Mallard in the Pool

When I arrived home this afternoon, I started to pull the drapes open to let the light in and then to open the sliding door to the patio because next I was going to let the pups out of their crates and out to the backyard. Then I noticed the visitor at the edge of the pool.

I slowly crept outside with camera in hand, but he wasn't enthused by my arrival and he stood still just long enough for me to capture this one photo.

His mate had been with him earlier. This was obvious by looking at the floor of the deep-end of the pool -- definite duck do-do sitting on there. So when Mr. Fun arrived home a while later he headed out to take care of the pool -- to add chlorine and to turn the auto-sweep back on so the pool can receive a bit of a cleaning. Duck dung in the pool is a very bad situation.

Currently it is not warm enough for us to play in the pool, and I think that is truly delightful and inviting to the ducks.

Several years ago a duck couple took up residency in our neighbors' backyard and hatched 13 babies. I know because one morning I counted them from our upstairs window as they were getting swimming lessons in the neighbors' pool.

I guess the neighbors must have called animal control because we never again saw that duck family. We're sure that the two ducks that have currently been taking a liking to our pool have eggs hidden somewhere, probably out in the meadowland behind our house. We are hoping to never find new ducklings having swimming lessons in our pool (except that it is amazingly darn cute!).

I've been swamped at school. I am teaching an overload again this semester. That means one more class than normal and it is my semester for being evaluated. Yuck! So I'm running as fast as possible to keep ahead of all that's necessary to lead approximately 100 students that need help with their academic writing.

The big thrill is that we are finishing Week 6 of the semester. In two weeks when we are finishing Week 8, we will be headed into our Spring Break. Woohoo! A week off (except I'll leave the classroom with an armload of in-class essays to grade). My students will exit, though, with a week free from lessons in my class. I think they need a break.

Good night from Southern California,
Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol