I haven't heard any this year. Glad to hear there is still hope and that there might be a few around here too. Maybe there will be enough puddles left by the recent rain for any toads that might be lurking to breed.

Joan...I love it. These photos bring back memories. We lived in South Dakota for several years. Did you see the Yellow headed blackbirds? Pheasants would roost in our cedar trees at night in the backyard. It was a great place to raise our son and a great place to feel close to nature.

The cat likes to be comfortable carries it's own pillow around lol That is funny. I so miss my kitties and their antics. We had a Maine Coon at one time too, really big and fluffy and so pretty. He loved to go out and hunt. Often I would find gifts at the door. He just showed up at our house in Oklahoma one day back when we had lots of really big dogs, 2 Danes, Afghan, lab. One of the Danes hated cats which is why we did not have any then. That cat said oh no you don't I am going to live here too and sure enough he did. He was definitely an outside cat but we had his shots and took care of him and he just loved us and the dogs lol. Smudge is a cool dude!

I'm lovin' all you guys' stories. We truly are a buncha nuts aren't we?? LOL So, we moved into our house in 2000, after living in a mobile home park for nearly 11 yrs before that. I became a rose nut while there, and I knew one day we'd get outta the park and get our own home with property.... so most of my roses were planted in big 16" plastic pots so we could move them when that day came. Problem was.. I had accumulated around 800 by that time, including a couple 100 minis in 8" pots. So even with 2 young boys and their toys, the bulk of our move was potted roses! The property is a good 1/3 acre on a corner lot at the fork of a circular road. With all the pots all over the virgin yard (no fence, very few native plants, mostly dirt) people would drive by and stop and ask if we were opening a nursery. I (or my husband) would just laugh and say, "nope... it's just a serious rose obsession!... they're all for us." Over the yrs, the neighbors just got used to seeing the crazy rose lady out there. I don't necessarily wear weird attire while out there, but I do have to have something on my feet to protect them from all the crap out there. Unfortunately, working two jobs for awhile there, plus helping to care for my elderly mom the last 7+yrs, time became an issue, and living in the "sticks" up in the Sierras with all of Mother Nature and her wild flora and fauna, things can get out of control very fast. I'm quite sure my neighbors wonder why the heck I haven't gotten all the weeds, and the massive blackberries and heavily overgrown underplantings taken care of. I feel like I'm losing the battle. But, I did have one of the neighbors the other day stop to let me know our dog had gotten out and she'd come to visit their dog, and I apologized for the broken gates that my husband hasn't fixed yet. But he said it was ok and then very kindly said he wanted to thank me for all I do in my yard. He said everyone enjoys seeing my roses blooming! So that made me feel good (even tho I had to apologize for all the weeds) for which he offered his daughter to come help dig them out. But I wouldn't put a little kid thru that. It's too much for an adult! LOL Altho I don't wear funky clothes out there in the yard, I do have to add that I wear some crazy badges of honor, between the gardening and taking care of the chickies. My arms get covered with bruises and scratches! I just turned 60 last month and the last couple of yrs I notice I get those horrible red blood spots whenever I get a minor wound. A thorn poking my arm will create a dime-sized (or larger) red spot. Multiple thorns will make my arm or hand look like I was in a horrific accident! And chickie bites do the same thing! Sooo... instead of getting upset about it, I just wear those wounds proudly! If anyone asks what happened to me, I just say the roses bit me or the chickies bit me! Oh and the other day I came to the shop in a black sweatshirt with chicken poop on the lower front! In fact I just noticed the shirt I'm wearing now looks like it does too! Geez!! Oh well.. I don't care! I love my chickies and I love my roses!!!