just like a bad penny, they keep coming back---

yup, these are my special "ducky friends". Michelle and I have been been "sharing" for like 6-7 years now. Just check out the yummy goodies that they held!! These ducks are ugly special little friends. You just never know when or how they might turn up. you can check out the real story here, for those of you who do not know. I thought for sure I had posted about these guys several other times, but was unable to find the posts. Anyway, my friend Michelle just moved away a few weeks ago. She did not just move to a new house, but she moved to a whole new state--- several states away. :( I know she was all excited about her new house and just how she was to decorate it. I just assumed these tacky beautiful ducks would be her inspiration -- I mean, why wouldn't they?! Well, as you can imagine, I was quite suprised when they showed up at our last Bunko night. I had forgotten about them actually (I know, I know, who could forget these lovelies, right?!))

Bye Bye Sam and Molly

Release day. This is the day we decided that "Samuel and Molly," our duck friends needed to go off on their own. We made a big deal about it, talked it up for a couple of days saying how they will get to be around all the other ducks and make friends and swim in the big pond. We also talked about how we would be able to and visit them periodically and take them bread etc. So the whole family is on board, Sat is the day. I packed a picnic, the whole nine yards. Well, it was not quite the smooth transition we had expected. It was COLD, it drizzled on us, there were people out fishing (we had hoped we could do this a little more privately :) ) And, oh yeah, the ducks would not move. We initially tried to coax the other Mallards over to us with our bread. They did not want to come. (guess they had just had lunch ha) we could not get them to come for anything. Then FINALLY the UGLY ducks came over. We gave them bread, and introduced them to Samuel and Molly. They of course could care less about them-- which I guess is a good thing so we know (or can assume) that they will not try to hurt our little ducks)
Here is Sam and Kirk trying to coax Samuel and Molly into the pond (did I mention they did not want to go into it?)Then Sam telling them where they need to goThey eventually went into the water, we had to go. We went back to check on them a week later. Samuel was there, but we were unable to locate Molly (I am sure she was just looking for dinner when we got there so we just missed her right?!) Samuel the duck came right up to us, I was able to pick him up without him getting upset. I think he might actually miss us :)

The ducks

We have enjoyed our new little house guests. It has been a lot of fun watching them grow and lose that soft downy hair and sprout feathers!! They have gotten too big for the rubbermaid tub we've been keeping them in, but since we did not want them loose in the yard yet (there are areas that they could get out under the fence etc) we allowed them to occupy our new playhouse. I think that they enjoyed it, though the kids couldn't quite understand why they could not play in there too.(that is Molly peeking IN the window)
Sam was pretty good with them. As they have grown, they have also gotten a little more skiddish around people (probably has nothing to do with the fact that a 4 year old chases them with his tricycle or a 1 1/2 year old just chases them screaming at the top of her lungs) So I would have to catch them (before, they would just let the kids get them) and them let the kids hold them. I would talk softly to them and tell them that they were ok -- you know, all the things you do to try and relax a scared duck. Well, I guess Sam realized this was a good way for them to stay on his lap, as I would hear him in a soft, sweet little voice saying, "you are ok" "I won't hurt you" "I'm going to pet you now" etc. so sweet!!It seems the only way we can get Molly to sit down with these guys is to let her feed them some bread. She really thought that that was funThough she thought she should have a treat as well, so e had to watch that she did not "steal" the bread from themLike I said, it is cool to be able to watch these little creatures-- (excuse the picture, we just got back from the zoo, so no, I was not looking my best ha)Kirk wanted the whole transition of keeping ducks to releasing ducks to go smoothly, soo he wanted these guys to go nameless, just call them ducks. Sam decided all on his own to name them. He came up with some really original names..."Samuel and Molly" um, so much for not becoming attached HA

Easter

Easter was fun this year. Rod, Kelly, Ethan and Savannah were able to come up for a couple of days before Easter. They came with some interesting gifts... 2 little ducklings. What a funny, unusual gift. Kirk even agreed it was fun (and he is an ANTI pet person) But since these little house guests are not "keepers" let the kids have them. Sam thought they were fun, though we had to teach him how to hold them gently
Molly liked to look at them and called them 'doc, doc" though she was a lot more interested in their swimming water then the ducks themselves!

All the kids were able to go on an Easter egg hunt. The bigger kids teamed up with the little kids and helped them find the eggs. It was fun watching them all work together.


I have no idea how he did it, but Kirk gets the award for best photo of the day--- check it out, all 4 of them looking at the camera and all with smiles!!! now that is worth a thousand bucks in my book!
Thanks again Uncle rod, Aunt kelly, Ethan and Savannah for our fun new little friends!!!

geese, ducks and a pwicwick (picnic)

It was beautiful out before Thanksgiving week so we took the opportunity to go to the park with our friends and feed the ducks (yet again!!)
Sam was a little more taken back by the (giant) geese, so he preferred to just sit and let the smaller ducks come to him.Molly on the other hand, well, she enjoyed chasing them, feeding them, and teasing them (holding the bread out for them only to eat it quickly before they could get it ---- yum, stale bread... my favorite!!)And yes, like the good friend/photographer that I am, This really the only picture that I have to prove that our friends were with us (oops)