Black toad in the flower pot

I found this black toad in a pot I was watering last week.  He was sucking up the moisture from the soil and chillin in the shade.  And he wasn't too happy when I moved him, he started chirping at me.

Toad chronicles

Somehow this blog has become more about toads than baking.  I keep coming across the biggest fattest toads while I'm gardening.  The best place to find toads is in the woods while it's raining.  If you can stand to go on a hike in the rain in Valley Green, as I did earlier this summer with a couple of friends, you will literally trip over all of the toads that come out to absorb the water.  Toads don't actually live in water, they like rain, moist soil, and shallow puddles.  They need water to lay eggs and for their tadpoles to develop but they aren't water-bound like frogs are.

This guy was hiding in the dirt where I was pulling out some ivy ground-cover.  He jumped up on a rock and sat there for about an hour.  He has kind of a grumpy looking face doesn't he?   

Grump

More toads

There's something about a toad...  This summer I've been finding lots of different colored toads.  I saw a big yellow one about a month ago and then the other day in the same garden I found this little dark brown/grey guy in the bottom of a flower pot.  What a little sweetheart he didn't want to get off of my hand.

It's hard to find toads, they stick to the dirt and come out when it rains to soak up the moisture.  But the frogs in the pond are bold and loud!  They sound like angry rubber bands.  They're harder to catch and slimy.  If you can manage to get your hand around one they slip right out if you're not careful.  These guys are much easier to catch with a net.  

Summer Garden

My uncle Bruce sent me a picture this morning. That's my grandparent's old collie-german shepherd mix Shannah, my cousin Audrey, me, my sister Nora, and cousin Arthur up at my grandparent's farm in Tioga PA. They had a pretty impressive veggie garden every summer. Lots of squash and wax beans if I remember correctly. They had really rocky soil so a lot of our time was spend de-rocking the garden and then covering the weeds in black plastic to keep them down.

I have a nice garden space at my Dad's house that is just waiting to be planted, not that I have the time to do it right now- I'm having enough trouble keeping up with the laundry as it is. After school is done I'll get in there and get my hands dirty.

Today's baking plan includes that cinnamon Povitica Bread, possibly some whole wheat brownies that Martha Stewart emailed me today, and in between a little studying.

Thanks for the memories Brucey!!

Photo credit: Uncle Bruce