Frogs of the Zombie Apocalypse

Really late one night a few weeks ago Derek was outside and could hear the most awful sound. He couldn't even describe it except as something creepy beyond belief that made him want to get back inside the house as fast as possible.  I put it up to dogs howling in the distance and echoing off some of the hillsides...

During the rainstorm on Sunday, water

was running down the yard in streamlets

like this.  The back slopes to the west and

then both sides and the front slope south to

the lane from the main road to our house.

At the bottom they drain into a little stream

that meanders through the neighborhood.

Considering it case solved, I dismissed it because pretty much everyone out here has dogs, most live outside and more than a few run the neighborhood freely.  Every now and again they all point their noses moonward and put up a big racket in the middle of the night.

Then Saturday, the first night home with the puppies, I had them out for that one last attempt to go potty before bed and I could hear the most awful noise. Completely scary and totally indescribable.

I made Derek come outside with us and he confirmed it was the same noise and asked me what I thought it was.

I was a little unnerved so I tried to make a joke... there's a cemetery just past the houses on the next road over and I said it's ghosts coming up from their graves.

THAT did not go over well!

He pointedly told me I was not nearly as funny as I thought I was and jokes like that would get a 'For Sale' sign planted in the front yard ASAP.

Seemingly coming from different places around us, we've heard it a few times since then.  A few nights ago it sounded a whole lot closer, like right across the road where the stream curves along the side of the lane, and instead of panicking this time, I stopped and actually listened closely.  It was puzzling for a few minutes.  And then, I realized what's making the noise.

Frogs.

Yes... frogs.

A closer look at the streamlet.

There are little streams all over these wooded areas and the boy frogs have been out there croaking out a real symphony trying to woo the girl frogs for mating season. And then the Mocking Birds pick it up and it sounds like the cacophony is, indeed, rising.  They're loud and when it rains and gets foggy everything blends together eerily.  And that freaks the dogs out so they start howling and it echoes through all the trees and pretty soon it does sound like the ghosts are rising from their graves and gathering to start the zombie apocalypse!

Silly frogs...


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