About Me

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I love a lot. I wait a lot. I try to find a lot to laugh at. I don't usually have trouble with that. I pray a lot. I'm not always sure who or what I pray to, but I firmly believe that prayer makes a difference. I try not to panic very often. I try to learn something new every day. I spend a lot of time poking my nose into other peoples' bidness via their blogs. I clean up an awful lot of feathers. You can dress me up, but you can't really take me out. I travel a lot when I can find bird sitters and we take them with us when I can't. I drink, prolly to excess, but I rarely get sick because my body is a hostile environment to germs (or maybe no SELF RESPECTING germ would LIVE in my body?) I collect: gnomes, passport stamps, MONEY-preferably US dollars or Euros, red headed womyn and chicks named Stephanie. My Momma taught me many many years ago that girls don't fart, they foosie. She taught me lots of other chit too. Thanks for stopping by-leave me a comment and let me know you were here, feel free to link to me, or email me at jacquelynn.fortner@gmail.com

Thursday, March 5, 2009

The Cycle of Life in the River

Yesterday started like most others around here, up at the buttquack of dawn and out the door to be greeted by this:


This is just a small contingent of those who faithfully, every morning, quack me up.  In return, I am very generous with the Ole Roy. (Bread, contrary to popular belief, is not good for ducks/geese-it can contribute to a condition called angel wing, which prevents them from flying.  It is also very difficult to store in the quantities you have to buy it in to feed this many mouths beaks bills without having raccoons, possums, or rats getting into it.  Dog food was highly recommended as a substitute for duck feed, and it has the added benefit of floating. Turtles love it, too.)

Well, today there is one less mouth to feed.  My neighbor discovered this on his way home yesterday afternoon:


I can't tell what happened, but I have two educated guesses.  The first is based on the location of the body.  It is in a little canal off of the river right beside the bridge that leads back to the houseboats.  There are several transients people who have been staying in one of the rentals back there who have no emotional attachment to this little piece of heaven on earth or its inhabitants.  They don't realize how much time, money and effort were put into our little road, and they tear up and down it like they are four wheeling.  It is very possible that one of them hit the goose, probably not even realizing it.

The other possibility is more grim.  

I guess everybody knows one-I've known a couple of them in my lifetime.  You know, when someone gets a pet that they just can't keep for some reason?  That friend that always pipes up and says, "I'll keep it."  Nice people.  Well intentioned.  But for some reason, they always live on a curve.  Or have incredibly bad luck.  *shakes head*  Whatever.  They take said pet, and feed it and play with it now and then, but they don't (a) keep it in the house or (b) keep it on a leash or (c) keep it in a fenced yard.  Invariably, SOMEHOW, within months, it is dead.  

Well, one of those people lives around here.  This time, the animalS this person has 'taken in' are two beautiful blonde labs.  They look to be around a year, maybe a year and a half old, both males.  Rambunctious.  Since they are 'staying with' this person, they have the run of the neighborhood, and they have chosen to base themselves in the parking lot of the Shingle Mill. Typical young dogs, running around chasing cars...and ducks and geese.  I don't know.  I did not see any signs of trauma, but then again, I can only see one side of the body.  I would think, though, if a dog had gotten it, there would be feathers everywhere and there aren't.

Then again, it may have just been its time.  

There is an appointed time for everything. 
And there is a time for every event under heaven -
A time to give birth, and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
- Ecclesiastes, 3:1-2

9 comments:

darsden said...

Great picture of the ducks on the walk way. Too cute and funny. You have no choice to get up with all the honking going on.

One of our ducks had 4 babies, we are down to one now. It will not make it thru tonight. One a day!

I wish my deer ate ole'roy!

Rassles said...

Well, that initial row of ducks and geese is possibly one of the cutest bird pictures I've ever seen in my life. But I'm sorry about the other guy, and douchey neighbors. It's horrible how people can just ruin things so easily.

Mama Dawg said...

Oh, that is so sad.

On the other hand, that first pic makes me smile!

skywind said...

At the bridge ducks, geese at the back shouted: fast red the past, we at the back of the cover. Ha ha. . . But it seems that spring is coming true.

Health is the Greatest Happiness & The World at The Present

derfina said...

Dar-It kinda creeps me out that I took that pic yesterday morning and then one of them was dead by dinnertime.

Rassles-People who have nothing of themselves invested in a place often take it for granted.

Mama Dawg-It is just awful listening to it call for its mate.

Skywind-Yes it is.

*rolls eyes and shakes head*

*smooches* to all!

Pearl said...

Love the picture of the ducks greeting you.
FEED ME!
Never fun to find a body, though. I hope it wasn't one of the neighbors' dogs, though, or you may not have seen the end of it.
Pearl

Everyday Goddess said...

Great blog!

Up at buttquack of dawn is hilarious!

So sad about the lost animals....

Lisa G said...

When we kept a boat in Gautier, we had a goose family that were downright mean. I remember being terrified of them and all their hissing. Pity about the people with the labs--some people are just downright stupid, aren't they?

derfina said...

Pearl-As soon as I saw them I grabbed my Iphone and took a shot whilst they threatened me.

Comedy Goddess-Thankee kindly, Ma'am! Glad you stopped by-come back often!

NurseExec-I think the one that always hisses at the Unit (I don't put up with that shit-I feed them, dammit) is the one that died. Hard to tell. I call that person's house (in my head, of course) the place where all dogs go to die.

*smooches* to all!