Things That Amuse Little Boys

Yesterday while planting some more garlic at the community garden, R and I found a little surprise.  I had set a pile of cleared weeds on a spare piece of cardboard on the second tomato/garlic bed.  When I moved it to begin planting that bed there was a fat little toad crouching underneath it!  He was almost the same color as the soil, and held so still that I almost stabbed him with the tool I was using to dig holes.  Worse yet, since it was so cold, he was determined to stay right where he was.

Now, I love being outdoors.  And I really, really like having toads in my garden.  They eat mosquitoes!  And other insects too!  But I was not crazy about having to pretend that I am not scared to pick up a toad.  "Oh, yeah.  Just a toad...no big deal.  Hey little fella - I won't hurt you!  I'm just going to pick you up carefully and move you over here...tuck you in nice and snug under some hay...  Whew!  That wasn't so bad."

Then, just when I thought the coast was clear, I spotted a rock out of the corner of my eye.  I reached over and picked it up, intending to chuck it into the ditch like I do with all the large rocks I find.  Just as my hand closed around it, it occurred to me that maybe I should have inspected it a little more closely before picking it up.  Was I sure it was a rock?

It was a rock.  I was so relieved I blurted out, "Oh, thank goodness!"  (Nervous giggle.)  "I thought that might have been another toad!"  R burst into laughter.  At my missishness?  Who knows?  It was definitely the funniest thing I've said this month, as far as he was concerned.