Abyss

And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you. 
Friedrich Nietzsche 

I'm not trying to be deep or mysterious.  I just truly don't feel the bloggy love tonight, and can't seem to write anything.  Well, unless you count that. 

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I wrote that, set the post to publish, and then took Mr. J. out for his nighttime pee.  Directly in front of the door we almost tripped over this:

A while back, people got me nervous about toads making dogs sick.  I still don't know if that is true, but I didn't want to take any chances, what with Mr. J. being so small and this guy being quite large.  I picked him up and put him in the foliage nearby, but he was not having it.   He came right back and tried to get in the door.

He was quite persistent.

He's nowhere near the shelter I built for a toad, but all summer long I've been waiting for my prince a toad to arrive, and maybe he's here.  I didn't kiss him, though, so we may never know what could have been.

Comments

[Renee]

Frogs won't usually make a dog sick - or at least not one of them. Toads will.
Mr. Toad probably just wants to come in and see all your lovely knitting....

[Mel]

Except for cane toads, which you won't find in VT outside an amphibarium, toad secretions mostly act as mucosal irritants and aren't particularly dangerous. They just taste really bad and make the dog froth at the mouth.

[Chris Gough]

Well, I just watched another preview for "The Frog Prince" at the latest Harry Potter installment, and when that princess kissed the frog, she turned into one too. So, better safe than sorry.

[margene]

Ewww....that is one ugly toad!

[cindycindy]

That's a good sized toad. If it weren't a concern, I would have loved to know Mr. J's response to it. It's probably best that A-Alpha is a bit protective, though. The toad might have won;-P

[Kristine]

What is it with the hop-y amphibians this year? A frog got into our house Sunday night, and I spent an hour chasing the cat, who was chasing the frog, to catch the frog, to get him outside, and then spent ten minutes outside waiting for him to stop playing dead and hop off, because otherwise I would have worried, and then I don't know how long convincing Lucy to go back to sleep, and that she could look for more froggies (fwaggie!!) in the morning.

It's an invasion!!

[marianne]

Heeee. Whatever was Mr.Toad thinking? His chances for a good dinner would be better outdoors than in your house... perhaps he's heard about HBO?
Yep. Mr.J would've been intrigued, nosed it, perhaps licked it and then would've gotten all frothy-mouthed and then commence to shake his head back and forth with frothy goo flying everywhere but... it USUALLY only takes the one time to learn ;^) He'll (Mr.J) will get his 'date' eventually, especially living with his A.Alpha. :^)

[TeresaC]

Heh, Erin took a huge toad out of the pool and deposited him over the fence and what do you think he did? Came right back in a started chasing her around the yard!

I think your Thursday post ended up underneath your Wed post, must've it the wrong day when you were setting it up to post.

[Cheryl S.]

A toad! A toad! How cool.

I don't think you have to worry too much about it. Don't the poisonous toads live mostly in the Southwest and Florida?

[Mary Beth]

Did you run over to the kid's house and start yelling, "A toad!"? Maybe the child could persuade the toad to live in the toad house.

[Annie]

I had a toad living on my porch last summer. He used my work/outside shoes as his toad abode. I usually leave them out on the porch, and one morning I tried to put them on. What the heck was in the toe of my shoe? A toad. I left those for him and started wearing other ones, which I kept inside the house!

[sandy]

Awww, I see Vincent in your "ADS". :D
He was just the cutest. Mr. J is cute of course, but has big paws to live up to.
Say hello to your Prince Charming. Ribbit

[Cookie]

Like Mr. J would ever lick a toad. Please!

Was this supposed to be Thursday's post? I'm all confused.

[Patty]

Nice toad! I find them quite likeable. As does my doggie who pukes each and every time he encounters one. I don't know what comes out of those little toad bodies but the dog wants it!

[Mary K. in Rockport]

That is one unappealing critter. Squeemies.

[Seanna Lea]

That's Some Toad.

Hrm. Charlotte's Web would be a very different story if Wilbur were a toad.

[Rockzann]

I am so very impressed that you picked up the toad. I think I would have freaked out! That is one big ugly toad!

[Kym]

That is one magnificent toad! Think of all the mosquitoes he's nibbling every day! Long live the toad. . . a gardener's friend!

[chester]

Lovely toad. But yes,they will make a dog a little queasy. One summer night after a rain, I spotted our small dog with two toady flippers sticking out of her mouth. For once, she responded to the "drop it" command, but after about 30 minutes of frothing at the mouth- EERP- up came her supper. So, if you're willing to deal with the cleanup, Mr. J should have nothing to fear.

[evalyn]

What is it with amphibians that want to come in the house? I have about a zillion little tiny frogs that live under my house. Don't know why, no water leaks, just cool I guess. Anyhow, at certain times of the year, they come out and want to come indoors. I find them croaking in my flower pots (so I put them outside) or mummified under the furniture where I couldn't rescue them in time. No amount of reasonable discourse convinces them that coming indoors is a bad idea, four or five of them a year find their way in.

[elizabeth a airhart]

tis hot have a drink cool off
good night gracie

[Mary]

Toads will cause a problem if a dog gets one in it's mouth. My little dog Precious (a Chiwawa, Yorkie mix)bit one and she didn't get sick but it left a terrible taste in her mouth. She started foaming at the mouth and then kept rubbing her mouth on the ground. It was awful but it only lasted a little while. She was a bit bad tempered but she didn't bite a toad again.

[ann]

Hey Lady, is the frog(toad) here yet? LOL. He's a beauty. I'll bet he would taste great with all that garlic. ha ha ha

[Tracy]

I don't think they actually hurt the dog... but boy do they foam at the mouth! The first time Apple picked one up I about had a heart attack!! You'd think now that she'd learn they taste really bad but she still goes after frogs/toads...