Christmas Frog

I went to the grocery store again to get those few things I forgot the first time...marsh mellows .. napkins etc. There were a lot of people there and I was surprised to see with the Christmas trees for sale the "Crystal lighted Christmas Frog." No really the Christmas Frog?
Seriously, I didn't have my camera or would have snapped a shot. I imagine it is not the last one I see. At least I suppose it didn't say the "Traditional Crystal-lighted Christmas Frog"
So let's make up a story.
"Once Leo Leopard frog went to his normal winter hibernation. It wasn't so hard really. Just keep swimming and doing what you do until the pond around you freezes and you have a little bubble of air to 'enjoy' the rest of the winter. Wow this year somehow there was a thaw in the middle of December. A thaw so severe that Leo Leopard thought it must be spring. But something was different. He was the ONLY frog around. The days were short. There was nothing to eat. Really what he wanted was to return to that spot in the water. Just for a few more months.
Alas, he was lonely. What's a frog to do. In one spot in the pond there was a hole that took Leo into deep water. Scooting along he slipped down into the hole. Wow, Water great he thought. But there was no-one else there and he had to keep a look on where that hole was. When he hibernated everything in his body slowed w a y W A Y WAY down... but now he was not up to spring time jumping he was instead kinda in between. What's Leo to do?
Apparently, and how lucky, there was a farmer's daughter walking by and she saw the frog and really felt bad for him. She knew, because she was a keen observer of life around her, that frogs weren't supposed to be out in December so close to Christmas. She picked up Leo, he was slower than usual, put him in her pocket and took him home. Now this was odd for Leo. What is this soft fluffy stuff? It felt like the cattail when the fuzzy stuff fell off. Well, never mind apparently there was nothing for him to do but enjoy the ride.
The little girl took him to the house and showed him to her mom. Wow and Great her Mom said what do you think we should do with him?
NO one! Trust me! Absolutely no one- said they should, um, well, eat him. They tried to figure out what to do next. Somehow this December thaw had hit the part of the pond he was from and there must be something they could do for him.
Could we get that old fish bowl out and try and keep him there? They got it out and at least Leo could swim. But the water was oddly clear and didn't taste good..nothing in the water for a frog to enjoy. If indeed a frog can look sad, Leo did. He lived there a couple of days.
One morning Mom took out a Milk Carton and said., "let's try this sweetheart and see if it will save him being out in the cold without water or protection will kill him and we'd be lucky if we could keep him alive ourselves."
They put the water into the carton. Dropped Leo in and sealed the carton on the top. The temperature outside had turned very very very cold again as it did in that part of the world and it was only 15 degrees.
Good Luck! they wished Leo as they put the carton on the windowsill. They waited. The next morning about 10 hours later, they looked outside and peeked into the top of the carton. There was Leo frozen inside like he was sleeping all stretched out. Waiting for Spring.
(They kept him in the carton in the deep freezer in the garage.)
When it looked like it was time for a real thaw the daughter and her mom took him out to the pond and put him right beside the water inside the carton. They opened the top so that when the water melted he would be free to hop out. They hoped hard this would happen.
For a couple of days they would check and could see that the ice inside was still frozen. They couldn't tell if he was breathing. Sigh.
The third day was really beautiful with bright sunshine and warmth wherever it hit.
They went to check. The carton seemed to be in a different angle
and when they looked inside ...
you guessed it. No Ice...
no water...
no Leo. YEAH! YEAH!

A few months later in the spring the little girl was playing by the pond and saw a whole group of frog eggs. Do you think Leo could have something to do with this? She took about 5 and put them in the fish tank and watched them change from tadpoles to frogs. Wow that's amazing. And she took them back to the pond...Tell Leo we say hi...she said as she let them go..swimming into their new new life.
And so every year the little girl remembers Leo and that's how Leo became the traditional Christmas frog... "

Ok, I wrote this this afternoon waiting for the time to cook dinner. Hope you enjoyed it.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Bobbie Giltz McGarey
@2008