I bought this ceramic frog 30 years ago, and he has been my summer buddy since then. Here he sits, contemplating the asters, a patient little dude without a worry in the world. Each winter he goes into hibernation down in the cellar so that winter’s freezes don’t fracture his form. And each spring when the snow melts and there’s no fear of really low temperatures, I bring him back. He’s about 14″ tall, with bulging eyes, and for some reason always brings me reassurance and comfort. I suppose we all have objects like that–an old grandfather’s clock, a set of candlesticks, a rocking chair, a basket, a teapot. They speak constancy in a world that whirls and changes around us.