Frogs

Today is all about frogs.   Where have they all gone?

I used to be bothered by Spring Peepers.  I live across a street from a wetlands area and the Spring was filled with their calls.  That was OK.  They were so collectively constant, it was just background noise.  But I have a small 5' pond just outside the bedroom window.

And they would individually croak, which drove me nuts at night!  I have acoustic ceiling tiles in the bedroom window to dampen the noise.  But last year, I realized I wasn't hearing any frogs.  They are all gone.  A whole swamp of them vanished!

I am baffled.  My neighbor who's yard borders the swamp, doesn't know why they vanished either.  Ive read about frog-diseases wiping them out sort of like beehive diseases and parasites.  Or it is climate change.  Or pollution.  

I still have regular green frogs (Leopards?). in my pond.  They don't bother me.  I've even grown some.

Fed them and put a log in the tub so they could climb out.  If we are losing some, I want to help the others...

Marley and Lori sometimes catch one.  But for everyone they catch and play with, 19 probably survive.  Between the pond and the creek-like drainage easement and the swamp, they have lots of good places to exist.

But I think we are "extincting" too many small ignored animals...

Max, The Psychokitty

I don't usually post about other cats here, but have to mention one that left our world Friday.  His name was Max, The Psychokitty.  He was 19 1/2.  He was snarky, opinionated, an expert observer of his Humans, their world, and the world in general.  

Max is the reason I have a cat blog, and by extension, this one.  I do not remember how I came across his blog.  I was gainfully-employed at the time and did not spend much time entertaining myself with odd internet searches.  But somehow I found it in 2004.

The idea of a cat blogging stunned me.  I started reading it daily (at home, I was a serious worker in the office).  Max was sarcastic, snarky, and observant.  When I retired in March 2006, I noticed a clickable button that promised "free blog".  I hesitated for months.  

I had read a couple of blogs by people who were self-important, opinionated (or amazingly boring).  Max was different.  And well, I have cats and I like to write.  So after reading up on blogs a bit and missing talking to a coupe of co-workers), I pressed the "free blog" button.

Of course it wasn't easy.  I had to learn "new stuff".  But I was missing the challenge of new things at the office.  Not to be trite, but my job had always been "out on the edge" and going where no one had gone before.  Nothing was routine.  I retired because a reorg had placed me in an office that was dedicated to "routine" and I was tired of getting up at 5 am every workday, commuting an hour each way, and getting home at 6 pm.  I was working for a completely out-of-touch supervisor.  And I had already figured out I would still gain savings on retirement.

So I left the first day I was eligible.  I wasn't worried about being bored.  I have hobbies and home-maintenance.  I participate in some serious-discussion boards.  But I was missing friendly conversation.   A cat blog seemed "purrfect".  

It was days before I figured out how to post a picture on the blog (well, it WAS 2006).  It took days before anyone found my blog and left a comment (I remember them gratefully).  14 years later, I'm still cat blogging.  5,000 posts is coming up next year.  It has been a joy and I don't plan to stop.  

I've lost 3 cats along the way.  Skeeter was a heart cat.  LC was Skeeter's cat (though I miss her for her calm quiet way of living.  Iza'a loss was crushing.  She was a Tonkinese point with fur like a mink and utterly attached to me.  12 years with her was way too few.

And I have this blog just so I can sometimes say things not appropriate to a cat blog.

And I owe it all to Max and "The Woman" as he called her.  Now Max has gone over The Bridge.  My world is more than "one cat smaller".  Everyone loves their cats.  And I generally follow about 60 cat blogs.  But in cat blogging terms, Max was a GIANT.  I will miss him greatly.

Few people actually START anything, and Max wasn't the very first blogging cat.  But he was close and kept going all my blogging years.  That matters.  Max (through The Woman) invented some terms.  "Stinky Goodness" for canned cat food.  All other cats were "DOODS".  There were others but memory fails me.  

If you knew Max but haven't heard the sad news or if you didn't know but want to comfort The Woman in her loss of him go here  If you would just like to read about Max, look at the archived posts and read at random.

Farewell Max.