Tales' End

 Frog Tales Marathon 

I hope this Frog Tales Marathon has entertained you. Here are some parting words for you to hop into.

It's not easy being green. - Kermit

Not all frogs turn into princes. Some will forever remain toads. - Anonymous

The frog does not drink up the pond in which it lives. - Indian Proverb

Make a splash,

Look before you leap,

Don't jump to conclusions,

Enjoy a good swim,

Hop to it! - Advice From A Frog

DIY cross-stitched Keroppi planner

Finally, this thought:

May the light always find you on a dreary day

When you need to be home, may you find your way

May you always have courage to take a chance

And never find frogs in your underpants.

Keroppi earring and necklace set find at Five Below

Frog Humor

 Frog Tales Marathon 

For a ribbiting good time, I thought we could go ahead and leap into the world of frog humor's TOP TEN list.

1 Why are frogs so happy?     Because they eat whatever bugs them.

2 What do frogs do with paper?     They rip-it.

3 Why do frogs always do a great job?     Because they just hop into it.

4 Why didn’t the frog park on the side of the road?     He was afraid of getting toad.

5 What kind of music do frogs listen to?     Hip hop

6 What is a frog’s favorite time of year?     Leap year

7 What do you get when you cross a frog and a dog?     A croaker spaniel

8. How do frogs end their letters?     Hopping this finds you well!

9. What kind of shoes do frogs wear?     Open toad sandals

10 What did the frog say to its friend who was feeling down?     “Don’t worry, be hoppy!”

And there you have it. 

May these jump-start your day!

 

AND WHEN I DIE...

Ashes to ashes…

I suppose that was already made clear in our will.

Maui: 2018

Needless to say, no wake or funeral. Life is too short for one, but should you find the need to gather, let it be small. Among family only.

Above all else, let it be a celebration.

Black looks dreary. Let that day when tomorrow starts without me be a splash of color.

I find no need for a sermon. After all, no funeral sermons were ever preached in the Bible. However, if you deem closure words are in order, let them be brief, only from my daughters and their family. I find the scripture from Psalm 23 very comforting.

Music may be a consolation for the grieving, but rather than solo vocals, I'm partial to piano rendition from my daughters and Jach, as conditions allow and as they please. Perhaps folks singing Amazing Grace.

Hawaii Kai: 2021

Come time to dispose of ashes, maybe outdoors, somewhere? Where Chip and his kind, robins, and hummingbirds are; and seeds of the wheat grass fly with the wind. 

Not underground or in water.

I’m claustrophobic and can’t swim.

Definitely have an eating party afterward. Kuya Ian’s Filipino resto, perhaps? I hope he’d have buko pandan or leche flan, at least, for besert.

Please let my brothers know of my decision to drift rather than be interred among family in the Philippines. Though far across the distance and spaces, my spirit will always go on to them.

As I float upon a cloud, I’ll be watching with a smile.

When you look at the horizon, you can be certain that I’d be roaming free, in the perfection that’s mine at last.

Thanks for acquiescing.

LOVE FROM

Adoracion Llenado Torio-Velasco

Bud, Mom, Grandma, Chon, Doris

August 21, 2025

Studio, Hawaii Kai: 2025

Sandbox Surprise

 Frog Tales Marathon 

When does hibernation start, because I am 100% participating in that. - Anonymous

Pleasant day.

The morning sun was throwing specks of light on the huge, backyard lawn. I had never seen the place look so peaceful. There were scattered ripples of mud and puddles, but the air was fresh after the previous night's rain.

The Girls, three and five years old at the time, were already up, headed outside to the sandbox. It was time for play. Building forts and castles.

Rectangles of light were cast on the sandy mounds which the Girls had started to sculpt when...

... Ribbit!  

The sound from a frog wakened from its deep slumber resounded.

Second Daughter was bubbling enthusiastically, her eyes wide, while First Daughter yelled with an undercurrent of excitement in her voice.

Mom! Look!

It must have been a terrestrial American toad that had burrowed deep into the sand. A tree frog, perhaps, hibernating. Although winters in the southwest were mild, temperatures at night may drop near or below freezing.

Its huge, globular eyes protruding from the top of its head were eyeing them, seemingly saying, Wanna play?

The Girls were bubbling in awe and amazement. They were smitten.

Come on in, I admonished them cheerfully. Breakfast time. Let's leave it alone for now.

They were pleading, But can we play with him later?

Nibbling the insides of their chicken pot pie, they chattered about building a frog house. Can we make him a small swimming pool? What shall we call it? Is it a boy or a girl?

All I could think about was 100% participation in the poetry of hibernation and the comfort of reclusion.

But The Girls were seeing something else in a most ordinary wart-bodied amphibian. 

Magic.

Mystery.

They were living the best part of a journey, experiencing surprise and wonder along the way.

 

Froggy

  Frog Tales Marathon 

Being there for a child is the most noble thing a toy can do. - Woody, Toy Story

It's hard to visualize the toys The Girls had some fifty years ago – all save a few like Froggy. He's as clear as if he were sitting on the Little Bed in the Little Room. 

Froggy was Second Daughter's baptismal gift from her godfather.

Now half-a-century old, he looks simply worn, dilapidated, grubby.

His original eyes, fallen off, had been replaced with googly eyes; his nostrils, re-embroidered with two small dots. His bow tie had been lost.

Froggy sits on Second Daughter's original childhood red bureau in the Grandkids' Little Room in current Columbus home. Hand-me-up Ollie from Grandson keeps him company.

I'm pretty sure that Froggy was there to hear Second Daughter's first word, peach. Or when she first turned over. When Little Girl woke in the deepest dark of night and heard the driving rain, she must have reached out a hand and held his furry leg, and gone to sleep again.

In a world where everyone seems to be larger and louder than yourself, it must have been very comforting to have a quiet and loyal companion. As Little Girl grew up, Froggy must have known her secrets and kept them. 

To this day, Second Daughter is probably no longer emotionally attached to Froggy. Realistically, she has realized that he is sewn, a mere stuffed item. Logically, she knows he is not a living thing. 

But in actuality, if the heart were true, I'm thinking that it doesn't matter much if an eye socket had dropped off. Froggy deserves a dignified old age.

In a world gone crazy, he remains to be a memento of what was comforting.

Uncomplicated.

A dependable hunk of sanity. 

 

Frog Prince

 Frog Tales Marathon 

Sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince. - Bianca Frazier

Beware of amphibians who can speak in verse.

That seems to be the moral of The Frog Prince.

You know the story. 

A young princess is playing with a golden ball by a woodland spring one day, throwing the ball in the air and catching it.

Once when she throws the ball up, though, she fails to catch it and it falls into the spring. She looks into the water but it’s so deep that she cannot see the bottom of the spring, and so cannot retrieve her ball. She’s so fond of her little ball that she sighs and says she would give all her fine clothes and possessions if she could get it back.

Now it gets exciting.

A frog’s head pops up out of the water. He offers to retrieve the ball in exchange for her friendship. He is actually a prince who has been cursed by a sorcerer.  

The progression is all too familiar.

In the end, the spell is broken when the princess kisses the frog who is transformed back into a prince. And they live happily ever after.

The end.

Very classic fairy-tale ending. I couldn't have scripted it better.

Admit it. 

We're all waiting for our fairy tale ending. But in real life, happy endings are few and far between. 

Not to remain hopeless, though. Who knows? 

Right in the middle of ordinary life, love can give us a fairy tale.