Toad Tales: Neville Gets a Swimming Pool!

The most wonderful thing has happened! We have found a toad in the iris bed! Rather, my husband found it and showed it to me. He instantly insisted that we offer it the nearby toad house, though the toad in actuality may be a bit too hefty to fit through the door.

And then my husband gave it a pretty saucer of shallow water for a swimming pool! On this day, I witnessed the toad jumping INTO the pool, and it sat there calmly for more than an hour, enjoying the cool water.

Oh, it took us a while, but we knew we had to come up with a name for the toad. After all, each creature gets a name: even Lyle the Vile Reptile, our low-key serpent who hardly ever puts in an appearance.

But while watching The Blacklist online (yes, the latest episode was amazing!), someone was named Neville. And I said it out loud: Neville. YES! (Neve, if it's a girl.) The toad has a name!

The toad also has a purpose beyond looking after its own daily well-being and happiness. For the iris bed is beneath the nest made by the blue jays who live in our yard. Mama Blue Jay sneaks into the nest so nobody will see, but WE know the truth. There are eggs or even perhaps baby blue jays in there!

The toad is the guardian and watchman, you see, for the baby jays. Anyone who steps near the bushes the nest is in will disturb the toad, and the toad will hop around making noise in the leaves. Mama Jay will know to mount an attack, in defense of the nest.

And so it is that our yard creatures look out for each other. . . . So if you see Neville lounging in his new pool, know that he's not just a toad-about-town. Oh no. He's got an important job protecting baby jays!

The soundtrack song for this image is Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville, with Don't Know Much, from which I take this quote: "Well, I don't know much. But I know I love you. And that may be . . . all I need to know."