Duckling Distress

I'm riding home and I hear ducks. This always makes me happy, but in spring it is particularly pleasant because I know that where there are ducks, there are usually ducklings. This time I was not disappointed. There they were - all thirteen of them! They were making quite a racket, which is understandable for such a large brood, but it seemed that the cacophony was excessive in this case. Upon closer inspection, I discovered the reason: one of their brothers had jumped off the curb and was now stranded in the gutter.

Photo Credit: www.staplenews.com

Being so little, the curb was just high enough that the little guy couldn't see over the top, so had no idea where his family was. He would run up and down the gutter, peeping desperately. Mom would answer, and then he would try to hop up. While he was quiet, mom started to walk away like she had forgotten about him (which is understandable with so many little peepers). I stopped and watched what followed, hoping I wasn't going to watch the tragic unfolding of abandonment. 

Photo Credit: www.staplenews.com

He couldn't quite jump high enough, so after a few attempts, he would go back to frantic pacing/peeping, becoming more and more agitated as mom started to walk away. She would answer him, and he's again try to jump up. They went through a few more cycles of peep, quack, jump. Just as I was pulling out a book from my backpack to make a ramp, the adrenaline combined with the knowledge from failed attempts and he was finally able to hop the curb. Needless to say, he darted to mom and stayed pretty close after that.

Photo Credit: palemaleirregulars.blogspot.com

Hooray for ducklings!!

A Flowery Commentary

“Tra la la la la. Spring is in the air. And I am a flower…with nothing interesting to say.”

Perhaps you will find it interesting; I can’t say for sure.

Anyway, I was contemplating my blossom preferences and have come to some conclusions. I absolutely love daffodils! They are so bright and happy, perky and expressive. Even their name is fun. Go ahead, say it. Out loud. Daffodil. Laugh-o-phil. See? Daffodils are happy things.

 

Crocuses are another lovely creation. Such rich, luxurious color in such a small yet sturdy life form. They save my sanity every year, poking their hopeful heads through the frost. Yes, they seem to say. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Winter is does not last forever (either the season or the semester). I’d like to chat with whoever it was that named them; it seems to be somewhat paradoxical. Crocus sounds like croak, which colloquially implies death. Yet they are the forerunners of life, the burst of vivacity that is spring. Obviously someone did not think that through.

 Other favorites include daisies, pansies, and lilies but I don't have any particular relationship with those at this point. So for now, suffice it to say that SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!