After Aldoin and I were convinced that the frogs were no longer a threat, we climbed into my car. I checked that too, still looking for frogs, and drove down to the local KFC for some chicken. As I slowly pulled my car up to the drive-thru window I head a funny noise. This time it was duck. I looked around from my car to the KFC lot and couldn’t find a duck anywhere nearby. Then I looked outside my driver’s side window at the ground. There, against the wall of the KFC, sat a mother mallard duck sitting on a nest of eggs looking straight up at me.

She was right below the pick-up window. I was so surprised to see this. This wasn’t Petty Coat Junction! This was the Tampa, a full-blown city with cars, stores, offices and KFC’s! What on earth was she doing here with cars passing by all day long? My mouth hung open as I paid the KFC girl and got my order. I raced home to tell Dan about the duck. He smiled and told me to stop taking the fireplace poker outside. Ducks nesting at KFC’s are normal. Ducks and other kinds of birds that like water are everywhere here. This is Florida.

As the weeks went by I slowly began to get used to my new life here. The thunderstorms do not frighten me as much anymore, nor am I surprised to find a little frog hopping across my living room carpet while I am watching TV. Now I just pick it up, if I can, and take it outside where it belongs. I found strange odd colored frogs stuck on our front door.

The mother duck successfully managed to hatch her eggs at the KFC and somehow got her ducklings across the busy boulevard to one of the ponds close by. Aldoin and I enjoyed going to the pond to watch the ducklings swim and play. This was all new to us. We have since seen armadillos and turtles on roadways. I was no longer surprised to see them around slowly trying to cross a road without getting squished. I often tried to pull over if it was safe enough to move them out of harm’s way. This California city girl was learning.

Crane by the Lake

Otter in Brandon Neighborhood Lake

We have since moved to our new home in Brandon, just east of Tampa, and I thought we left behind the multitude of frogs that sang us to sleep after a good rain. It’s very quiet and peaceful here in the new community sub-division that has its own lakes and ponds too. The sub-division was in a new area and there was a lot of under-developed land around our home. Businesses are few and one could drive anywhere in town within 15 minutes.

Recently, I found a little frog sitting outside my doorstep. It was first one I had seen since moving to this new home. I gently caught and carried him over the nearest pond. It had just rained earlier that day and the sun was setting. I carefully released the little creature out by the water’s edge. It looked lost as it hopped away from me. Pelicans and ducks went about their business, completely ignoring me. No sign of alligators but I bet there were some, somewhere.

“So, this is Florida?” I asked the egrets that picked around the grassy pond areas. It was then I heard it. The noise. The ribbiting. I smiled to myself as I realized I wouldn’t be missing that frog chorus for long after all.