31 Names Ain't So Easy

Several weeks ago, before this blog was born, one of the youngsters in the neighborhood who visits the pond regularly had a birthday. She is a special young girl and I see her often at the pond. I was invited to the small party for the event, but was admonished not to feel required to bring a gift. Well of course I was going to get her something, but I didn't want to just go buy some toy or such which she may or may not like and which would likely just be 'lost' among the other presents and soon be forgotten as she grew older. I thought about it a bit and came up with what I thought would be a great gift.

The party was one Saturday afternoon. After she had finished opening her other gifts I told her mine couldn't be wrapped and she had to help me get it for her. So off we went to the pond. I produced a heavy glass bowl (the 'bowl' from an earlier post). As soon as she saw the bowl she guessed what the gift was. "We are going to catch tadpoles!!" Together we prepared the bowl with some dirt, mud, and grass from the edge of the pond and added pond water to recreate the environment the tadpoles lived in. Then we collected the tadpoles, all 31 of them. The water in the bowl was literally alive with tadpoles. Then it was back home to install the tadpoles in a place of honor where they could be observed daily by all the family. The tadpoles not only survived but flourished. In just a matter of days she was on the phone letting me know that her tadpoles were growing legs. As the tadpoles grew and became more frog-like she began putting them back into the pond to let them live out their lives as nature planned until eventually all the tadpoles were returned to the pond.

Perhaps it wasn't the perfect gift, but I'm pretty sure of one thing. Over time she will likely forget most of the other gifts she unwrapped that day. But, just perhaps, for the rest of her life she may remember that bowl and going down to the pond that day to collect 31 tadpoles with her friend.

By the way, I forgot to ask her if she ever came up with 31 names for all those temporary tadpole pets.