When I arrived home from running errands, I found Tom and Neko sitting at the patio table. Clearly working on a surprise for me, I loudly put bags away until Neko appeared around a corner.
“I have a note for you,” she said as she handed me this purple paper. In case you can’t read it, it says “Toady” which is the name of the toad that sat waiting for me in her new bug bucket. We marveled at the toad, at how big she was in comparison to the last toad.
After about half an hour, it was getting dark and it was time to let her go. I love more than anything that Neko is so interested in finding these creatures, but it’s always a struggle when it’s time to let them go. Even sending a ladybug home is a dewey-eyed affair.
I assured her we probably had not seen the last of Toady, that we were sure to see her again this summer. Finally, we let her go and went inside to read some more adventures of Frog and Toad.