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“The love for frogs didn’t just come for me, it’s probably innate to me,” he says. Reda says that he spent his childhood in the Šilalė district and lived on a single farm with a large pond with many frogs.
PHOTO GALLERY. Frog house
“My friend and I spent days in the big pond and played with frogs. For me they were toys and friends, all rolled into one, ”Reda recalls.
As the years passed, thoughts about frogs faded, as the woman herself settled in the city, where the man moved away from nature. But after a while, Reda settled in the city of Lukšiai and took root here.
“At the end of the year, before my son was born, my husband and I were looking for Christmas gifts. We go into a store and there are frogs squatting on the shelf and they are looking at me with big eyes. Love was reborn and I wanted to buy those frogs ”, says the interlocutor.
Reda says he bought two frogs back then, but the quiet didn’t give him the idea that there were a few more left in that store. Cleverly thinking that Christmas was a time of miracles, the woman hinted to her husband that it would be a lot of fun if Santa brought more frogs.
“My grandfather listened to me. I go out to give birth, I come back from the hospital with my son in my arms, and under the Christmas tree, fifty frogs are already waiting for me! Since then my whole family has “tired of frogs”, Reda shares her memories.
Surrounding reaction
The woman says that frogs began to travel from everywhere and eventually those around them found out about Redo’s collection. When a friend asked to do the first exhibition in the city of Lukšiai, the interlocutor admits that he was afraid.
“At first I didn’t want those around me to know, I was afraid of having a negative reaction, because most people are afraid of frogs, some even dislike them. But I overcame my fears and did the first show, ”the woman recalls.
After the first exposure, the news spread that there is a woman who collects frogs, then, according to Reda, the circle of acquaintances began to expand and like-minded people appeared. The woman says she began organizing meetings with other frog lovers and even founded the Frog Collector Association, whose acronym “KVA” was not chosen by chance.
“This association is registered in my house and I manage it myself. This year we are already celebrating our 10th anniversary, I have been collecting frogs for 15 years, and in 2018 the collection was entered in the Lithuanian registry book ”, reveals the woman.
Frogs are a way of life
When asked if “Frog House” is the woman’s main activity, the gatherer responds that, although she is a farmer, she can say that she lives with frogs all the time. “Frog House” was opened as a museum where frogs could no longer be housed, so three weeks ago Reda and other KVA members also opened the second house built by her husband.
“For several years, part of my frogs lived in the Zypliai mansion in Lukšiai, where they had a room, and those who visited the mansion could also see my frogs. When the quarantine began, they had to move and the frogs landed in boxes, lying in the basement. This is an opportunity to ask a man to build a second frog house, ”says the collector.
Visitors now have the opportunity to visit not only the first but also the second frog hut. The woman also says that she exchanges frogs with other members of the association, donates them to each other.
“Sometimes we even do frog competitions. For example, we choose the frog with the longest legs, the thickest frog, the traveling frog. We propose a variety of themes,” says Reda.
Good luck when you do what you love
When asked if it was difficult to settle down, Reda says that she did not have that goal and that things gradually evolved. The main challenge that has had to be overcome is the organization of the first exhibition. When they saw that people, even those who were afraid of frogs, reacted positively, the woman gained courage and also received support not only from relatives but also from the village elder. Reda admits that when he has that kind of support, things should go well.
The collector says that visitors come from all over Lithuania and due to the COVID-19 pandemic their summers have increased. “People could no longer leave Lithuania, so they started looking for places that they could visit in their homeland, they realized that we have a lot of unusual and interesting places,” says Reda.
The woman reveals that at first people think they won’t see anything wonderful in the Frog House, but the common reaction is, “Wow! We didn’t expect to see it! ”Later, the friends of those visitors come because they already know that this unique place must be seen.
“Usually people come with children for the first time and then come with friends. During the school year, we have many excursions for students. All the very warm people come.” They leave a lot of light and sincerity in the “House of the frog “, – the collector is happy.
The interlocutor says that she tells various frog stories to visitors, shows exhibits. There are also live readings in the women’s garden, new book launches, and children’s camps.
“Frogs are my way of life, a hobby that brings a lot of happiness. It happens that if many visitors get tired, but I enjoy it because I do everything sincerely. Maybe I can’t even classify myself as a true collector because I collect without rules.
At the beginning of this stage of life, I wanted to make everything much simpler, try to notice little things: the howl of the frog, noticing the creeping snake, listening to the song of the birds. I think everyone should find such a simple everyday joy, ”says Reda, asking for a closer look at his surroundings. Perhaps your unknown hobbies are close.
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