was dirty and filled with scary crawly things that were probably larvae of something nasty that the pond filter could not keep up with. Besides, the frogs have largely been staying away because the recent rains have made the creeks much more attractive places for young frogs.  One little toad has been singing for a girlfriend, but he hasn't stuck around. Actually, the pond has been pretty bereft of frog life since the drought last summer.   

The erstwhile goldfish, George and Marge have been delighted with their aquarium inside.  They stopped being afraid of coming to the top of the tank, forgetting about the birds of prey that used to hunt for them outside.  They chase each other and play and seem quite joyful.  They are coming to California with us, transported in a bait bucket with a bubbler, with ice packed around them to keep them cool through the desert.  They will travel with us, the 3 large dogs and the noisy cat, Roxanne to our new house in the SF Bay Area.  Hopefully, someday, there will be a frog pond there.

I won't say goodbye just yet, though.  Because I hate goodbyes. I've also collected a wealth of very interesting Austin insect pictures that I'd like to upload the next time I have some time.


My favorite is, of course, the walking stick!  He really likes my car.