Ever since school started back up, I’ve been trying to get back into a routine. Not that I’ve been very successful with that endeavor. Although I always have good intentions.
Today was an excellent example. I wanted to walk my five miles. Check. Clean my room. Fail. Organize my photography props. Fail. Get my eyebrows plucked. Check.
Clearly my priorities are not where they should be.
I was doing just fine until after the eyebrow yanking appointment. I had plenty of time to get home and clean before the girls got off the bus. But as I was driving home, I saw a bunch of ducks fly across the road and plop into a nearby pond.
Don’t ask me why I felt the need to investigate. They were just ducks after all. I see them pretty often around here.
But the carefree spirit side of me took a hold of my brain and off we went to see the ducks. We meaning me. And no, I’m not Sybil. I don’t think.
So, I crossed a little bridge and watched the ducks for a bit. A mom and her toddler daughter also came over the bridge to check out the ducks.
They brought a loaf of bread along to feed them which was pretty hysterical to watch. I haven’t gone with the kids to feed the ducks in years. I forgot how much of a pleasure that is to watch.
Way back in the way back, Jeff and I came to Plymouth on one of our first dates. We had a huge bag of popcorn and I made the grave mistake of tossing some of it to what seemed like just a couple of ducks.
But after that first toss of popcorn, there were tons of hungry ducks coming at me quacking for popcorn. This scared the crap out of me, so I ran.
All the while the popcorn was falling out of the bag, and the ducks continued to chase me down the waterfront. I was in tears. Jeff was breaking ribs from being doubled over in fits of laughter.
Maybe that’s why I don’t feed the ducks much anymore. I have duck anxiety.
But today from the relative safety of the bridge, it was a pleasure to watch them pluck the cubes of bread out of the water. The toddler giggled each time a duck gobbled up a chunk of bread.
Isn’t it amazing how a child’s laughter is infectious? She had me giggling too. I need to giggle more often. Giggling is a good thing.
I didn’t get the cleaning done. It’s still looking a little unruly around here.
Tomorrow I get back to a routine. Maybe.
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Your Duck Date story reminded me of a similiar experience I had in Gray, Maine. I take after my late father. He had this obsessive need to feed animals, no matter where he was. It didn’t matter if it was a camel at a zoo (despite the big “Don’t Feed the Animals signs everywhere) or a squirrel in the yard, he had the overwhelming urge to feed any animal he met. He really enjoyed feeding seagulls. Whenever we took a trip to the coast, he made sure he brought something along to feed the seagulls.
So last year, on our way up to Maine, we stopped at the Gray, Maine Service area. We got some food inside and I noticed on our way out there were 2 seagulls hanging in the parking lot, so I took my left over bagel and threw a few pieces to the gulls. I told my husband I was doing it for my Dad. Well, out of nowhere about 5 more seagulls swooped into the parking lot. And they were vocal too. I had shades of the Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Birds” flying in my head. LOL.
So, my leftover bagel went to the birds. But hey, they were happy and I’m sure, up there in the sky, it made my father happy too.
Awww, that is so sweet. Some people just gravitate towards nurturing animals. Sounds like you and your father both enjoyed that. It’s just fine if there’s one or two animals, it’s when they gang up that I panic, lol. I would’ve just tossed the whole bagel to the birds and hightailed it out of there.
Come to think of it, I’ve never seen a skinny sea gull. Have you? I think they have us humans pretty well trained!
Oh my goodness, all I can picture now is you running and screaming for your life with a trail of quacking ducks hot on your heels! That is just too funny!
Looking back it’s hysterical. At the time, not so much. I thought they were going to attack me. Jeff kept yelling at me to drop the popcorn. But we had purchased it at a tourist trap and there was no way in hell that I was going to let go of that popcorn for what we paid for it. Dang ducks.
i love that my tough Military Man is a total softie for going to feed the ducks. he always helps make sure the inevitable “gimpy duck” gets fed since i relate to all injured beings but my aim kinda sucks.
a fav old duckie memory of mine: ” also swear I saw a time machine version of myself at the park. There was a pre-school aged girl with crazy messy curls (I had Shirley Temple ringlets…still wavy/curly but I blow dry it straight) who was there with her mom. She was trying to talk to a big group of very loud ducks. She was using a very rational tone of voice and asking them to be quieter (they were VERY loud yesterday). She eventually got frustrated, threw her arms up in a dramatic shrug, and said: “What’s WRONG with you ducks? BE QUIET.” Honestly, I can totally see four-year old me doing the same thing.”
Hooray for tough military men with soft hearts. Love it. Kids are so cute. They totally expect animals to get what they are saying. I think that works with dogs, but I’m not sure that the same can be said about ducks, lol.
Running from ducks!! Be afraid, be very afraid! Too funny!! I have some great memories of feeding ducks with the kids when we were in CA and they were still young. I think my next duck feeding episode will be with the grand kids when they show up and enliven my life.
I hear you. I’m at the point where I’m looking down the road at grand kids. Granted, Aidan has at least six to ten years before that happens, but I look forward to it. I’m at that age where I miss the babies but enjoy the wine. I’m torn. Babies do make things more interesting.
I used to take my kids when they were young to the Jenny Grist Mill to feed the ducks and geese. There was this one goose with an injured wing that grabbed the bag of popcorn right out of my son, Michael’s, hand. It then chased us all the way to the car. He was only 3 at the time and was scared to death. (So was I.)
The next year we went back again and this goose came paddling really fast across the water at us. My son yelled about it being that crazy goose, and he was right. Same broken wing and mad as a hatter. We really high-tailed it out of there and found a different place to feed the birds next time.
Holy crud. That is something. Maybe Plymouth is home to the original angry birds?? Lol. I know that geese and swans are aggressive. Especially swans. We took the boys to a pond once where there were swans lounging on the banks and they hissed at us. I’m all for seeing fowl from bridges. Bridges and binoculars.
i think that was time well spent
nothing like laughing with a kid. i have duck/bird issues too. there is actually a picture of me at about four feeding ducks, happy as can be. the next picture is of a giant goose right where i HAD been standing and me fleeing in terror. so yeah ducks=pretty at a distance. course i would have the kids who want to go right up to every animals so i get over it. 
Lol, nature is scary. Looks a lot better in National Geographic!
what is that spectral being in the first picture?
Looks like Voldemort LOL!
Isn’t she beautiful? A pilgrim statue in Brewster Garden.. One of my favorite statues in my town!
The geese are even scarier than ducks! And don’t even get me started about the aggressive behavior of swans!
Sometimes ya just have to stop and watch the ducks. The mess will be there tomorrow.
thanks for the reminder that sometimes cleaning/chores etc. aren’t as important as taking the time to enjoy the moment!