Nine years ago a friend gave me a spring peeper that had hopped up
to him one day. I made her a beautiful terrarium home. She lived in
my living room. She was teeny and round as a shiny little grape. She
ate crickets that I bought at the pet store, and some summers I
brought her to the barn to eat flies – her favorite! On her tiny
perfect little hands and legs she would stalk her prey – then –
jump – gulp – swallow the whole bug – gone! She had brght
perfect little golden eyes – a little jewel of a creation. The same
bone structure, almost, as a human only teeny, tiny.
I don't know how long frogs are supposed to live but this one lived
with me for nine years. Last year one of her eyes clouded over but it
didn't seem to bother her – she still carried on. During the winter
we lost power once and my brother brought her terrarium to his
apartment, covered is with blankets and placed her in front of the
fireplace. She did just fine. But she just kind of started to fade
away during April 2012. One morning I found her sitting motionless in
her little frog position but her life force was almost gone. When I
tipped her over gently, she did not right herself, but was close to
death. I carefully put her in a little jar and brought her to the
barn. I set her in a comfortable frog position on top of Noogie's
grave so she could finish her life free and could go back to the
earth.
I know this seems like a silly story, but now that she is gone I
realize home much time I spent with my perfect little friend. She
never roared and thumped at me, never screamed for food or demanded
my attention, never made me lose sleep with worry about where her
next load of food was coming from, or how I would pay her vet bills.
She was just this silent little presence that gave me something
beautiful to sit with and rest my eyes on after a long day of slaving
for the horses.
I really, really miss her. This perfect little innocent creation
gave me a few minutes of peace every single day for nine year. Thank
you Jehovah for creating spring peepers -
~Nina
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