RIP Margarita and Otis

Otis the Bullfrog lived a happy life in my backyard pond. Raised from a tad, he was the smarter of the two and managed to keep himself from getting trapped in the filter basket time and time again (unlike his buddy, Jeremiah, who never made it to full-fledged frog). Otis grew into a fat, glorious bullfrog with an wonderful baritone and a delightful song. Listening to him sing was magical, and it brought a smile to my face every single time. Last week, he sang his final song.

I'm not exactly sure what happened. I suspect that he was trying to escape a predator, maybe an ambitious bird, and when he leaped into the water he over-shot his landing. At any rate, he got himself caught in the pump intake and was unable to survive. He croaked, and it sucks. (Replacing the pump for $500 wasn't so great either.) I totally miss hearing his song. It's just not the same.

Margarita the Hen also lived a happy life in the backyard. Of my three hens, she was the eldest (by two weeks) and largest. She quickly surrendered her Alpha Hen status when Fiesta stepped up and declared herself top of the pecking order. Margarita was a sweet natured and gentle bird, a good deal slower than her housemates. She never laid a single egg, though the other two lay almost every day. Although she somehow managed to find the mealworms first, she would just grab them in her beak and run away with them... not stopping to eat them for fear that Fiesta or Cholula would take it from her. Silly girl.

Over the last couple of weeks, I noticed that she was lagging behind more than usual and seeming to get lost in the yard. She would wander in the opposite direction of Fiesta and Cholula, then look around and call out for them in a forlorn voice. Last week, I heard a terrible commotion in the backyard while I was getting dressed for work. I looked out the window to see Fiesta and Cholula calling out frantically, while poor Margarita was lying on her back in the hen run.

I ran outside and sure enough, Margarita was gasping for air, unable to pick herself up off the ground. I quickly wrapped her up in an old towel and just held her, speaking softly to her as she faded away. A single tear fell from her eye as she gave her last breath. I'm not gonna lie, I kinda lost it. Afterwards, I wrapped her carefully and laid her to rest.

Rough week.

Animals are beautiful, and they add so much to our lives if we let them.