We had to get up at 6AM in order to be ready to take Dick to the clinic for his ultra sound. When we got there, they told us it would take about an hour an a half, so I just went home and cleaned the bathrooms, watered plants. Then, on my way back, I stopped to the new Kwik Trip for my free coffee, milk and potatoes and my 99 cent donuts. It was fun. When I got to the clinic, Dick was all ready to go except for me helping him put on his stockings. Those over the knee high stockings really take two to get on a person. We found out that it is a good thing he has them because Dr. Siddique would want him to wear them after the surgery anyway.

After we got Dick home, I went to the Sheboygan Historical Research Center to assemble the prototype of the mass folder for the 12th at St. Michaels. That was fun and it really looks nice.

We seem to have a really big "infestation" of amphibians. After I saw the green frog that I showed you a picture of, Chelsea found a pretty good sized toad in the front garden. Then this morning when I was watering the plants in the garden by the front walk I saw a really teeny little toad there.

I remember one morning when I lived in Santa Ana CA. Bret was just little, maybe two and we were getting dressed for the day in my bedroom. Suddenly I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. Bret saw it at the same time and let out a yelp and climbed me like a tree. It was a good sized toad. I jumped too until I saw what it was. I tried to convince him that it was nothing to worry about. Don't think I succeeded. I guess the cat dragged it in, otherwise, there is no way it could have gotten that far into the house. We took it outside an let it go.

This reminds me of another incident with "critters." I was hanging clothes in the back yard (still in Santa Ana. Bret was about four and playing with his friend, Bret Alan, who lived two doors down the street. Suddenly, I heard a blood curdling scream from the front yard and hightailed it out there. Here was Bret Alan about 20 feet away from my Bret with his eyes as big as his face and his hand over his mouth in absolute terror. Bret was on one knee and also terrified. He screamed. "A cocapiller is crawling up my leg."

Poor thing. A caterpillar WAS crawling up his leg. So I found some jars and we took that caterpillar and a couple more along with twigs and leaves and I showed them how to put holes in the lid and that they should be patient and lo and behold we got butterflies. We had a lot of jars after that but they were no longer afraid of "cocapillers".

Mary