One of the plants I moved here from the old house is a toad lily that I've had for years. It was in part shade at the old house and while it was pretty when it bloomed, it never really stood out. It gets far more sun here at the new house and has been blooming its little heart out this September.
We also have a resident toad or two in the flower beds immediately in front of the house. I've named the larger one Mr. Lumpy. He's the shy, retiring type but will puff up in self importance if Oscar gets a little too close to him.
Years ago I ran across a picture of a young witchy woman picking up toads and putting them into a basket. The caption was "Gather ye toads while ye may." That's a reference to the poem by the 17th century poet Robert Herrick entitled "To the Virgins, Make Much of Time", which begins with "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may." Mr. Herrick's poetry belongs to the carpe diem school of thought, where time is brief, lives are short, and we damn well better enjoy the world while we're still in it.
Not a bad sentiment as we move into what's shaping up to be a beautiful fall, toads and all.
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