Kathy's Journal

It’s been a “fry an egg on the sidewalk” summer! The humid days have forced me inside long before my planned chores are done. Bill tells me that “I am not 21 anymore”! Perhaps that might have something to do with it, however, I prefer to blame it on the weather.

The discovery that I am not alone on my quest for heat relief has brought a smile to my face many times this summer. The source of my merriment is a fat toad I call “Tuffy”….A name I feel he has earned. You see, his choice of a cooling off spot happens to be a large metal pan of water in our garage.

"Bear" our 85 lb. Chocolate Lab

Several times a day Tuffy is challenged by a huge lapping tongue that is attached to “Bear”, our 85 pound chocolate lab. He stubbornly resists leaving as the splatters of water and waves jostle him around in the pan.

I have learned that toads absorb water through their skin and Tuffy evidently feels that I have placed the watering pan out for him. Bear doesn’t seem to mind sharing.

This unseemly co-existence reminds me that although our individual needs may differ, with a little give and take, everyone can live in peace.

-Kathy Hogue