.
Our pair of visiting mallards is so cute. The male follows the female around the yard like a lost puppy and sits patiently while she nibbles.
.
.
But then….
.
.
Two rival males arrived.
.
.
He chased them, he flew at them, he put his head down and charged them but nothing worked.
.
.
They just kept moving closer.
.
.
Right after I took this picture he went full ninja duck on their ass and finally drove them off. The Mrs? She was not impressed and simply kept eating.
.
.
The bowl of deer grain is popular, with everyone but the deer for whom it is intended.
.
.
Our resident woodchuck, (named Chuck because we’re creative that way) loves it…
.
.
But so do our new friends the ducks.
.
.
It’s first come first serve at Casa River, and no matter how much posturing and maneuvering the waterfowl did…
.
.
Chuck reigned supreme.
.
.
And even barked at them when they got too close. I’ve been known to do the same around my margaritas, so I don’t judge.
.
.
A few weeks ago the waterfowl landed.
.
.
A pair of mallards who have since taken up semi residence.
.
.
They come to nibble under the bird feeders and have discovered that deer grain and fox food is tasty as well.
.
.
We wake to the sound of quacking, and when a thunder storm rumbled by the other day? They flew in and took shelter.
❤️
.
I saw an article the other day about all the amazing things people are doing with the spare time the pandemic shutdowns are providing them.
Some were worth while.
Others?
You decide.
Did Rufus McToofus need his very own adirondack chair to celebrate accordingly?
Probably not.
That’s so special it hurts.
Just…. wow.
What do you suppose those ducks are posting on social media? Can someone please investigate and report back. I’d hate for those ducks to have a more interesting blog than mine.
Finally….
A worthy use of time.
I have no idea why we have a pair of visiting Mallard ducks this year…
But like all the other critters who venture in….. they’re welcome.
Though the drake’s table manners leave a little to be desired.
Is standing in the dish of deer grain really necessary?
Other times he’s a bit like Caligula.
And eats lying down.
Ducks.
I hope they remember how nice we are to them.
We now have daily duck visitors.
A pair of mallards who make me smile and cut grapes in half. It’s the best food for ducks…. though they prefer to nibble on deer grain.
They’re here off and on all day but make a point of showing up about 4:00pm when I put out the nightly treats for the deer.
You would think the considerably larger deer would scare them off.
But in actuality, it’s the opposite.
The deer is frightened of the ducks and makes sure to eat on the opposite side.
Keeping one eye on those terrifying birds the whole time.
It’s time to take a look at my local Facebook page again.
And when I did, I realized how critter-centric it’s been lately.
Goats were on the loose again.
And apparently craving pumpkin pie.
This was a bit disturbing.
It’s not often someone is actively seeking deer guts, even around here.
Makes you wonder what this poor guy did.
“…for whatever purpose you would like.” probably doesn’t bode well for that bird.
And speaking of Sunday dinner –
As much as I’d like to come home to a nice meal, the thought of letting a stranger into my kitchen to cook seems a bit odd.
They might find that fuzzy, 11 month old spear of asparagus that got pushed to the back of the fridge… and that’s bound to be embarrassing.
And lastly, there was some news on the crime beat.
Duck theft.
Because sometimes people can’t help themselves.
The end of our living history tour was a typical Yorktown, Virginia farm of 18th century.
It re-creates the life of Edward Moss, and you can read a little about it here.
The house was simple, but comfortable enough for the time…
Or so Edward told us.
There was a separate building for cooking… where they were currently following old recipes and baking pies.
Apparently you used to be able to sample the food, but the health department put the kibosh on that and now you can only drool.
And although the pie smelled great, I can’t say I’d be too eager to try any of these recipes.
Calf’s head surprise…?
No.
Transmogrified pigeon?
Yeah… I’ll pass on that as well.
I did get a kick out of this spice jar stopper though.
As promised….
Some chickens.
Because no matter where I go, I tend to find fowl.
There was candle making.
And slave quarters.
Complete with….
You guessed it.
Shoes.
There was a tobacco drying shed, because back then tobacco equaled money.
And if you’ve never had occasion to be in one?
Trust me… it smells wonderful.
A few more buildings…
A lot more fencing…. and we were done.
Well…
After I said goodbye to the resident ducks.
I do love me some waterfowl.
Last on our list of resorts that day was an old and well known establishment.
New England is full of quirky places like this.
With a nice big porch…
And a nice big view…
It was a pleasant spot to end the day.
Charming…
Cozy…
And full of antiques….
It was instantly welcoming.
I can’t say it any better than that.
The bar.
Oh, stuff it Dorothy.
You know us better by now.
But amusing sign aside…
The mushroom risotto cake appetizer left a lot to be desired, as did the cranberry gin fizz.
A definite meh.
We only stayed for one round and then headed into the gift shop… where I saw a wine tag that made me laugh.
As well as…
Are you ready for this?
A bucket of ducks!
Christ on a cracker….enough with the rubber ducks.
This was getting creepy.
Bidding farewell to the hotel, and the ducks….
It took all I could do to convince the husband he could not go rummage in the establishment’s old slate roofed barn.
The mere thought of not being able to gather up all the unloved tools and rusted treasures that must be stored in there? Practically ruined his night…
