Frog Collectibles & Other Such Nonsense: 04/01/2009 - 05/01/2009

Frog Collectibles & Other Such Nonsense

A look at my frog collectibles as I get them and my wacky world in the meantime.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

More Rain

Spring time here in Southern Illinois is usually very wet, and this year is proving to be no exception. It has been a hard downpour going since very late last night. We seem to be getting a small break at the moment, but the skies are really dark and I'm sure that at any moment the rain will start up again. Rain is in the forecast here for the next 5 days. If nothing else I've got a very clean puppy. Gertie loves to play out in the rain and comes in soaked through. I try to use a towel to dry her off and she'll have none of it. She'd rather find a spot, lay down, and air dry. As long as that spot isn't my chair, I let her be.

I am so tired today. I sat in my chair watching the morning news when I suddenly realized that there were different newscasters. I had fallen asleep for about 20 minutes and I think those MSNBC news people knew it and decided to screw with me. LOL I could still easily fall asleep, so this afternoon (and I mean early this afternoon) will be nap time. I've been grooming Gertie that for about an hour in the afternoon we take a nap and she's taken to it pretty easily. I guess when you're locked in a room with nothing else to do you're kind of forced into it.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Busy Days

It seems that each day is pretty busy, especially with a new puppy that has more energy than a hamster on a wheel. From 5:30 a.m. to noon she's constantly on the go, chasing down one of her toys.

Yesterday I went to Walmart and picked up a lot of little things that I needed, including batteries. I got home and went to put the AAA's into the camera, only to realize it takes AA. So today I'm going back to Walmart to exchange them. I'd keep the triple A's but batteries have gotten really expensive! Almost $7 for a pack of batteries is just too much.

The weather here has been nasty the last two days, so I've been feeling the effects of the pressure changes. This morning I've been spending the day just trying to get from chair to chair. NC called and asked me to find something on the computer. I think she was sorry she asked after she heard me groan trying to stand up. Oh well, I'm sure things will get better as soon as the rain stops.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Monday Morning

Hope you had a good weekend. Gertie and I decided to take the time off and be lazy - I wish! I ended up doing some deep cleaning, since spring has gone by and we're into summer already. One room I never close the door on and so yesterday I decided to clean behind it. There I found a stash of treats that Shadow put there. It was both sad and funny.

Today I get to tear my vaccuum cleaner apart - it's not picking up like it should. There seems to be a pox between me and vaccuums. I'd love one of those Dyson's, but who the heck can afford them.

I finally broke down Saturday and turned on the air conditioner. Once it gets over 80 degrees in the house it gets unbearable. And I worry about the dog with a fur coat on. It was fun watching Gertie find the registers for the first time and to feel the air come out of them. She's very distrustful and steers clear of them.

I wanted to go over to Walmart to do some shopping and check or some new frogs, but with this swine flu scare going on, I think I'll just stay home. I have more than enough food here to keep me fed for months if I had to. They say it may just peter out and come back next year with a vegence. Who knows what will happen.

Finally, it was sad to see that Bea Arthur died this last weekend. I remember watching her on All in the Family, Maude, and of course Golden Girls (it was my grandmother's favorite show). She had done cameos recently and was always funny and provocative. My thoughts and prayers to her family.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Friday Dog Blogging


Gertie
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino
Gertie has had a pretty good week. Her Royal Puppiness has realized that every time she goes to the door, she goes out. Now I've put her on a timer and make her wait an hour - unless she just ate. She's a little cutie so I have to work extra hard not to spoil her - but I think she's got me figured out already. She goes back to the vet's in a couple weeks for her final shots and then we'll make the appointment for spaying.

Today we were playing fetch and she'd wait until the toy stopped then she'd get this hopping, stalking run going on. I have to get a video camera. I was laughing so hard I could barely throw the toy. Then the lawn guy came - she was really good and just wanted to watch him. So we sat in the window and watched him go around and around with the mower, then get out his week wacker and do all the edging. The lawn guy came to the door and she sat right in my arm and was happy to greet him while he petted her. She's pretty good that way - barely barking and friendly.

It's Friday!

I was up early this morning, but the day seems to be slipping by fast. I spent a lot of the morning outside enjoying the warm weather. Of course I came in because it's getting hot and by this evening I'll probably have the air conditioner running. Hey, we got one morning of decent weather inbetween turning the heat off and the air conditioner on!

My lilac bush is blossoming and smelling great. I love how just a couple of blossoms can permeate the whole house and make it smell so good. I was worried about some of the cold nights - and snow - that we had would kill the daylilies off, but the leaves are already over knee high. All in all, things outside are looking good.

I'm still collecting stuffed animals to be given to charity this fall, but I decided against any further animals that wish they were frogs - it was a great idea in concept, not so much in execution. Anyway, I'll be back a little later with a new picture of Gertie.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Feeling Much Better

As you know I've been feeling pretty lame lately with a knee that swells up and throbs at the drop of a hat. Add to that Monday I went out to the pharmacy where the tech handing me my prescription sneezed and generally looked like death warmed over. Guess who felt sick several hours later? All I can say is thank goodness for Imodium! I felt a lot better waking up this morning and so off I went to the grocery store to get some staples. A good hearty breakfast after days of being sick sure tasted good. Now I've got a lot of playtime to make up with Gertie.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Happy Earth Day


Earth
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino
Today's the day to think about what we can do in the year going forward to help the planet. If there are celebrations going on near you I urge you to attend - they are usually a lot of fun, filled with information, and usually a good place to get some free stuff. Last year I picked up some great cloth shopping bags and some CFL bulbs. All put to good use.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Frog of the Day

The last couple of days have been rainy, wet, and cold here at Frog Central, so Gertie and I have taken it easy. While I have - she's a puppy with tons of puppy energy. Today I've got to run out to do a couple of small errands - last of the month bills have to be paid and pick up a prescription at CVS. Thankfully everything is drive-thru, so I don't have to try walking around on my bad knee. I could use a little magic around here to get things all finished up......

This frog collectible is from Ganz and is part of their Webkinz line. This is a figurine called Frog Sorcerer. A cute little figurine that makes a nice addition to the collection. I purchased this during April 2009.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Saturday Slacking Off

This morning Gertie got me up about 5:30 wanting to go out - so after getting her situated I went back to bed. And at 6:30 when she woke me up to go out I decided it was time to get up for the day - well, at least until I hit my chair, where I promptly found myself falling asleep.... Lil' G - as AB refers to her - went to the vet's yesterday where she got a round of puppy shots. She has to go back in 3 weeks to complete all her shots on a bit of an expedited schedule. That's because although the vet agreed she looks pretty small for her age, she's really about 6 months old. All the food she's been eating has brought her to a healthy 12 pounds. They don't think she'll get much bigger. As to breed, she's officially listed as mixed - a true Heinz 57. The rest of today I'm hoping will just be a laid back day - my knee barely made it through going out yesterday, so I'm keeping it elevated today.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Friday

It's not so normal of a Friday around here at Frog Central. I've been hobbling around here for a couple of days now with my sore knee. The swelling has gone down, but the pain is still quite intense. I've got to rest it as much as possible today because Gertie is going to the vets office this afternoon. All I can say to them is good luck in getting her to sit still for an examination and shots! LOL Gertie sleeps all night but once the light starts streaming through the windows it's time to get and go. She's like most puppies in that it's run full tilt until you can run no more then on to a couple of hours nap. Repeat process until bedtime. I put a little pet bed next to my chair in the living room which she won't sleep in, but what is nice is that she uses it to house her toys. And when we play fetch Gertie brings the item back to the bed and drops it there for me to pick up and throw again. She has a ball, but that's not her favorite thing for fetch, for that she likes to use her little lamb chew toy.

So since I've been out of commission for a couple of days I haven't gotten back to the grocery store to get batteries, so no pictures today. We'll get things back on track for next week. I hope.....

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

A Totally Not Fun Day

I decided after getting up this morning that I didn't have what I wanted for breakfast, so after getting Gertie all set, I head out to Walmart to get some bread for toast and other odds and ends (including batteries). As I headed towards the back where the batteries are located my left knee gave a very loud pop - loud enough that people around me turned and looked. Thank goodness I walk with a walker. I held on for dear life and was able to get turned around and sat down. Finally I felt well enough to make it out of the store, sans batteries. I ended up spending the rest of the day with my leg elevated, watching my knee swell to phenomenal proportions. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day......

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Another Cable Outage

It rained yesterday - all day, which of course meant that the cable internet access went down early and stayed down all day. I'm really thinking of going back to dial up if this continues. It didn't really matter to much to me though as yesterday I could barely move. I didn't think I could feel worse until I woke up this morning. Gertie is giving me a thorough workout! I'm trying to get her into a schedule where she goes out every hour (instead of every 20 minutes). Mostly I think she just wants to check out whats going on outside. Yesterday worked well until early afternoon, we'll see how things go today. In the meantime I received an e-mail that said that she looks like a cross between a fox terrier and a chihuahua, apparently a popular cross. We'll have to see what the vet says.

Petey, my bird, has finally gotten used to the new dog, but not the other way around. It must be a little intimidating when your faced with an animal almost as big as you are! LOL

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Batteries

It seems like everything uses batteries and even though you have a stockpile the size of a small mountain, when a battery goes dead, the size you need is not in the stockpile. I took out my camera this morning to take a picture of a frog and the batteries are dead. So things will have to wait until the next week when I can get to the supermarket.

Gertie is settling in well. She sleeps through the night which is fantastic. A lot of trips out during the day, but I've got a spot where I can sit while she romps the yard, trying to keep an eye on everything that's going on. Last night I was watching The Ten Commandments on and off - I've seen the movie a hundred times and so a couple times I switched away for a bit to catch parts of other showws and invariably switched back. At one point a dog is barking. Gertie got all excited and ran up to me and settled on the arm of the chair and spent the next hour watching television with me. It made me laugh and I couldn't help but compare that reaction to what Shadow's would have been - total indifference. So I told you Friday that I questioned the animal control officers sanity when he said she was two months old - well yesterday she lost a baby tooth while chewing on her rawhide - which means she's at least 4 months old. The vet should be able to give me a better determination this next week. We're just having lots of fun and I'm glad I saved her from being put down by animal control.

Oh, and Happy Easter!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Animals That Wish They Were Frogs


Webkinz Signature Panda
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino
The Panda Bear - how cute. And they are quite endangered themselves. I received a total of 4 panda bears! And while the only way these cuties could wish they were frogs is that they would move up the endangered species list - otherwise you just cant say anthing about them. Go to youtube and watch some panda videos - you'll be going awww!!! before the first video ends. So while they may wish they were frogs, I'm not going to elaborate that position.......

Friday Dog Blogging


Gertie
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino
So here's the big surprise I eluded to earlier. Yep, it's back! I'd like to introduce you to Gertie. She's a little mutt that was abandoned on the street and wandered up to my door. She's really well behaved and housebroken. Gertie has settled right in and loves to curl up at my feet to nap. She weighs all of about 5 to 8 pounds and even though she has long legs she won't be very big at all - maybe 15 pounds when she's fully grown. So there's a lot of getting used to each other and figuring out schedules and stuff, but she has settled right in nicely.

I thought after Shadow that I would never get another dog, but Gertie just waltzed right in. She'll be going to the vet's this next week for a check-up to be sure that everything is ok. The animal control officer came out and said she's probably just a couple months old, but I tend to think that she's a bit older given the fact that she's housebroken. She also seems to know several commands.

I took this picture this morning. She has been so tired today that she can barely keep her eyes open. Gertie wanted to know what I was doing and sat up, but just couldn't get those eyes open to check out the camera. Right after the flash she went right back to sleep.

Internet Problems

The internet service has been very spotty here in Tidy Town. Last Sunday we had a really bad thunderstorm that apparently damaged some of the equipment and they've been working all week trying to get it fixed. So it's hit or miss as to whether I can access the internet at all. This morning seems to be working so I'm taking advantage of it. I hope later today when I have two posts to do things will be as smooth.

Of course I'll have another installment of animals that wish they were frogs - we know they all wish that, don't we? The second is going to be a major announcement you won't want to miss! Intrigued yet. Stay tuned, as they say.....

Last night the rain started pouring here and I awoke with quite the fright at about 2:30 this morning - the whole entire house shaking and the sound of thunder so loud I couldn't hear myself think. I don't know where the lightning hit, but it had to be pretty close.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Hot Chocolate

Sure tastes good this morning - temperatures here dropped to below freezing last night. While it's supposed to warm up into the low 50's today - tonight's low is forecast to be 27 degrees! What happened to spring? On top of everything is the forecast for rain to start tonight or early tomorrow. It seems wrong to worry about ice in April.

With the weather woes, I woke up this morning with my joints feeling like they had been worked over with a sledge hammer while I slept. Hopefully a second cup of hot chocolate (and a little green pill) will make for a more comfortable morning.

I was watching television last night and saw an ad for Walgreens and it got me wondering where the closest store to me was. Over 40 miles away! Guess I won't be going anytime soon. We have a CVS here in town and they carry much of the same thing. I guess I really ought to go get this day started.......

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Frog of the Day

Finally I'm connected to the Internet. Sunday, shortly after I blogged about the saving frogs day the thunder and lightning became intense here and continued through the rest of the day. The internet service went down and stayed down until late this morning. So much of our lives are connected to the internet these days. While it was nice to be unplugged and read a book for a while - I kept constantly thinking about what was happening on-line that I was missing!

This frog collectible is from Ganz and is called Surfing Tree Frog Figure. Steve from Michigan wanted to let me know that the Webkinz had more than just the plush - so he sent along a couple of these figurines. They feel like they are made out of a hardened rubber type material. Great little item to add to the collection that arrived yesterday.

Sunday, April 05, 2009

Save The Frogs Day - April 28th

April 28th is Save The Frogs Day. You can check out the Save The Frogs website. Find out what you can do to help stop the extinction of our collectibles inspiration. They also have an awesome poster that you purchase! Please check them out.

Friday, April 03, 2009

Animals That Wish They Were Frogs


Webkinz - Lion
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino
I'm running late today. I made it out to the post office and then went to Walmart but the parking lot was full, so decided to go to IGA instead. I made it home and had to put together the dip recipe that AB gave me - delicious! And so easy to make.

This is another animal that you know just wishes it were a frog. They are both kings of their respective domains, but lions have to be out on the dusty plains, whereas frogs get to hop around the local watering hole. Then of course there's all that running around trying to get dinner for the family - bugs just come to frogs and they stick out that long tongue and voila - dinner! Finally, while people love to look at the majestic lion, I don't see anyone ready to go out and kiss one. You just know that the lion wishes it were a frog......


Remember - all these plush animals you send me this year will be donated to charity. If you would like to send a new plush - such as the Webkinz shown here, send it to 618 N. Olive Road, Flora, Illinois 62839. I'm getting quite a collection here for the kids. In these tough economic times let's all pull together and make sure that the kids will have a good Christmas this year. You might say it's early in the year to be thinking of such things, but if we get an early start it won't hurt the wallet as much.

Thursday, April 02, 2009

More Frogs on the Way!

I received an e-mail that I was receiving a couple new frogs from someone who reads the blog but wants to remain anonymous. The collection is growing more and more each month. I'm looking forward to the frog collectors get together in June, which takes place just south of St. Louis. I hope to meet lots of fellow froggers!

It is raining here in Southern Illinois - again. At least we're getting a gentle rain and not the sever stuff like what is happening in the southeast. The rain is supposed to pretty much keep on through the weekend and mix with snow by Monday. But then another warm-up back into the 70's is supposed to happen. That will make my day for sure!

Today is the 2nd, so I have my afternoon of writing the monthly bills out all planned for me. I figured I'd get them done this afternoon so I can head out first thing in the morning to the post office to get them mailed. Then I'm going to head over to Walmart - AB gave me a great tortilla dip recipe. She made it when I was out visiting her in January and I'd like to try my hand at making it. Then I have to rush home and get ready to post another animal that wishes it were a frog.......

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Frog of the Day


WebkinzFrog
Originally uploaded by KenCalvino
I was going to post yesterday, but it was kind of a sad day for me - it's been 9 months since The Frog Wrangler passed away and so I spent the day looking over the memory box that I had made as well as a picture album I put together. It doesn't seem possible that 9 months have gone by already.

This frog is a virtual frog! I decided to take the frog that I got for Christmas to see what this whole Webkinz craze is about. Plus I have a friend with three daughters who kept wanting me to come visit them and their animals. So I caved in and I put together this modest little room for Hoppy, my virtual frog. Kind of cute, but they're a lot of work to keep happy!

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