Tad Files

So the Tads are now swimming head down.  According to the literature that means they're happy and adjusted!  They are growing and getting easier to find!

Funny M pointed out that when Tad arrived - he already had arm buds and was quite large judging by these little guys!

Tad Files

So in May of 2008, we got a tadpole - from the Grow-a-Frog company! - whom we named Tad - not knowing if it was a boy or a girl! Tad has remained Tad and he is in fact a boy African Clawed Frog.  A short period later, I ordered a habitat for him not knowing that it came with a live froglet.  We named the froglet - Lily, also not knowing if she was a boy or a girl!  Well low and behold she was a girl!

Fastforward 3.5 yrs, Tad and Lily have mated a couple times, but did not produce offspring.  This past week however was another story.  2 tadpoles survived.  Here is one of them!
(the little line, slightly off center - a 3 hour old tadpole)

They are now 2 days old, and not much bigger, but thriving.

Late Night Visitor - Signs of Spring

Spring must be around the corner.

At 11:00pm this evening we had a nosy visitor hanging out on our window. Needless to say I called down our resident 6.5 yr old herpetologist. She doesn't even get close enough to see it and says it is a Spring Peeper because it is spring-like here and that is when they come out. Dh hadn't heard that and he suggested the same. Well of course, being late I sent M back to bed and told her I'd find out what I could about it, and promptly went on a hunt for a flashlight. Dang it if the kid isn't right. The markings are perfect... it is darker than the one pictured on the right here... dark brown... but it is the cutest little thing. I swear M ain't sleeping tonight! She's a herpetologist in the making, I tell ya. (image borrowed from Wiki)

Dh on the other hand is a pickle head. He dragged us out to 2 stores this afternoon, in search of pickling cucumbers.... he finally found them and brought home 5 lbs. Equivalent of 2 full Jars of pickles (Ya know the humongous ones in the gallon pickle jars.) I've informed him he needs - a few moderate sized pots and a couple trellis' to go with them... and a couple packages of pickling cucumber seeds for spring. His contribution to our starter veggie garden. I told him that if he grew his own cukes they would taste so much better than the store bought ones and he'd feel so much better about feeding them to the kids! LOL! He didn't buy it but told me to go ahead! LOL! So guess we'll be adding some pickling cukes to the garden attempt this year! :)