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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Duck, Duck - GOOSE

So, people wanna know why we have a duck (and now a goose) for a pet. What a strange family. Why couldn't they just be happy with a dog? Well, we have a lot of animals and that is the way we are. We embrace God's creatures (more than some people, even farmers without the farm). Well, we started with a cat (I don't like cats, and terrified of them now) then got a standard Poodle "Ashley" who suddenly passed away this passed April. We then wanted a small lap dog, and bought "Chloe" a toy Poodle. The pet snowball escalated from there and it all started from a small stuffed animal and into a science fair project.

Let me explain first that, we never said we were going to have a lot of kids, animals, quiet time, or a lot of anything. It just happened and we love each one. Like so many of our funny stories, it starts with Jaden when he was about 4 (he was 4 for 4 years - inside joke, yet another blogging event, LOL) and we were passing a store who had bean bag animals. I picked up this cute little duck, and he named it "Chase Carpet Lifrak". This stuffed duck went to the ends of the earth and back. It has survived Jaden's world (and that is BIG). It still is kicking somewhere in the house. When Jaden started kindergarten we thought it was so cute that he was obesessed with ducks and never thought anything wrong with it, he was still young. The teacher was awesome and embraced Jaden's love of ducks. So when the science fair was brewing she thought Jaden should do something with ducks.

Ok, but it had to be simple enough that a 5 year old would do on their own. We thought a little hanger mobile of a duck's life cycle would be cute and educational for all the kids. Then the teacher mentioned hatching eggs and it was all down hill from there. There would be NO way to hatch a cute little duck and say good bye have a nice life. Jaden would fall hook, line, and sinker. If my husband didn't say "it would be neat to have a pet duck," I wouldn't be blogging about pet ducks. I had no idea that ducks made such great pets, and then I found a lady who makes diapers to keep them in the house - that had me hooked and Shawn sunk.

Well, I did all the research - even bought the hatching eggs on E-bay and set up a mini hatchery at the kids school. Hatch day couldn't come soon enough. Most of the school got to see a developing embryo in the egg (too funny all the kids in a small utility closet peering through eggs on top of an empty toilet roll with a flashlight underneath) and near the end, some even saw the beak, pecking to get out. Oh, yeah and there we a few mommies that did a day shift in the classroom thinking that day was "THE DAY". You know who you are, LOL. We had several ducklings and they were so adorable.

Jaden got his wish - a pet duck. She (Chase Carpet Lifrak) was the best - she would jump on the furniture to sit with you (or sleep on our chest), steal food off of your plate, follow me (when Jaden wasn't home) everywhere, talk to me, etc. I put her out on the back deck, to give her a break from her diaper and we think a fox came for duck dinner. We never saw a trace of her anywhere. We had to, of course, hatch another duck, Max. He was a jumbo Pekin duck and someone harbored ill will toward him and shot him on our back deck.

I won't go into much detail other than we thought he was healing. We went on vacation several weeks later and when we got back I noticed that clearly he wasn't well. We thought it would best for Jaden to get to say good bye this time and Max died in his arms. We all cried, Jaden kept going to the box for one last goodbye (so, it wasn't such a good idea). So, we hatch another batch of ducks and got Snickers.

Snickers is a Jaden ONLY animal and he was ready to say goodbye to a live, happy duck this spring - Snickers is a lovely duck (maybe on a dinner plate, LOL - I am sure I have a few people who would agree to how nasty he is to other people), that bites. He will hunt you down, chase you and grab hold of your skin and give you a good pinch, but believe me when I say he is gentler than what you would find in a park!!! People always seem fasinated with him and lean down to talk to him, well he enjoys jumping up at your face to get a good grip on your nose - stay away.

Hence, our newest addition Lucy; the goose. She is a white sebastopol goose. She is a white goose with a spiral perm and her deposition is awesome. We held on to her hatch mate longer than we should have, due to angel wing that needed special care before going to her home. The original plan was to allow Snickers the duck, go to place where he would be free and keep Lucy  to show (like a 4H or something). So, for now we have a duck and a goose as house pets.

Diapering, the flock; is very easy (not that they are cooperative), it is not at all painful and most don't even mind. Snickers minds and he isn't too often diapered. Lucy loves the freedom of the house and will often sit on the back deck, where she can crane her neck to see me (as if to say, I am out here if you care at all). So, I guess it really depends on the disposition of the waterfowl. I have read that if I were to keep the diapering as part of Snickers schedule he would be fine.

Ducks eat duck food, and keep in mind that when you go to your local park and feed the ducks bread - that you are killing them. All bread has yeast which rises when wet (baked or not) and it thickens in their crop and then they can't digest food. If you want to feed the ducks and geese at the park, pond, lake or anything buy cracked corn or unmedicated poultry/fowl food. A 50lb bag runs about $12 or less. Until next time...

Sunday, August 8, 2010

All work, no play

As I write this blog in a hotel room in PA I am thinking of something funny or anything that would take my mind off of the recent passing of a really good friend, Pat. His memorial service was earlier tonight and it was a nice service, but I couldn't stop tearing up. I had my Nook with me (I know it sounds rude, but I had to escape the sad feelings) and wouldn't you know it (I am reading The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud) I am at the part of ... death - I can't give it away for those who are reading or want to watch the movie. So now I am crying about the story line, crying about Norma losing Pat ... uggghhhh Lord help me please!!!

I then remember Jaden at the lake this afternoon doing a chore for his great grandma Love. When this boy is good he is real good and when he is ... he is ...  So anyway, this chore was supposed to be a 5 minute thing. Each time we lapped with a skiier there he is scrubbing away. He was asked to brush the bottom step walking into the lake, (it is slippery from the lake moss and algae). We went around the lake about 4 or 5 times and when we got back he was still working (we were out in the boat for over an hour and half). We were pretty worried there wouldn't be a step brick left.

He weeded the whole wall and brushed the entire wall clean of algae. I couldn't believe how content and thorough he was with this chore. We had to leave and my mom said he continued to work on the wall and the stairs long after we left. These are the moments I am proud to be a mother. I don't expect them to be perfect, but when they expect their job be perfect it tells me he learned it from his parents and that makes me proud.

I haven't blogged much about Jaden and that is because I thought he needed a background blog all to himself, but here it is in a nut shell: Jaden is 10 years old, going into 5th grade at American Christian School, he is type 1 diabetic, he has ADHD and has another medical issue (Guillian Barre) that excuses him from any further immunizations. He suffers from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), audio processing disorder, some socialization issues, and is depressed. Jaden had stopped growing a few years ago and I had another doctor take a look before going to a specialist and low and behold - he was Diabetic type 1. He is NOT on insulin yet, but I wasn't crazy in trying insulin to get his body to start growing, but I was willing to try unconventional other form of medication to see if it would help. He has been on the medication for over a year and it has started to finally pay off. He started to grow this past April, and probably will cost me a fortune in new uniforms in September.

Jaden is a free spirited child. He loves all critters, bugs, animals, sticks, stones, acorns, pine cones, etc. He collects them all and when I do the wash I feel like I am in the great outdoors. He takes everything and of course, I have to touch, ohhh, and ahhhh at everything. Yes, I am the total boy mom. I don't know why God picked me, I don't like germs or the gross things boys do. Yuck, yuck, yuck. This child keeps me on my toes all the time and sometimes I hear stories of what he did, all I want to do is laugh (because it is funny to hear what he did, it isn't funny when he does it to you though).

Glad you could join me in this blog on the better side of life. I am thinking about what to blog next about. Maybe the kids made up language would be fun. Need to put some fun in here or no one will want to read. For sure, if Jaden is in the blog - he gives me a run for my money - maybe he will do the same for your reading the blog. He sometimes makes me want to cry and laugh at the same time. Love you JJ you are one of a kind.