Picture of the day - March 10, 2006

Ducks Splashing Around On Dad's Pond

My dad always loved having fowl around him. At various times over the years he had chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, guineas, peacocks, pheasants, pigeons and probably a few others that don't immediately come to mind. Sleeping late in the morning was a difficult task with all the crowing and chattering going on - usually right under my bedroom window! Dad loved fowl of all varieties, but one of his favorites was the duck. He loved to sit and watch them swim and splash around, occasionally diving under the surface in search of a tasty meal. The way their awkward walking style contrasted so greatly with their graceful swimming fascinated him to no end. Dad always had a story to tell, and one of my favorites described the time that he slipped a duck egg underneath a setting hen. When the "diddles" hatched out, they began following momma hen around the yard, just marching along, one right after the other. Well, at the first opportunity the baby duck jumped into the creek and started swimming around - which nearly drove "momma" insane! She was absolutely certain that "her baby" was going to drown! It didn't of course, but momma hen would go nuts every time that little duck jumped into the water! Today, dad's pond is an ever-present reminder of his life-long love of fishing. It's hard to look at it without imagining dad sitting beside some farm pond or on a river bank, fishing pole in hand, ready to give it that expert "jerk" when he gets a bite. And I'll always remember how he used to sit on the bench by his pond flipping crumbs of bread into the water so he could watch the fish come to surface and grab it. The bench that dad sat on while enjoying his pond...now covered with lichen. Dad was a wonderful man who most often found his peace beside some body of water. I have a feeling that his mansion in heaven has a beautiful pond out back, filled to the brim with fish...and with several mallards and wood ducks splashing around and diving for them. Picture Of The Day Homepage | Submit a photo More Interesting Articles