The trouble with ducks....

         Oh the trouble with ducks! We brought home 4 female ducks today, to make up for the over-population of Drakes ( male ducks) . As much as I love duckies, the males have a dark side... if you're a lone female duck during mating season, WATCH OUT! A group of 6 males and one lone female, (which is what we were down to), spells certain suffering for the poor little gal. THAT is why I purchased  4 more females, to even things out a bit.

 This should have been a happy experience, as I love introducing new "family members" to the Hollow. But alas, after bringing them home from a long ride in a large cardboard box, the gals were anxious and confused. As soon as I opened the box top to put them in a temporary pen, THEY FLEW out of the box and OVER the temp fence. Well, that was bad enough, but hey, they caught sight of the drakes and began to tag after them. Good, thinks I, all is well.  NOT SO!

I turned my back on them for 15 minutes to tend to a chore,

and when I went looking for the new gals, they were nowhere to be found!

 I searched our enclosed property high and low, all the drakes were accounted for, but no girls.

 Fiona Goosefeathers, my wonderful nanny goose, was honking her head off in the direction of the woods behind a small pond; but, how could they be there? That fence is intact, duck proof and 5 ft tall. Domestic ducks aren't supposed to fly... but apparently, my new girls had picked up the habit, because they WERE in the WOODS, BEYOND THE FENCE... I could hear quacking.  How in the heck am I going to capture little ducks lost in the woods??!!! This is an impossible task. Unlike puppies and small children, new ducks DO NOT come when called, they run in the opposite direction. First, I have to find them, and 2 of them are tan colored, blending into the leaves and bark on the woodland floor. I lifted the wire fence and squeezed beneath it on my belly. I am wearing my nice leather red maryjane shoes, with slippery bottoms, Bermuda shorts and a short sleeved shirt. I don't have time to change my clothes, I don't have time to grab my gloves and  pruners to cut away all the brambles and wild roses,because TIME is of the essence when little ducks are in the woods, they could be ANYWHERE by now. After 10 minutes of climbing up ravines and scrambling through thorny brambles, I plead with God to help me find those little ducks. I turn my glance toward a jumble of fallen branches and there they are, huddled together in a bunch, quiet as a stone! That, of course was not the end of it, we still had to capture them and it took James and I at least 45 minutes to finally maneuver them to and thru a fence leading to the meadow. Scratched and Bloodied, poison ivied, filthy, and sweaty...that was me after this ordeal. James fared a little better.

 AND STILL, one duck was missing.

 I had to quit, I went upstairs to wash off the poison ivy and I prayed again.." Lord, I know it is a small and insignificant thing... in the scheme of life, but you said that not even a sparrow falls from the sky that the Heavenly Father does not take notice... so, if it is your will, please bring that last little duck back home". I kid you not, within an hour, our dogs were barking at some commotion beyond the northern meadow fence. I knew something was up, ran over to check and heard the loud quacking of duck number 4!  She was trapped between the walls of a fallen and bent wire fence, just waiting to be rescued! I could hardly believe it... but it happened. We have some neighbor dogs, who are NOT NICE to small creatures and she was in the meadow adjoining THEIR property... they would have certainly killed her.
 With great thankfulness, I calmly retrieved her from her "prison" and HELD her firmly, carried her back to her sisters and released her into the PROPER meadow.

Today, all is quiet in the HOLLOW, we have recuperated from our trying experience and the dear little troublemakers are happily  waddling among the grasses with the drakes... and their new nanny, Fionna Goosefeathers... as if nothing had happened. But I know better.