and frogs and geckos too. Lately, I feel like Carol and I have moved into a chapter of the Book of Exodus, complete with the Plagues. I knew August in South Florida could get a little buggy hence, the gnats and flies but egrets and frogs?? Our front yard seems to have become an avian Starbucks, so much so that Im muscling my way through the snowy birds just to get to my car each morning. But at least they arent in attack mode like the frogs!
Did you know that there is no known frog repellant? We can put a man on the moon, but we cant get rid of frogs? Now lest you think Im exaggerating their danger potential, listen closely. During the last couple of weeks, as soon as dusk falls on the backyard, the frogs come out to play. Normally, that wouldnt create a big problem, but thats where we take Gabby out to tend to her “business.” Have you ever tried to get an ADD Golden Doodle to focus, when her Retriever genes surface as soon as she gets the scent of a frog? But back to the danger potential
a few weeks ago, as I was innocently walking Gabby, I was attacked by a bullfrog
and injured! Yes, as I lingered by the pool, a giant bullfrog decided to leap onto my shoe, causing me to fall, fully clothed replete with pda/cellphone and camera, into the water. And to add insult to injury, I managed to dislocate my big toe in the process. (What can I say, a big toe cannot function as a life preserver, nor can it effectively grasp the side of a pool.) Luckily, Carol saw me disappear into the drink and rushed to my rescue. In between bouts of her hysteria (laughter), she couldnt help but notice by big toe pointing in a totally new direction.
So after spending the obligatory couple of hours in our closest emergency room having my toe “relocated,” Ive launched my own personal campaign to stamp (with my foot a painful choice of words) out frogs! Ive even taken to literally beating the bushes to “encourage” them to seek a new habitat. I may even go so far as to post a bounty on each little croaker. Carol keeps telling me Ive gone “off the deep end.” However, actually, it was the shallow end and the frog was the culprit!
But lets end this months publishers note on a positive note. Contrary to the normal horror stories one hears about emergency rooms in South Florida, my experience was totally positive. Boca Raton Community Hospital had me in and out within 2 hours (albeit even the ER personnel admitted it was a pretty slow night); the staff was friendly as well as professional; and my toe feels better each day. Even better, my little dip in the pool gave me the perfect excuse to upgrade my cell phone/pda without Carols usual moans and groans (and knowing me a replacement camera is right around the corner!)
Charles Felix, Publisher
