Paint and Pixels

Trading Tornadoes for Toads and Tadpoles!

Supposedly, tornadoes have been rocking the Ranch lately- however, none of which I have been lucky enough to see. In fact, both instances when a tornado was sighted nearby, I happened to be right where I am right now- in front of the computer... oblivious. But yesterday morning I heard it reported that the tornadoes were returning to the Ranch, which made it a perfect day for the kids and I to head out on a tornadoe chasing adventure! Sadly, we did not catch (or even see) any tornadoes... but we did catch a toad! Well... actually, Rocket caught a toad, and I'm not really even sure how because I didn't see it happen, but he was very proud of his catch when he did present it to me.

Despite his expression in this picture, he was pretty ecstatic about the capture- I think he is just annoyed that I insisted on taking a picture. When Roxanne declared that it was her turn to hold the toad, Rocket said that he did not trust her with his toad. I told him that it wasn't his toad, it was God's toad, so he had better share it with his sweet little sister, lest he experience an immediate unfortunate fate. Then the frog started crying. I never knew that frogs cried. I knew they ribbited and croaked and even sometimes made a very convincing goat/sheep-like noise. But, I tell you, they can also cry just like a baby when they are frightened.

So, I told the kids that it was time to return the poor frog to the wild where it belonged. Both of the kids were highly dissapointed that they could not take the toad home.

But, we DID capture some of the toads little babies, and brought them home with us. We are doubly determined this year, to nurture these tadpoles into froghood. Last year we learned some difficult lessons about tadpole care. We learned NOT to leave the tadpoles outside in a pitcher on a windy, sunny day, because you will most likely end up having to chizzle the dead dried tadpoles off of your deck. We also learned NOT to give the tadpoles tap water, even if you have boiled and cooled it. I will update you later on our progress. If I don't, then it was probably a failure.

Tadpoles were not the only creatures we toated home with us. After a look at the pond water under our microscope (which we recently snatched from the Goodwill for $5), we discovered that there was a whole realm of beings we were unaware of, in just one tiny little droplet! I was not incredibly successful at trying to take a picture through the microscope lense, but hopefully you can make out the eyeball and antennae of this little buglike thing that was previously undetectable. It was swimming around as we watched it, and you could see its organs underneith its transparent exoskeleton. Very cool.

Whoever ever said Highlands Ranch is not a very exciting place?!?! OK, ok... I admit, it was me. I suppose in even the most boring places on earth there are always atleast a few tiny, yet amusing, things that we overlook.