Bishop Abraham Yoder had come by to visit the frog family. There had been rumours, you see. People had been talking about this new family who had taken over the Froggy Amish B&B. They were new to the area, and who really knew about them?
George invited the bishop inside to have a hot drink and maybe a cookie or two, and they sat down to talk.
“So tell me about yourselves,” the bishop said.
George wasn’t sure what to say. “My great-aunt Agatha passed away and left this B&B to me. My wife Amelia and I decided to run it ourselves, and it’s been a great adventure for our family. We have a baby girl named Brigette, and she is the apple of our eye, the cracker in our soup, the cherry on our sundae! I think that really covers it.”
“I’ve heard she’s very cute. But is it true your rooster stole himself a wife from Elmer Mast’s chicken coop?” the bishop asked.
“Yes,” George said. “That is true. But Elmer assured me that it was high time that our rooster made an honest hen out of Lucy.”
“Really, you should have better control over your household,” the bishop said seriously. “Your rooster has a reputation around these parts, and it isn’t a good one.”
“I think we’re doing better, though,,” George said. “Ronnie is now settled down with his wife in the barn, and he only breaks into the house and wakes us up sometimes. On rare occasion. It’s really almost under completely control!”
And just then Brigette came whipping out of the kitchen in her walker, her little feet paddling the floor in a flurry. She was after the cat, and the cat was fast, but Brigette was really moving! And behind her came Amelia, her apron strings flying, trying to catch Brigette.
“Brigette, stop!” Amelia cried.
But Brigette was far too excited to stop. She was “this close” to catching the cat, and she was very focused on her goal. They went zipping past, out of the sitting room again and down the hallway.
The bishop looked at George meaningfully.
“That was Brigette,” George said feebly, pointing the way she’d gone. “And my wife, Amelia… and our cat.”
He had a feeling that the bishop was not going to think this was an orderly house at all! And as for control… George never realized he was supposed to have any!
When Amelia finally caught Brigette and the cat made his escape, Amelia brought their little froglet into the sitting room to say hello.
“I’m sorry about that, Bishop,” Amelia said breathlessly. “Brigette is getting really fast these days. You’ll be happy to know that the cat is none the worse for wear. She didn’t get him.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the bishop said formally. “And hello, little Brigette.”
Brigette blinked at him innocently with such an angelic look on her face that you’d hardly guess that she’d just be chasing down a household pet.
“Amelia, could I ask you a question about your job?” the bishop asked.
“Certainly,” Amelia said.
“I’ve heard that you edit books for a… ahem… a romance author,” he said.
“That’s true. Her name is Patricia Johns, and she’s very good.”
“I’ve heard those books have stories that include kissing, and sometimes even… a murder.” He whispered the word “murder.”
“Oh… that.” Amelia nodded. “Yes, that is true, too. But it’s done very tastefully. Both the kissing and the murders.”
The bishop’s brow furrowed.
“She has a new book coming out,” Amelia said. “It’s called GREEN PASTURES, and it’s just terrific! There are no murders in that one–I know that for a fact–and it’s all about this family when the oldest sister comes back home again after becoming a large animal veterinarian.”
“Oh?” The bishop’s eyebrows rose. “And next you’ll tell me that this scandalous lady veterinarian is going to get married to a good Amish man?”
“That would be difficult seeing as she’s divorced and within the Amish faith, she can’t remarry,” Amelia said. “But her younger sister Amanda is tired of waiting for a nice man to come calling, and she’s decided to take things into her own hands.”
The bishop’s eyebrows rose as far as they could rise, and he looked ready to make a pronouncement. So Amelia shoved a stack of books into his hands.
“Please read them before you decide what you think,” Amelia said earnestly. “Please!”
And Amelia looked at him with such hope in her eyes, and her hands trembled just a little as she held out the books. Looking at her, George fell in love with her all over again. She was impossible to refuse.
So the bishop took the books with a very uncertain look on his face.
His good opinion, it seemed, was going to be based upon those books, and Amelia could only hope against hope that the bishop could appreciate a good love story with a very tasteful amount of kissing.
When the bishop took his leave, George went upstairs and lay down on the bed spread eagle. He closed his eyes.
“George?” Amelia said. “Are you all right?”
“That was very stressful,” George said. “Apparently, I’m supposed to make sure that Ronnie behaves like a civilized rooster, and that our milk cow stops flirting with Mose Lapp’s bulls, and that Brigette stops chasing cats, and that Patricia Johns doesn’t use too much bloodshed in her books!”
“That’s not fair!” Amelia said. “It takes two of us to corner Brigette when she really gets going! Ronnie is Lucy’s problem now–I hate to be blunt about it, but she chose him! And as for Betsy, she’s a grown cow with a calf of her own who knows her own mind. I’d be embarrassed to interfere.”
“And Patricia Johns’s books?” he asked.
“They’re terrific!” Amelia said with a roguish little smile.
“I hope the bishop likes them,” George said.
“Me, too,” Amelia agreed. “But if he doesn’t, I guess we’ll just have to live with it. George, you are a wonderful husband and father. No one could be better at it.”
“Thank you, Amelia,” George said. “I do feel better. Are you sure I shouldn’t put my foot down or something?”
Amelia giggled. “I don’t think so, George. Besides, it’s not about putting your foot down, but about getting your knees up! Brigette isn’t bad, she’s just FAST!”
And George knew that to be true. Froglets didn’t need lectures so much as they needed parents who were faster than they were.
Besides, George loved his family and his silly household full of animals acting like animals. They were the happiest part of his day.
I hope you enjoy these little froggy tales. They’re just a stress release for me–a little playful story I can share with my readers absolutely free. I hear from my readers on Facebook who love these stories, and it just give me a happy boost when we can enjoy these little stories together.
I hope you’ll check out my books. If you enjoy the Amish setting of my Froggy B&B tales, you just might enjoy my books! May I suggest GREEN PASTURES?
Happy reading!
Patricia Johns 
Your comments make me feel warm and fuzzy. Seriously!