Blackberries

On my to-do list was to move the builder's 'burn pile' to a place where it will actually be burned.   The builders had left scraps of wooden materials in a small pile outside of Sleipnir.    I wasn't about to burn them that close to a building but they had to be moved soon since that area needs to be landscaped.  I repurposed some pieces and placed others on the split logs next to the dog's run.  I was down to the last large pieces of particle board.  When I lifted the top one crickets went scattering everywhere.  When I lifted the bottom one, a large fat toad stared up at me.  Yikes.  I replaced both boards.  Keeping a toad around is a good thing - just not in this location.  He needed a toad house somewhere else.  I'd heard of toad houses.  A bit of crockery w/ an opening left in a garden area where the toad could tuck away during the daylight hours.  I had noticed a piece of square PVC that Brent had used to fix the sleeve the garden post fits in.  It was a little less than a foot long, open at both ends, and a large slit on two sides.  I dug into the gravel next to the front of Mjolnir.  Placed the PVC (w/ one of the slots on top) in the ditch I'd made. Pushed the gravel back in and around the PVC.  Stuck a large squarish rock to keep the gravel from falling in one end of the pipe.  On the top, I placed a small piece of 2x4 from the burn pile to cover the top slot.  Scraped out a gravel ramp into the half-buried opening.  Nearby I settled down into the gravel a pyrex pie-plate I use on the deck as a bird-bath/dog dish.    Tonight after sunset, I went out and removed the particle board pieces from the burn pile.  Yep the toad was still there.  I leaned one piece against the side of Mjolnir shading the PVC house.  I don't know if toad's smell "home' but anything to entice  Mr. Toad across the driveway.  If that doesn't do it, the water in the dish probably will.  I can check tomorrow by lifting the piece of 2/x 4 covering the top slot on the PVC.  If it works, will look for something 'prettier' for next year.