American Green Tree Frog, Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 2009, photo © 2009 by QuoinMonkey. All rights reserved.
Is green Envy’s hue?
Or simply bumps on the skin
of a scared tree frog.
Post Script: Can’t seem to get moving this week. After we had to let Chaco go last Thursday, the only thing that seems to sooth me is Nature. Hence, the American Green Tree Frog. On Summer Solstice, Liz accidentally brushed this little guy off a glass table filled with blooming plants; she thought it was a leaf. When she screamed, he suddenly leaped off the tip of her palm and on to the deck. After the initial shock, I caught him in a glass coffee mug so I could safely let him go in the garden.
Eye To Frog Eye, Minneapolis, Minnesota,
June 2009, photo © 2009 by QuoinMonkey.
All rights reserved.
The Frog Moon came late on the heels of a dry Spring. I think Frog is one of Liz’s totems. I rarely see them in our yard or gardens. But Liz seems to bump into them everywhere. It turns out our little green friend may be with us for a while — the average lifespan of a frog is 4 to 15 years.
You can listen to the American Green Tree Frog and read Weird Frog Facts at Frogland: All About Frogs.
-posted on red Ravine, Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
-related to posts: WRITING TOPIC – TOADS & FROGS, A Celebration Of GREEN On red Ravine…, What Is Your Totem Animal?, Cracking Envy (Or How I Learned To Stop Romancing A Deadly Sin), haiku 2 (one-a-day)
I sure wish we had these tree frogs in NM. They are just adorable! Its skin invites you to touch it, doesn’t it? And that brilliant green color!
Hey QM, Nature is what your soul craves right now. And the traits of this particular critter — sensitivity, connection to environment — seems especially appropriate. Just for fun, I did a quick search on Frog as Totem, and here’s something that stood out at the Animal Totem Energies webpage [LINK]:
Frog is a reminder of the sacred power of tears to tranform and cleanse away sorrow. Frogs will die if away from moisture for too long, and thus Frog reminds us to refresh ourselves, and allow joy to moisten our lives and our hearts. If you are feeling “muddied” by the world, take a moment to dream, to laugh and cry and renew yourself.
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QM, what a dear haiku and photo of the tiny little guy. I hope he does grace your yard and garden for a long time to come.
ybonesy, I love what you found about frog. He truly is what they need right now, and it was so thoughtful of you to share it. All of the beauty of nature expresses the opposite of the ugliness of death. Thank you.
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ybonesy, Frog energy is good right now. You are so right. The cleansing tears and water.
You reminded me to go and grab my Frog fetish off the altar. I’m carrying it around now. The fetish is from the Zuni Pueblo and was a gift many years ago from two friends who visited Ghost Ranch in the summers. They also drove out to visit the pueblos while they were there.
I’m trying to remember the stone now..I think it’s Dendritic Dolomite. The Frog fetish is kind of mottled and soft with 7 tiny pieces of inlaid turquoise on her back. I’ll have to find my stone book to look up the healing properties of Dolomite. Thanks for the reminder.
2 cats sleep through lunch
Zuni Frog in my pocket
honors the missing
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oliverowl, thanks so much for stopping by. I’ve missed your energy! Glad to know you’ll be stopping by our place in the months to come. Saw you left a haiku, too.
It’s a strange week here for the beginning of July. Was only in the 60’s when I woke up. Cool breezes but the sun is trying to poke through. Matches my somber mood. I hope this passes. I’m starting to worry about myself. 8)
Liz and I had a few tears for Chaco last night. I swear, sometimes we both think he’s going to walk around the corner. It’s so strange losing such an integral part of our family.
I’d like to light a fire this weekend in his honor. We have the yard and firepit ready. Everything is blooming full force. Last night we had fresh lettuce from our garden on our veggie burgers. Last weekend I chainsawed the last of the wood and we have plenty to burn. Maybe Liz and I will have a little quiet ceremony.
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I hope you & Liz have a great 4th of July. The tree frog is so darn cute! He/she was a sign of healing. Take your time as I remember all too well what it is like to lose a beloved pet/member of the family. Watching J mow the lawn & seeing her following, though she was gone, she was always there.
We’ve had Brant most of the time since school is out. He is a big time nature lover. He will love this post!
Our garden is doing quite well, despite all the rain we’ve had. I think they are calling for a dry 7 day forecast. Brant counted the # of grape tomato’s we have. 43. Peppers are coming on & lettuce & herbs are are ready to be picked. Mmm, nothing better than fresh!
We plan on a laid back 4th. Just attended a graduation party for T & DD’s middle son Zack. Good time! There are so many times I wished that you lived closer….D
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Bless Chaco. I think the fire is a lovely sentiment QM. It’s very hard to lose our fur children.
The little frog is so beautiful. He looks like he’s covered in tiny green beads. Nature is amazing…isn’t she QM?
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A quiet ceremony for Chaco…that sounds so sweet and serene. Glad you remembered your Zuni Frog fetish. I remember you writing about it. Is Dendritic Dolomite green?
QM, it’s sprinkling right now. Today is supposed to be rainy and only in the low 80s. Tomorrow clear again. It’s very cool outside this moment. I’m going to go work in the garden some, try to revive some of my plants that are struggling in the shade garden.
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What a wonderful looking frog! He is a lovely shade of green.
I’m sorry about Chaco, QM.
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yb, not green, more like a cross between sandstone brown and chocolate brown, almost black mottling. It’s a soft stone. And the Frog fetish is fat, looks almost like a toad or bullfrog. But Frog is Frog in any form.
Frog is sitting on the computer keyboard. I haven’t had many tears the last few days. Mostly an underlying sadness. But it was strange because we took Kiev (14 year old and only female, she rules the roost) to the vet on Thursday for her once-a-year Senior Wellness check-up. It was almost the exact same time to the minute that we were there with Chaco the week before.
Kiev got a clean bill of health. She’s very healthy. And had only gained about 1/2 a pound with all the Chaco wet food she was eating. So her weight it okay, too. We made the appointment for Kiev before we knew we’d have to put Chaco down. Was kind of surreal to be back there a week later.
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Robin, thank you so much.
Heather, yes, Nature is a lifesaver. It takes away and it gives so much. An endless cycle of death and rebirth.
diddy, hope you all have a wonderful July 4th. And you have 43 grape tomatoes? Sounds wonderful. Our garden is really small but we are really enjoying the sour cherries we made the cobbler out of and the fresh lettuce. We have one red pepper that is getting huge on a new small plant we have. And stawberries and lots of blooming July flowers.
We have one set of coneflowers that blooms in August. Otherwise, most things are bloomed out by the end of July. I’m really enjoying the yard this year. Say hi to all the family. Can’t believe how fast the kids grow up.
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QM, the month of June was a busy one for me. I’ve visited my family 2 times & will be returning again on the 17th for a party at my brother D’s home for a huge blowout. Daddy’s visit was unexpected & due to my Aunt Boots funeral I missed the end of their visit. Brant has kept us busy & I think he is more excited than I am about the garden! We are finally getting a break from the rain.
Tomrrow J & I are planning to attend the Art’s Festival in Harrisburg. (We are mostly going for the food).
Gardening is quite relaxing & now that Brant is older he can help with the weeding. Always nice to see the fruit of your labors! I love it when the flowers come on & the veggie garden is doing quite well. I fear I will have a lot of work ahead of me!
Our day was fairly laid back. Instead of grilling I made stuffed pork chops & steamed veggies.
I always think of you at family gatherings. D
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QM, that would have been tough, going back to the same vet clinic a week later. Glad to hear Kiev is so healthy. Yeah!!
A fat Frog, eh? You know what? Sony the pug reminds me of a fat frog. 8)
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That’s a sweet little froggie there. Hope he is indeed with you for awhile. Love that gorgeous green color.
Every once in awhile, in a storm, I find a salamander in my back yard, apparently blown down out of the eucalyptus trees that threaten us with dropping branches, but about which we can do nothing because they belong to the apartment complex next door. Really? Salamanders? Yeah. Not nearly as cute as that tree frog.
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That’s pretty long lived for such a little guy.
Late condolences for Chaco. I don’t know if anyone can ever appreciate someone’s pet the way they appreciate them, but I feel for your sadness.
This might sound weird, but I think that frog is incredibly beautiful, and cuter, in a way, than a roly-poly puppy dog.
Sony disincluded. Pugs are impossibly cute.
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diddy, thanks so much for thinking of me at the Holiday. How was the Arts Festival? I don’t know if I’ve ever been to the one in Harrisburg? How many people participated? Sounds like fun.
You have indeed had a busy June and now July it sounds like. I was talking to Mom last night about plans for the end of July. Not sure yet if I’ll make it home before Fall. We were thinking of Georgia but I’m still pondering. Have to look at all the pieces to the puzzle. Love to all there.
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Jules, I do think salamanders are kind of cute. The small ones anyway. I always see a ton of them when I go to the Southwest. They seem to like to bake in the sun. I don’t know if we have them here in Minnesota. Does anyone know? Can’t say as I’ve seen one here. I think it’s too darned cold. 8)
amuirin, thanks for your well wishes about Chaco. It’s getting better. Still haven’t gotten his ashes back yet. But I expect we’ll do something when that happens. Distance helps. Once in a while, still get that pang. We did take some video of him which I’m glad we have. Can’t watch it yet though. Thanks to all for stopping by.
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One of my favorite pieces of writing is by Robert Fulghum. (All I need to know i learned in Kindergarten) He has this great story about how a woman runs into a spider web, but it is written from the spiders point of view. I remember reading it aloud to my offspring and it continues to be a laughing point between she and I many years later. And so now you are asking what does this have to do with a tree frog?
When i saw the photo of this little guy, i was instantly taken to his perspective on what happened. How he experienced the scream, being brushed aside, and eventually ended up being placed by god into a nice smooth safe clear glass for safe transport. (forgive me for the reference that the starbucks glass is the equivalent of the hands of God)
Or perhaps it was more like the star trek transporter where his molecules felt scrambled until he safely lands back in the garden. (eden?)
Thanks for such a cool photo that gave me diversion as i tried to step into someone else’s feet.
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reccos62, I just love the way you think! You have such a unique and inspiring perception of the world and the way it works. I always enjoy your comments and any conversations we have had along the way. I come away enriched by them. 8)
I had not thought of the frog’s perspective of these crazy humans swooping him up into a Starbuck’s mug. (BTW, I wondered if anyone would notice that detail! It’s an old glass mug of Liz’s. I didn’t even notice that the Starbuck’s goddess was partly in the shot until later! Your comment is funny about the Starbuck’s mug as the “hands of God.”)
It does make you wonder — what WAS that frog thinking. And WAS he thinking? Or was it like your second scenario — his molecules were scrambled until he safely landed back in the garden. 8) I really enjoyed your take on this. Gave me a good morning chuckle over coffee.
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Oh, BTW, we’ve been doing some moving around of things in our home and ran into the HUGEST spider behind one of the bookcases. I mean it was HUGE. After my initial scream at running into her, I went and grabbed a Mason jar and handed it to Liz. She performed the same operation as with Froggie above — swooped the spider in the jar and carried it out to the garden. Same scream, same swoop!
Maybe the frog and spider had a conversation in the garden after that — “What’s with the crazy humans and their glass teleporters. Why can’t we all just live side by side in peace.” 8) Anytime I see a spider that large in the house, I always wonder how long it’s been there, living and minding its own business, until we discover it and take it outside. I imagine it’s so annoying to have to put down roots again outside. 8)
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