Life goes on: Young Amphibians in Love

Note: In spite of Frank, life goes on. I'm hoping to write a bunch of these posts as my treatment continues to 1. lighten things up a bit and 2. remind myself that my colon and I are not the center of the universe.

A couple of nights ago, we here in Central Florida had a fabulously soaking rain storm that lasted all night long. In addition to bringing us the rain we desperately needed, the storm brought us something else - Young Amphibians in Love.

As spring arrives and young amphibians (toads in this case) begin to think about continuing their species, nothing seems to put them in the mood like a good rain storm at night. It's like a Barry White album for frogs and toads. Played over and over and over ...

When the mood hits the toads in our yard, they head for the nearest body of water - the swimming pool. They stay there all night long doing their utmost to ensure that there will be future generations of toads. When the sun comes up, they're still in the pool doing the toad nasty. You gotta admire their dedication (not to mention their stamina). Alas, there is a small problem. They couldn't get out of the pool even if they wanted to. The sides of the pool are too high for them to escape their watery den of iniquity.

So it's up to Marjorie and I to fish the love-struck couples out of the pool with the net and toss them back in the yard. You would think they would be grateful for this act of kindness. Not a chance. They swim to the bottom of the pool, they jump out of the net, they do everything thing they can keep their Cialis-fueled activities going. (Like I said, you gotta admire their stamina.)

On Monday, it was Marjorie's turn to be the Vice squad. She'd rescue two and three couples and then go back inside the house. An hour or so later, she'd glance outside and see more toads making the eight-legged, double-backed, pool monster. By the end of the day, Marjorie foiled the romantic notions of no less than a dozen pairs of toads.

In spite of (or perhaps because of) Marjorie, life is still very sweet for our toads; they were back in the pool again last night. Life goes on.