Look who came back to visit!! Last night we had another visit from our Golden Toad. Just about the same time of night, in the same spot on our deck yet again. There he was looking very regal.

He didn’t seem to mind the flash going off in his eyes, poor thing. I stroked his head ever so lightly with one fingertip and he closed his eyes half-way in what I took for sheer contentment. Much like a cat being stroked in a favorite place. He was enjoying it, no doubt about it. He didn’t flinch or budge when I touched him. His skin was dry and bumpy to the touch.

Rick tried his stroke technique out too. Here you can see him to scale with Rick’s hand. He’s not very big. We’re not certain if it’s the same toad or just another one like it.

Because Reya and Pod said that the last time he visited I should have kissed him—this time I did. I planted a kiss right on the back of his head. His skin was cool, almost cold to my lips. What do toads turn into when you kiss them if frogs turn into princes?

This time we opted to let him alone and not put him back in the yard. After all, he seems to know how to get up the stairs, so why not back down?  I went back out a few minutes later after downloading my photos and he was at the top of the stairs contemplating the way down. I went back inside for another few minutes and when I checked on him he was on the second step from the bottom—almost home. Obviously a very smart toad.

As I turned out the light I whispered to him “please come again you lovely Golden Toad!”  And maybe he will.

Oh my. It’s so hot today. I wish we could go for a boat ride.

Wait ... are they getting the boat ready?

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! They read my mind! I’m going out in the boat!

aaaahhhhh ... nothing like the wind in my ears ....

hey, you said you wanted a close-up of me, didn’t you?

That was fun—now for a big drink of water ...

(Hannah belongs to Andy and Linda of my previous post.)

We’re thinking about you on what would have been your 81st birthday.
Forever in our hearts; always in our thoughts.
(photo taken 1999)

I think someone is confused about the seasons. There seems to be a battle going on here in New Jersey between Summer and Fall. Last week we had grey skies every day and temps in the low 60s and high 50s during the day. The temperature in our pool went from 82F to 70F. BRRR. I didn’t even open the windows in the house because it was too chilly. In August. My Mom would have been visiting through all this unseasonal weather and she would have hated it. Mom never liked a cloudy or rainy day; said they were depressing.

A few leaves have started to change and the trees are losing that lush greenness of summer’s bounty. They are looking pallid.

Now take yesterday. The temp was up to 90F and the humidity at about 100% which made a heat index of 106F. Talk about a seasonal swing—it was more like a seasonal sling. We took a ride to Pennsylvania to meet Andy and his wife at their lakeside cabin (he owns the company Rick works for and you’ll be hearing more about the cabin). I took these pics along the way.

We passed this adorable Dutch/American bakery and I couldn’t resist taking a photo of the quaint—and very Dutch—building.

What’s that you say? My photo is blurry? You can’t see the image? Yeah, I know. I didn’t realize that the lens had fogged up due to the high humidity! It was so ridiculous that I had to include them here for your merriment as well.

We stopped at a delightful farm stand to buy their “freshly picked every day” sweet corn and I took a few more pics. This time with the camera adjusted to the outside air. Look at the haze in the second photo!

Our grass badly needs mowing but it’s been so wet this week the grass hasn’t dried out enough to mow. Last night after we got back from our outing Rick and I worked together to at least get the back yard done. Good thing we did because overnight we had thunderstorms and rain. Now it’s soaking wet again, so my plans for today of mowing and jumping in the pool need to be slightly adjusted. Right now it’s 8:30 a.m. and 73F outside with 98% humidity. Oh yeah. Lovely. I think a dip in the pool is definitely in order today, The grass, however, I think will have to wait ...

Take:
1 cat (must be a cat that was raised in a one-cat-only-household by a woman that didn’t have many visitors; must be afraid of strange people, loud noises, rain, thunder, cars going by on the road and anything else you can think to be afraid of)

Add:
1 deceased Mother of the cat
2 people that the cat has seen before but doesn’t particularly like
3 large boisterous dogs that the cat has never seen before
3 cats that the cat has never seen before
1 strange house that is anything but quiet

Mix the first three ingredients together with the cat very carefully. Wait a few days before putting this mixture into a car and drive for approximately 3.5 hours. Add last two ingredients all at once. Wait to see what happens.

If you’ve followed the recipe carefully you should end up with one cat that lives under your bed. She should be eating, drinking, and using the litter box, and occasionally you might find her out, but don’t expect too much from the first week. What should happen next is unknown since every recipe is unique. A great deal of patience and understanding is required.