It’s not my most favorite job but sometimes for friends and family I will do a little maintenance on their computers. I finally got around to helping out a family member by giving them a computer that I wasn’t using anymore. They said that they were having a few ‘problems’ with their old computer. I brought their old computer home to transfer their files to an external hard drive.

My son, Matthew, who works with me in my home business, was tasked with the job of setting up the computer and copying the files. I was downstairs doing laundry when all of a sudden I heard all three of my kids screaming and laughing and jumping and carrying on upstairs. Mallory came to get me because Matthew had found a frog inside the computer.

My family member is certain that it was her ‘pet’ frog that kept the bugs off her porch. She assumes that the frog took a free trip inside when she brought in the plants this fall. The poor, unlucky frog was just trying to stay warm.

It was quite an ordeal trying to get the frog out of the computer since Matthew and Mallory were both freaking out at the thoughts of the frog getting in the house. Neither one of them are fond of small creatures. Mason, on the other hand, isn’t afraid of many things and rescued us all from the petrified frog. Of course, I then had to advise against any cruelty to small animals even after they are dead. He mentioned something about a firecracker. I will never understand the minds of teenage boys. I successfully talked him out of that, but then had to rescue Mallory as he tried to terrorize her with the poor little frog.

Although Matthew and Mallory were not fond of the experience, they enjoyed calling our family member and sharing the contents of their old computer. They invited them over for a dinner of frog legs – either fried or petrifried. Roxie, the dog, was about to take them up on the offer when I strongly advised that Mason take the poor, dead frog outside and dispose of him properly.

I’m glad that’s over. I’m also glad that my family member had a ‘pet’ frog instead of a ‘pet’ snake!