When my husband retired, he had a number of projects in mind. First off? He attacked the back third of our one acre lot and managed to clear away all of the fence-to-fence blackberry bushes that had been growing for decades. Next, since it had always been the low corner where water collected all winter, we decided to try for our own little wetlands. We brought in a contractor, had him move some dirt around and voila, we had lovely pond.
Imagine our surprise when, the following February, a pair of mallards settled in. It was duck heaven for those two. We were unusually tickled to watch them frolic, snooze, and outsmart our dog every time she dare approach the edge of their domaine. A pair of wood ducks shared the pond with them now and then but clearly, the mallards owned that piece of real estate!
About six weeks later they were gone. It was kind of silly how much we missed them but, okay, we did.
But here’s the thing, they’ve come back every year since! Just this morning my husband announced their arrival. I jumped up to go look, as if some revered public figure was swimming around in my back yard. Weird huh?
Or … not so weird. I suppose all of us have our little quirks, those simple things that brighten our days or offer us a different perspective. For me, it’s a couple of ducks who hang out in my backyard. Their lives are so simple – swim, eat, sleep, fly – a good reminder that simple can be very good those of us who happen to live on land.