Tadpole in the Mail

Apparently somebody thought we needed more pets. Because when I went out to get the mail today, I found a tadpole in a test tube sitting in my mail box.

Okay, so maybe I should back this story up a bit.  Last July, my father-in-law took my son to Gander Mountain to select a birthday present.  I figured that would be a good place to get something useful, like camping or fishing gear.  Well, when the boy and the old man came home, they did not have anything that looked like camping or fishing gear.  They had a frog habitat.  You know - one of those things  where you send for a tadpole and then you watch it grow up to be a nice little frog.

"Seriously?"  I said when I saw it.  "We already have a frog."

"That's what he wanted," said Grandpa.

I shook my head.  Thanks a lot, Grandpa.

So we sent the request for the tadpole.  It usually comes within a month.  Not this one.  We got a nice message that they were out of stock.  So their frogs had to get busy to make more.

Fine.

Fall came.  Winter came.  No tadpole.  I was secretly pleased.  I figured they had lost the order, and no tadpole would be arriving at our abode.

Well, they didn't forget.  We now have a nice leopard frog tadpole sitting in a mini-swamp next to the African clawed frog and hermit crabs.  His name is Speedy.

Okay, everybody. Listen up.  I do not want any more pets!  So don't even think about sending me another tadpole in a test tube!