We know it’s finally really spring in Maine when it’s warm enough to get in the stroller and walk to the duck pond, stopping on the way to get a loaf of cheap bread to feed to the birds. There are ducks and some massive seagulls (seagulls in Maine are the size of dogs, seriously), and I spend way too much time trying to make sure each species gets its share of bread.
This was Zuzu’s first time feeding the ducks.
She says, “Give ME some bread!”
Then she shows me how her hair is just like a fuzzy duckling’s.
And so she should be allowed to have some bread, too.
Don’t tell Henry we went to the duck pond. I generally try to pretend that we do the world’s most boring things while he’s in school, and mostly we do, but about once every five months we do something fun.
Every time I have ever gone to feed the ducks, there comes this point where the bread supply is getting low, and the ducks seem to recognize it at the same time we do, and they start advancing on us, trying to be sure that they are the duck that gets the last of the bread, and then the exit strategy must be quickly devised, because they also get that look in their eyes that says “There are a lot more of us than there are of you…And I bet you taste better than bread! perhaps in an ORANGE SAUCE !”
we did some duck feeding up at Gran’s, at the essex town boat launch, which is frequented by ducks, seagulls and swans. Quote from Wylie, who was holding the stale coffee cake we were feeding the ducks, when the swan exited water and advanced upon him, me grinning a rictus-like grin so as to Not Scare the Child and Make Him Fearful of Animals and Nature: “He TASTED me!”
Which the swan had – his sweatshirted arm, with his needle-tooth-lined beak. Wylie is somehow totally cool with this…I myself am traumatized by growing up in nearby CT town where we had to contend with the Clucking swans every day at bus stop, defending our lunch bags…swans are agressive and BIG!
P.S. we got little red hen makes a pizza yesterday in the mail! a HUUUUGGGEEE hit! Could be Worse came too, a big hit as well. Thanks!
I cannot get over how much Zuzu looks like Nora with that squint- The little nose wrinkle is EXACTLY the same!
I can’t believe that you actually have ducks at your duck pond. All of our local ponds have been taken over by mean, constantly-pooping Canada geese.
The seagulls are pretty aggressive, but yes, we are lucky that are duck pond is mainly only ducks.
Christina, maybe our Scottish ancestors were all crinkly-nose smilers or something.