Story Time - Frog Guts

 

When I was little I loved to be outside in the shop with my dad “helping” with whatever project he was working on at the time.  He was always fixing or doing maintenance on something.  A car, a truck, a lawnmower, whatever he needed to do.  When my kids were little they would go out and “help” Grandpa too.  Whenever he was done working my dad would always use hand cleaner to get the grease off of his hands before he washed them with Lava soap and hot water and I would get a dollop of it too.  To this day I love the smell of it and it always brings back those memories of helping my dad.

 

One time my dad was doling out the hand cleaner after he and my son had been working on his tractor.  “Boy Grandpa, this stuff sure does work good.  What’s in it?”  My dad said he had no idea why but he immediately said “Frog guts.”  My son just smiled and said, “Well, these are sure good frog guts”.  He didn’t question my dad whatsoever and just took him at his word.  Later that day when he told me this we had a good laugh and marveled that my son, who was probably six or seven at the time, seemed to be just fine rubbing frog guts all over his hands to get them clean.  If Grandpa said so, then it must be.  And!  The name stuck.  Later on my girls were the little ones out in the shop helping Grandpa and they didn’t seem to be bothered at all either by using frog guts to get grease off their hands.  Children are so trusting.

 

Fast forward.  One afternoon I was in the parts store picking up supplies to change the oil on my truck.  While my oldest and I were getting the oil and a filter my youngest, now in her teens, had wandered down another aisle.  I heard her yell, “Mom, I found the frog guts!”  I replied, “Oh good, cause we’re almost out!  Go ahead and grab some.”  I’m sure the gentlemen at the parts counter were a bit confused.  The guy that checked us out chuckled when my daughter handed him the jar of Goop hand cleaner.  I wonder if he knew there were frog guts in that jar?