"It isn't easy being green." ~ Kermit The Frog

I have some great help at work, keeping the bugs off my house plants. There are several tiny Pacific Tree Frogs that live in the house plant atrium that are my assistants. They do a good job eating bugs and enjoying the moist environment of the house plant area, and early in the morning, before we open, they sing for me.

One day, I had to take a bunch of gardenias out onto the loading dock to spray them for “scale”. (The one bug frogs can’t help me with.) As I plastered this plant with insecticide, one of the tiny green frogs bailed off the plant onto the floor. To my horror, I realized I’d just coated him with insecticide! I dropped my bottle of Mr. Yuk, and began pursuing the tiny frog. I knew I had to rinse him off or he’d die. But he was soooo fast! I chased him halfway across our huge loading dock, and past the hose with spray nozzle. Ah, ha! I didn’t have to catch him, just hit him with plenty of water. So then I was chasing him, all over the other half of the dock, sending water everywhere. The pursuit finally ended when I corned him against the far wall, a box, and my foot. I gave him (and my foot) a good gentle shower, and I am convinced he lived to see another day.

However, when I turned around, the loading dock foreman, Greg, was standing there with his hands on his hips.

“F-frog,… there’s a frog here. I accidentally sprayed him with insecticide. I HAD to rinse him off….” I said, standing there in a puddle, one leg soaked nearly to my knee.

Greg just shook his head and walked off. I figured I’d get called into the Manager’s office later and get a talking to about soaking the loading dock. But I never heard anything. I guess Greg likes frogs, too.