Doug vs. the interweb

June 10th, 2010 10:06 PM

Frog stalking

I just spent about an hour trying to catch a fairly large bullfrog. I had initially almost snuck up on him a few days back, and since I was already out with a net (to catch a bunch of tiny bugs for my tiny toads and peeper), I figured I may as well see if I could get any closer.

In fact, I got just as close before he made a very squeaky getaway. Two things: when he jumps, he sounds like someone stepping on a dog toy, and he does seem to favor a specific spot at the pond. The latter fact means I can just keep trying, because I'll know where to find him. Unfortunately, instead of sitting out in the open like a good little frog, he likes to lay with almost his entire body underwater in the mucky shallow. He's also way more skittish than most frogs his size. I am determined to find a way though; either through a better net (my huge net is back in NJ), better tactics, or even distraction of some kind. I actually tried just waiting him out, since I knew he was bound to come back to the same spot, but half an hour of trying to sit perfectly still doesn't work so well when it's nearing dusk and the bugs are out for blood. Besides, those dang things can hold their breath for hours.

Anyway, in less pond-centric news: Margot has got a job at Great Adventure for the summer. This means she'll be working a huge amount of hours, which means she should be bringing in a lot of income, but it also means she'll be staying at a friend's house for the summer. It's weird having the place to myself again, though our schedules do still collide -- she was here last Monday and Tuesday, which was certainly nice. If nothing else, it means I can devote myself entirely to my current obsession with aquatic creatures. I can come home after dark, after a day of running about in the woods, and make a tomato and hummus omelette without being a bother to anyone! But regardless, I think by now I'm pretty good at handling not being able to see my love all the time, when circumstances require it. I certainly have enough to keep myself occupied, anyway! I have too many things I want to do, usually.

Back to more frogs: I got a whole bunch of random tiny bugs, since I have a fishbowl of tiny toads and a spring peeper, fresh out of tadpoles, and they are too small to handle much else. I was originally just going to let them go, but the peeper is neat, and the toads are too cute, so we'll see how this goes. Seems better to let them go once they've gotten past the "so tiny a strong breeze will squish them" stage, as they may survive a bit better. Unfortunately, the fishbowl is plastic, so it's terrible for taking pictures through. Not that you care, because it'll be a decade before you see any of them anyway!