just another night

We here at the Dibble’s household have a fondness for nature.  Ok I like to look at nature from several feet away, and then drag any kid who happens to be in the area, over to look at it.  This has led the children to have a marginal interest in the world around them, and they can now be counted on to appear interested the first time, I point out a new creature.

Last night, a new call of the wild was heard in the back yard.  My adventuresome spirit, independent nature, and willingness to face danger, led me 3 steps out the back door into the dark.  Armed with a flashlight that contained 7 year old double a batteries at 40%, I ventured down a few steps towards the back yard, and then made husband come into the dark abyss with me.

The sound seemed to be coming from a small tree in our yard, but repeated attempts with my octogenarian flashlight, uncovered nothing.  Husband squirted the tree with the hose, as I stood at a safe distance away expecting a horned, winged creature to explode from the tree in a rage, but the noise just stopped…. And then started again. 

Husband, losing interest, decided beating the tree with a pool brush would help.  I protested vehemently and with a brief minute of compassion, he put the pool brush down and turned on the spot light in the back yard.  Kid #1 joined the backyard excursion and together we slowly inched towards the tree and the noise.

She & I decided the best idea would be to plug in a light, into the outlet that was just past the tree, in the darkest corner of the yard, thus illuminating the tree, and identifying the noise making creature.  As I entered into a mature intelligent debate with my “Mini Me”, over who would venture past the tree to go plug in the light, “you go”, “no you go”, “I’m not going”, “I don’t want to go”, husband, decided to pursue his “I’ll just beat the tree senseless with a pool brush” option.

Kid #2 enters the back yard to see what’s going on.  Kid # 1 & I simultaneously say “We need you to plug in this light back here”.  Husband, whose momentary interest in unidentifiable noise making creatures is now completely gone, and realizing his “I’ll just beat the tree with a pool brush” plan will not be implemented, drops the pool brush and says “I’m going in the house”. 

Me, Kid # 1 & 2, are all standing in the semi lit back corner staring into the tree, in the exact spot the noise is intermittently coming from, yet see absolutely nothing.  We keep inching closer to the tree, and then taking one chicken step back, every time we hear the noise again.  With the grace of the God who ends stupid things, I looked in the exact spot the creature was in, as it made its noise, and the movement of its body, caught my eye.

It was an adorable little tree frog, sitting on a rose brush right underneath the tree.  We all ooohed and ahhhed over the new addition to our yard for 2 seconds, and then, mystery solved, went back inside.

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