Frog Went A-Courtin'

Not much happens in the forest resulting in big news. But the much-anticipated marriage of Felix Frog to Miss Mouse is an exception. It was the event of the decade down in the hollow, not far from here. The wedding was spectacular however it was the reception that has everyone talking. The speech by Uncle Rat honoring the couple was the highlight of the celebration.

It did not take Felix Frog long to propose to Miss Mouse. He was smitten with her ever since he first saw her selling cheese at the local church bazaar. He regularly pursued her, presenting her with flowers any chance he had. First Miss Mouse denied she cared about Frog, but it was quite evident from her smiles and the stares she gave him he was something special to her. It was not the customary manner of proposing since Felix took Miss Mouse upon his knee, asking her to marry him. But Felix has never been one to follow in ordinary fashion. In fact, he is the only one in the hollow who carries a sword and pistol by his side. Some of the town folk find that a little strange. Others have difficulty in understanding what Miss Mouse sees in Frog. He is tall, but his green, slimy and warty skin is a stark contrast to the smooth, soft brown skin of his betrothed. And that black top hat on his head! No other male in the hollow wears such a hat along with a crushed blue velvet vest!

Weeks had come and gone before a final date was set for the wedding. Some feel it was the Frog who delayed the date of the ceremony due to multiple trips to the far side of the pond at the end of the hollow. His excuse was he had to find other places to hunt for food. However, Millie Millipede, the self-anointed town gossip, swore he had a lover over yonder. There was even talk he had fathered a few pollywogs. No one is sure whether this talk bothered Miss Mouse or not. She was set on marrying.

To continue the unconventional manner in how this holy event did take place, it was Uncle Rat who picked out the wedding gown for his niece. It was green! Where he found such a dress was unbeknownst to anyone. Miss Mouse had little to say about the matter. There was much arguing as to where the wedding and reception should be. Finally, Uncle Rat and Felix convinced her of the proper locale. She was hoping to have it down in the field of daisies bordering the pond. She finally agreed to a spot by the old oak tree. Even what the wedding supper should be raised some tempers. Frog had the final say: two green beans and a black-eyed pea.

All of who's who in the hollow were invited to the wedding reception. The first to come was the little white moth, May. She brought the tablecloth and spread it across a few smooth rocks that were place conveniently next to one another. Tall willow trees provided additional shade for the well-wishers. Several black birds settled in the tree branches to get a better view of the festivities. Maybe they were curious as to which town folk would partake at the event. Perhaps they had ulterior motives.

Fortunately there were plenty of toadstools by the rocks for folks to gather and sit for a spell. The music was provided by Billy and the Bumblebees. Billy was phenomenal playing the fiddle! The next to come was the Flea family. They danced the jig while Billy fiddled away. Arriving right after were the Caterpillar twins. They seemed amused watching the Flea children dance. One of the twins joined in while the other laughed hardily.

Two, who were not invited, attended anyway and caused quite a stir. Sam Snake slithered into the hollow and, while everyone was watching the bride and groom dance, he swallowed the wedding cake! How this went unnoticed is beyond belief. Misses Cow wandered in and almost trampled May Moth and some of Carl Cricket's offspring. Miss Cow claims she was only trying to dance to the music. The Bumblebees had to stop playing and escort both the snake and cow away from the hollow.

As the celebration grew to a close, Uncle Rat called for everyone's attention. He had a few words to say to honor the bride and groom:

My good friends of this community. We are gathered here

to honor the nuptial union of my niece, Miss Mouse, and

Felix Frog. It is not easy for a lonely uncle to give away his

only relative. But this frog makes her happy. I believe he

truly does love her and that is all I care about. I do need to

apologize to my niece before I continue any further. I want

to say I am sorry for not allowing you an equal say in where

the wedding and reception should be and which foods to

have for the supper. Please forgive me. Please also accept

my apology for not allowing you to pick out your own

wedding gown. That was very foolish of me. You had every

right to be upset. I am sure Frog realizes how good and

blessed he is to have you as his wife, his partner, and his

equal. So, Frog, I want to welcome you into our family.

This leads me into a few closing remarks. Although Felix

comes from an amphibian background and I am a rodent,

these are only outward differences between us. We like

different foods, we have different habitats, but we do

have the same internal drive and the same needs, especially

for love. Do we not need to help one another in times of

sorrow and share in the joy when celebrating together? My

friends of our hollow, let's embrace our differences and

celebrate our sameness. Whether it be the color or texture

of our skin, our genus, our manners, or a multitude of other

ways in which we differ, I am here to attest that each of us

is an integral member of this community. We are alike in so

many more ways than in how we differ. Our community has

thrived because of how we interact and help one another. I

love how we all have come together to celebrate this lovely

couple in marriage. May Frog and Miss Mouse have a long

and blessed life together.