The ‘little things’ that matter in life, a bit of humor for Monday

April 29, 2013

So we decided to go to Cooper Marsh on Sunday with our younger children. It is one of my favourite places to go with the littles.  I have pushed many a stroller through the muddy walkway and pulled many a wagon.  We’ve fetched shoes thrown over the edge of the boardwalk, pulled out rubber boots stuck in mud and carried a tired toddler to my exhaustion many a time.  But not this Sunday, we decided to bring Maya (our black lab) with us for the walk.  It must have been winter brain that made me forget but you are not allowed to bring dogs there, not even if they are on a leash.

Photo props: http://www.ourhometown.ca/news/NL0028.php

So we hopped into the car and decided to go to our favourite local beach.  While driving I noticed a frog, a really big frog, at the side of the road.  I mentioned it to the family and my husband insisted that we turn around and go see it (I think he thought I was bluffing when I used my hands to describe how big it was but he assures me that is not the case)  So we turn around and find Mr. Frog.  By this time he is in the middle of the road.  Alex jumps out of the car and goes running into the middle of the rural highway and starts flagging his hands at the cars  and trucks protecting little (well, huge) Mr. Frog.  I couldn’t help but laugh, it reminded me of that old video game Frogger where you had to help the frog cross the road to safety.

Photo props: http://mobilegames.about.com/b/2010/04/12/old-school-monday-frogger-pad-for-ipad.htm

The cars slowed down and Alex used his foot on the back end of the frog with a little nudge to make him jump, all the while the kids are standing at the side of the road watching.  Mr. Frog made it into the swamp, the cars drove by with smiling faces and the kids watched Mr. Frog hop away and Super Dad saved the day.

There was this other time our cat Tuxy brought us home a ‘present’.  I went and let Tux in because I heard him at the door.  I went to sit back down with Alex and we heard a strange noise, so we both looked over at Tuxy and he had a BAT!!!! in his mouth.  And it was FLAPPING!!!!  So Alex got up picked up Tuxy and Tuxy had the bat in his mouth.  It reminds me of that old kids nursery rhyme song about the mother taking the cat and the cat taking the rat and the rat got the cheese…remember that?  Anyway, back to the story.  So Alex has the cat and the bat in his hands, opens the door and puts them both back outside. I wish this story had a happy, saved kind of ending but I really don’t think it does.  I didn’t stick around to see.

In our area of Ontario we have many turtles.  Between May and September you can see the turtles attempting to cross the roads.  Alex has used children’s story books and shovels or whatever we have in the vehicle at the time to help save turtles by helping them to get off the road.  Watching him is always so humorous.  His heart is in the right place but he gets kind of jumpy while he’s doing it.

For more information check out Peterborough Field Naturalists

My favourite ‘Alex rescuing animals moment’ was when we had a mouse in our upstairs bathroom.  I think it was one of the times that I laughed the hardest.  Alex had the empty paper garbage can from the office and the dustpan from the broom set and he was trying to catch the mouse.  The good old scoop and cover method.  I of course was standing outside and peaking in through the little crack that I left open in the door. Well, let me tell you, mice are fast and jump. So he would corner the mouse, get ready to cover it and it would jump. I think Alex might have even jumped up onto the toilet during one attempt.  Alex was jumping and squealing along with the mouse (you know the movie Home Alone? When the bad guy falls down the stairs and then he finds a tarantula on his face? That scream? That’s how he sounded. If you haven’t seen the movie, I urge you too but for now have a listen it’s 15 seconds long)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BykZI8mnS_o

Yup that’s how he sounded.  But he did it. He caught the mouse and set it free. And everybody cheered.  I laugh and tease him about it all the time.  But Alex has a big heart for the little things in life and the lessons that he is teaching our children through his kind actions are priceless, although, I could have done without my daughter learning to squeal like that on que.

 I am grateful to have the permission of writingsofamr to post about his shenanigans!

For more information on Cooper Marsh Ontario, Canada visit Raisin River Conservation Authority

Happy Monday!

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Written by Jennifer Writings of a (n Ex) Mrs Posted in Blogging, Children, Inspiration, writings of a Mr Tagged with Blogging, Frog, Frogger, Frogs and Toads, humor, musings, Ontario, Pets, Recreation, Reptiles and Amphibians, Rodents