Hibernating Frog

Hello and welcome to a pretty nifty Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is April 10th. Can you believe we're already into April? Cross 1/4th of 2021 off your calendar if you haven't already done so! (Note: this is also a good visual for teaching fractions to third graders.)

We raked the leaves last Saturday. I know - quite the Easter celebration, eh? But the weather cooperated and, well, we are still in a pandemic (confirmed cases are on the rise!) which means no big travel plans, so why not?

Raking leaves is a family affair at our house. Many hands make light work, and all of that. With the Oldest away at college, we were lucky enough to recruit two neighbor kids for the task. Okay, I'll admit, I may have wooed them with the promise of a snack and dyeing Easter eggs.

It worked!

The kids raked with gusto. Okay, so maybe the one neighbor kid did only rake a small, five-foot radius - but what a great attitude. He happily chatted while I raked a larger circle, piling the leaves next to him so he might feel a sense of accomplishment for his efforts. His cheerful attitude buoyed the rest of us and, well, how can one even consider getting crabby about doing yard work on a holiday when there's such joy to be had in listening to the eager chatter of a curious and happy 8-year-old. It would be a veritable raining on someone's parade. While he re-raked the same swatch of grass, I explained girls. It was funny. I even started by saying, "Let me explain girls to you," which totally sounded like something a dad would say. I meant it in the context of sisters. He's got one.

If you don't understand girls, I'll explain it to you: Girls, I was once told, do much better in even numbers, i.e. pairs and such. Whereas boys do well in odd numbers. When the neighbor kid is at home, his sister always plays with him. (See? A pair.) At our house, it's the same; the Third Grader and the Kindergartener are playmate BFFs. Here's the rub: when the two pairs come together, the girls have a (natural, I explained, to the heartbroken boy as we I raked the leaves) tendency to pair up, leaving the boys out. I have a rule at my house that everyone has to play together regardless of gender. I do this mainly because we have a mix of boys and girls. Kids who come from households that are all boys or all girls, or an only child, don't always understand this logic. I'm a "family is the basic unit" type of thinker instead of a "the individual is the basic unit" type of thinker. We're all in this together, peeps.

Anyway, the boys are usually cool playing with the girls, but the girls - not so much. They get really invested in playing only with each other. (Despite my rule.) The scorned brothers usually come to me and report on the offending alliance. I remind the girls that everyone is included at our house. They grumble, then acquiesce. It's interesting to note that, while either boy is happy to play in a threesome or foursome, neither considers the option of playing by themselves. Ever. Even if the number one is an odd number. 

I'm sure you can poke holes in my logic, and if you feel compelled to do so, go for it and comment below!

In the midst of all this leaf-raking and relationship counsel, I made a surprising discovery. While raking, I uncovered a hibernating frog. Excited, I called everybody over. We stooped and settled on our haunches to observe the lethargic amphibian. The Third Grader commented that the coloring was more like a toad than a frog. I noticed that its eyes were closed. The WAKWIR* poked the frog lightly with a leaf stem, which succeeded in making the frog take a breath, a visible exhale-inhale of its sides, confirming that the little woodland creature was alive, but that was about it. Kind of reminded me of trying to wake teenagers on school mornings.

There was something peaceful about the frog. Nature still sleeping. The grass green but still dormant, making the dry, brittle leaves easy to rake.

I'd explained what little I knew about girls to an 8-year-old boy who probably really didn't need to know. It's a good time to be a hibernating frog. Springtime and all its lush energy will come soon enough.

On This Day

Historic Highlights (credits)

2010 - The President of Poland, Lech Kaczyński, dies in a plane crash

Several high-ranking officials, senior members of the Polish clergy, as well as relatives of the Katyn massacre victims were killed. The accident was blamed on pilot error and bad weather.

2001 - Mercy killings become legal in the Netherlands

In a controversial decision the Dutch senate approved a bill legalizing euthanasia for patients with unbearable, terminal illness.

1998 - Negotiators in Northern Ireland reach an historic peace deal

The Good Friday Agreement ended 30 years of violent conflict about Northern Ireland's constitutional status (“The Troubles”).

1970 - The Beatles break up as Paul McCartney leaves the band

In their ten years of existence, the British rock group became one of the most successful bands of all time, selling over a billion albums, according to EMI. McCartney's announcement came a week before the release of his debut solo album, the starting point of a successful solo career.

1815 - Mount Tambora explodes in one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history

At least 71,000 people were killed by the eruption. The explosion was heard up to 2000 km (1200 mi) away.

Happy Birthday to You!🎶 

1987 - Hayley Westenra, New Zealand soprano

1951 - David Helvarg, American journalist, activist

1932 - Omar Sharif, Egyptian actor

1847 - Joseph Pulitzer, Hungarian/American politician, journalist, publisher, founded Pulitzer, Inc.

1778 - William Hazlitt, English critic, painter

Remembering You

1966 - Evelyn Waugh, English author, journalist

1965 - Linda Darnell, American actress

1955 - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French/American priest, paleontologist, philosopher

1931 - Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese/American poet

1919 - Emiliano Zapata, Mexican general

Enjoy the spring slumber and make it a great Saturday.

Kim 

*Wannaskan Almanac Kid Writer-in-Residence