The Duck In My Tub, Part 5

Hi Folks,

Well, I'm pleased to report that Pretty Boy survived his time in captivity, and, after checking in with Dr. Susan tomorrow, he'll be going back to the pond. I tried to convey that thought to him numerous times today, but the vibe I'm getting from him is one of suspicion. Who can blame him?

Sue Van Fleet, who writes for the Toledo Free Press, came by today to check things out. She took a lot of pictures of Pretty Boy and I together - I was smiling while Pretty Boy mostly scowled - and then she sat down to interview me. I prattled on about all my critter friends for two hours! I really hope I was able to get my point across about kindness to all animals, not just the cute domesticated ones. I could tell that Sue was taken by Pretty Boy (in spite of his best attempts at surliness), as is just about everyone who meets him. Indeed, the only person who seems immune to his charm is our emergency avian specialist, Dr. Susan.

Apart from my attempts to make Pretty Boy famous with the news lady, we spent a quiet day at home. Just for fun - and because it annoys him - I've taken to ruffling Pretty Boy's tail feathers when he's in the water. Because he doesn't like it, he'll quack at me and swim to the other end of the tub. If I ruffle his feathers again, he'll swim back where he was to start with. Enough of that and I've got him doing laps in the tub and getting some exercise! Which beats the heck out of lying on a pile of leaves in someone's bathroom all day, staring at the wall!

Sue, the news lady, asked me what I'd do when all the ducks were gone from McKinnon's Pond and I had no one to feed there anymore. Gosh, I hadn't thought about that. Considering how long-lived Domestic Ducks are, and how irritatingly irresponsible humans are about dumping them where they don't belong, it's hard for me to imagine a time when there aren't any McKinnon's Pond ducks.

But I'd sure like to give it a try, so maybe you readers could educate your friends about this important issue. Because it's not just McKinnon's Pond that's dealing with unwanted ducks, it's millions of ponds all over the United States. That's a lot of ducks that people decided they didn't love anymore.

In the meantime, I already have plans in my head for the design of a great big pond with plenty of room for all my duck friends. It'll be located on the huge piece of property that I buy with my first million! And I'll bet you can guess who the first resident duck will be - that's right, my favorite duck in the whole world, Pretty Boy!

That's all for now, folks. I'll bring you all the details of Pretty Boy's last visit with Dr. Susan the next time I blog. Until then, please be kind to all the critters!