Just Frogs

What’s with the frog infatuation–especially associated with ice cream and frozen yogurt (SweetFrog, Frogg’s Ice Cream, Frosty Frog, etc.)?

According to Save The Frogs, some interesting facts:

– There are over 6,300 species of frogs and toads (a close, warty relative of the frog). 

– They range from just 9 mm to over 30 mm and 6.6 lbs, and can live from a few years to as many as 30-years (ol’ frog river uncaring with the flow of the Mississippi). 

– Frogs are amphibians developing in their larval state in water as herbivores, but as adults living on land as carnivores (flies anyone).

– Toads tend to have poisonous secretions as does the Poison Dart Frog (maybe the princess should not be kissing that frog).

– Australian Stony Creek Frogs build nests for their eggs just like birds (got to protect those youngins). 

– Wood frogs adapt to the freezing cold by stopping their breathing, blood flow, and heartbeat (now that’s extreme hibernation).

– Similarly, Burrowing Frogs survive hot, dry climates by slowing their metabolism and shedding their skin into a protective mosture-retaining cocoon, and others can live underground for as many as 10 months and surface in mass when the rains come (like the 2nd plague in Egypt).

– Pesticides, fertilizers, and parasites have been increasing deformities in frogs such as missing limbs or having 6 legs (making jumping on 3 legs a bitch and jumping on 6 an unfair advantage). 

Frogs are a great illustration of how to “adopt or die” with the emphasis on living and thriving forward–not so sure though about frog-flavored ice cream. 😉

(Source Photos: Andy Blumenthal)

Die Bed Bugs, Die

So our daughter went off to college and brought us home a present–bed bugs!

This was the worst–at first we didn’t understand why we were getting itchy bites.

Eventually, with some research and inspection, we figured it out

We tried to treat it ourselves–powders, sprays, encasements, and more–all to no avail.

We also threw out all the bedding and even the beds.

We were losing sleep and patience–big time.

We finally hired a serious exterminator who brought in these huge heaters and blasted our place for about 6 hours at something like 140 degrees.

That should kill those and any other buggers bothering us.

When I got home–it was an oven and I couldn’t even change my clothes because the workers were still here at it.

I spent 5 hours cleaning up afterwards in the boiling house and even with all the windows open, it was like an oven and impossible to sleep last night–tossing and turning.

It was hell, but hopefully it’s over–may I never see another vermin like this again. 😉

(Source Photo: here, although Lynnwood is not the company we used, you get the idea)