Be free!

Last year, for Cody’s 8th birthday, one of his best friends found the perfect gift to give to him. He had caught, at his house, a green tree frog, and was totally jazzed about presenting it to Cody. He knew that Cody was a tree frog fanatic. Talk about the gift of giving! It pleases me to see kids so happy about the act of giving and pleasing others.

It was THE HIT of the party. Cody almost exploded with joy.

We built a terrarium for Friggity, and he has lived there ever since. He ate like there was no tomorrow, and the kids were able to hold him and the frog really seemed to enjoy the attention, turning its head this way and that, watching them.

Yesterday we decided that it was time to set him free. Cody had successfully kept this wild frog for one month shy of a year. Crazy.

Having this little creature was such a great learning experience for the kids. They learned so much about amphibians and their habits. Friggity would frequently serenade us with his frog croaks in the morning and evening. While we still had the red eyed tree frogs (they succumbed to some kid of froggy AIDS) a chorus of frogs would errupt at sunset every evening, with Friggity leading in bass.

I was just like my boys when I was a child. I was constantly bringing home this or that creature to care for. My father would say “Hey look at that! Isn’t it pretty. What do they eat? ” and would help me make a temporary home for my newest find. I would keep it for several days, then Dad would say “It looks kinda lonesome. I think its time to let it go, girl” and we would wander outside and find a suitable habitat to release it.

I have a letter from my father, written to me while I was at camp. It is a CHERISHED letter, as it refers to one of those interactions mentioned above and is full of his teasing wit. I had a hermit crab, and we had released it in the backyard garden. The letter, dated July 25th, 1978 reads “The creatures in the house are ok! However, I have not seen that crab creature you let go in the backyard. I expect it will surface when it becomes colder. Then, we can eat him!”

With joy, I went with my children, as my father had many times before gone with me, and we released Friggity to his home in the wild.

Saying goodbye
Saying goodbye

We found a shady, quiet place at a city park full of tree frogs…
The perfect habitat

….and released him on the muddy banks
Released on the muddy banks

He came alive with energy, and quickly hopped into the branches of a small tree.
Finding his way up the tree

The kids were so excited.
There he goes!

Then he climbed up the little tree monkey style, and ascended into the branches of a huge pecan tree. He stopped, cleaned himself, then hunched down to sleep until dark.

When we arrived home, Cody told Bill all about it. He said “I feel so happy for him. Now he can find a mate and have babies and a family of his own!”

My kids learned the best lesson of all yesterday. Giving an animal its freedom and watching it wander away, happy, is the best feeling in the world.

Adios Friggity