Duckie

Isn't he cute?

So often when I come into our neighborhood these days, 

the ducks are parading across the street from the lake.  

Sometimes in pairs, but mostly in groups. 

I like to think they are little waddling families out on a big adventure.

So it came as a surprise when we discovered that this little duckling 

had taken a liking to our backyard last summer.
  

Sophie StinkerBelle hadn't run him off and he didn't seem afraid at all.  

I don't know about you, but I've had a couple of run ins with Mama Ducks 

and I'm no fan of being maimed by a nut job duck that thinks I've run off with her baby.
  

We have enough problems with the lunatic mockingbirds and the dive bombing scissortails.   

Magoo and I had to be extremely cautious.  Especially me.  

Magoo has a tendency to get a little weirded out by things that fly and peck at him.  

This causes him to flail his arms frantically and run off like George Costanza. 
I could be seriously injured.  Mowed down in the prime of my life. 

Must. Be.Very.Careful.

But this cute little thing was all by his lonesome.   

No family to be found.

We have a salt water pool, so we didn't think he'd be harmed if he swam around for a bit.  

He seemed to be having a fine time without a worry in the world.  

But where were his people?  

Magoo checked him out for injuries and all seemed well...and he was so calm being held!  

We couldn't believe it.

As cute as he was, we needed to help him find his way home.  

We took him down to the lake and searched until we found what we deemed a suitable duck family.  

Into the lake he went.  

We said our goodbyes to little Duckie and worried when he didn't seem to be accepted.  

Every day for about a week, we circled the lake looking for our little visitor.  

He was so tame that he didn't seem to have the proper skill set for being out on his own.  

We knew this because we are duck experts.

Okay, so we aren't exactly experts. 

But our oldest son keeps a lot of random data in his brain that comes in very handy
from time to time.  

If he read it when he was 6, it's still there.  

Like a walking reference book, that one.  

We didn't want the little guy to have separation anxiety or something.  

We wanted to keep Duckie for our very own pool accessory...but he pooped in the hot tub.  

Color coordinated or not, he had to go.

I hope that's you and your people waddling across the street, Duckie.  

Happy trails.

And watch out for the woman in the white Infinity...she always runs that stop sign. 

Where's a nut job Mama Duck when you need one?