Well, it’s official. Frogs and I understand one another.

When my townhouse was recently power-washed, some of the front door trim was stripped of its paint. This morning I tasked myself with repainting. I organized all the stuff that goes along with such a project and placed it on top of a repurposed bag on the stoop.

That’s when I noticed something move under the leaves of the “rock garden” where the outdoor spigot lives. Upon close examination, it was a frog! I haven’t seen a frog in my yard for awhile, so this was an exciting turn of events. Naturally, I said hello and asked him his name. Well, it wasn’t Jeremiah. It was Theodore. Anyway, I chatted him up a little and he angled ever so slightly toward the house. We were quiet for a moment, and then I said, “I guess you want to cross the porch and go into the bushes then?” Theodore said nothing. So I suggested, “Maybe you could go across the perpendicular path into the azaleas instead. That way you don’t have to worry about me while I work.”

About this time, the neighbor girl — who was a lot older than I ever suspected because these are neighbors I hear through the walls, but seldom see — came out to retrieve packages from her own porch. Well, out came her little white dog, too, making a beeline for me. (A dog I’ve heard, but have never seen.) The frog didn’t flinch even once. Dog was retrieved, girl apologized and returned inside.

I asked Theodore if he was as surprised by the dog as I had been, and congratulated him on his being able to remain so steady during the episode. He re-positioned himself to face me and now I could get a good look at him. “Oh! Your snout is pointier than I think of for frogs. That’s interesting. And look at all your stripes and dots! And your front legs are little and your back legs are big and strong for hopping.” Well, apparently, Theodore doesn’t like to be chatted up because he hopped up on the porch, right next to my painting supplies, and made sure I knew he planned to hop across the porch into the bush — he’d rejected the alternate path I’d suggested.

I sighed and stepped away from the porch, leaned up against my car in the driveway and said, “Okay, I’ll just wait here while you go across, then.”

Hop, hop. (Half-way point on the stoop)

A few minutes pass in silence.

Hop, hop, hop. (Now under cover in the bushes)

“Okay, bye Theodore! It was fun to see you.”

I guess he’s someone else’s prince because he sure didn’t let me get close enough to kiss him. Maybe he thought I was a little too talkie.