Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails....

Anyone remember that poem from when we were young?  Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of.  Frogs and snails and puppy dog tails, that's what little boys are made of.

Well, I can certainly attest to the second half of this poem.  My son is 10 years old and he is all boy.  He can't wait to get to my brother's cottage every year so he can catch frogs and toads and snakes.   And lots of them!   He puts all of his catchlings into buckets and "plays" with them for the week.  He makes sure to feed them, and give them water.  He'll put them into the shade or sun as needed.  And he names them all too.   As long as he doesn't ask me to play with them, I am happy to watch him have his fun (and he also has to treat them kindly.  Final condition -- he must release every last one of them the night before we head home).

Look at all the snakes!

Camouflaged well but see all the large & small toads?!

Here you can see the fruits of his labours last week.  What I like to refer to as "Bucket-o'-snakes" and "Bucket-o'-toads".








My children also seem to happen across many of what I refer to as "Planet Earth" moments.  This year some of the snakes that they caught had tell-tale lumps just down from their heads.  We were thinking that these were meals that had been ingested just a short while ago.  Pretty much confirmed this when my son fed a small toad to his "pet" snakes and we saw the same tell-tale lump in one of their throats soon after!  And look at this photo (unless you are squeamish!).  My son looked down just as one of his "pets" shot their tongue out and nabbed a dragonfly!  Here you see it half in and half out.

As soon as the photo-op was over, he put his little friend down and let him finish his meal, undisturbed.













And lastly - what cottage week would be complete without sports?  Animal sports that is?!?  My son and one of my upline's sons dug crevices in the sand and raced their snakes along the paths that they'd created.  Who needs the Olympics when you have your own little athletes in a bucket just outside your cottage?

So - You see what I mean now?  Frogs and snails and puppy dog tails.  Honest-to-goodness, that IS what little boys are made of!

We're back from a glorious week at the cottage and I can't wait to share lots of fantastic creations with you soon. 
Until tomorrow - take care and God Bless,     ~Cynthia     <><