Wow! I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve been chatting about my garden adventures, but I must say with all the time I’ve been spending out there, it sure looks incredible.

The raised veggie beds are doing great. Usually I’ve got cherry tomatoes and peppers in pots, but decided it was time to try something different. Corn, snap peas, regular peas, pole beans, beets, broccoli, brussels, squash, turnip, zucchini and cucumber. It’s quite exciting watching it change from day to day. And I do hope it all continues – fingers crossed!

And I have a new little friend. This toad has decided to make one particular pot on the deck his home. He spends the day wandering around somewhere – and without fail, he’s back every night, hopping into his pot where he snuggles in for the night. I don’t know that he ever leaves the deck, I assume he does, but it would be interesting to see how he gets back up there.

We discovered this rather large, well…quite fat, colorful toad sitting on the deck one day. Just sitting there, catching flies or whatever toads do during the day and apparently, minding his own business, not expecting anyone other than him, to try to run his life.

We, in our infinite toad wisdom decided he needed to be back down in the garden and moved him there, into a soft, shady spot under the ferns.

An hour later we saw what we thought was the same toad back on the deck. (Huh?) So once again, in our obviously knowledgeable and brilliant toad wisdom (because we somehow believe we are smarter than the average toad) we carried him back downstairs, once again where he could play in the garden he grew in. Happy happy toad.

And I swear, within 10 minutes he was right back up there.

That’s when I realized it was where he wanted to be – now no one is allowed to walk on the deck until I inspect it for toads.

Wonder how I’m going to deal with the skunk that now comes visiting………