The poets say that you can't put a price tag on true love. But for those of us who don't live our lives in iambic pentameter, we know better. In this story, love can be had for the bargain price of a single dollar. Read on.
It started at a garage sale just over a month ago. We were looking through piles of old books, toys, and clothes when Alison discovered an old frog hatchery kit. Maybe you remember the one you had when you were a kid -- inside the box is a small plastic aquarium, frog food, a magnifying glass, and a coupon to send away for some mail-order tadpoles.
This particular kit was almost certainly older than Alison, and when we got home and opened it up, there was no coupon to be found. Alison was disappointed, but I told her not to worry; I knew we'd find her some tadpoles with just a few clicks of the mouse. Within minutes we had landed at a site which promised six live bullfrog tadpoles for $12.95. After adding some food and paying $16.95 for shipping (they had to come via FedEx since they were live organisms), we were in for $34.40. And it was just the beginning.
The box arrived a week later and Alison's face lit up like Christmas morning as she lifted the plastic bag out of the styrofoam box and saw not six, but seven tadpoles flitting around in the water. She saw seven frogs, but I saw seven funerals. I hoped that they'd all grow up and turn into bullfrogs, but experience taught me that this was unlikely. Death was inevitable.
We realized after only a few days that we needed a bigger tank, so we headed off to the local fish store and bought a tank, water conditioner, some gravel, a large rock, and a filter. $63.98. We spent about twenty-five dollars on another trip, and about ten bucks since then on miscellaneous supplies.
But even with all that, the tadpoles started dying. After a few more trips to the fish store for advice, we were finally able to settle things down, but not until only two tadpoles remained. Since then, one of the tadpoles has lost his tail and become a frog. It's hard to believe that he'll be a bullfrog someday, because now he could sit on a nickel with room to spare.
Perhaps because he's so incredibly cute, or perhaps because of all the tears shed when the other tadpoles passed away, Alison is head over heels in love with her frog. She checks on him as soon as she wakes up and wonders what he's doing when they're apart. She enjoys feeding him crickets (see below), and asks every single day if she can keep him when he grows up. This is still up for debate.
But the really interesting thing is that her bullfrog love has triggered an academic curiosity of all things frog. She took it upon herself to start a frog journal on the day her tadpoles arrived, and she has filled it with sketches of the tadpoles and written observations of what's been happening. When I suggested that she could check out a book about frogs from the library, she immediately produced one she had checked out earlier that day. When she returned that one, she checked out three more.
These tadpoles have been more than just a passing novelty. They have inspired her to learn, encouraged her to care, and brightened her life. Sure, we spent a lot more than that original dollar at the garage sale, but it's been worth every penny.
we have a frog too. We caught it right here in Irvine,and my kids didn't fall in love- my husband did. I made a video about the day we caught the frogs, and it was a fun experience. http://www.vimeo.com/4814392
I can't believe our guy has lived as long as he did, but he's still jumping, and we all enjoy him :)
Posted by: JoAnn | July 12, 2009 at 11:17 AM