Monday, December 28, 2009

Who's training whom here?

As of late, that being over the last 4 or 5 days, the ducks have been somewhat vocal in the evenings. Normally, they just quack their fool heads off about mid day, when they have decided that it is time to be out scavenging in the yard. Lately though, they kick it up again around 8. Now the ducks don't normally go to bed until 9 or 9:30. By "to bed" I mean locked in their house. They are in their secure enclosure by dark to prevent evening marauders from taking them as an early supper. I have left them there to eat, drink and be merry until later in the evening, thinking that it is best to let them have access to food and water as late as possible. I have been somewhat at wits end with what to do with them when they fire up in the evening. At first, I thought they were distressed, but there didn't seem to be anything going on when I went out. And if they feel threatened, they usually go toward the quiet side rather than loud. When I hear them all I can think about are the 2 year old twins next door and the 3 year old across the back fence... Lord have mercy on me if the ducks are keeping the kids up .... The quacking can sound like maniacal laughter.

These recent events have nudged me toward the duck confit recipes, but I have not been pushed over the edge yet. Tonight, I decided that they just needed to go to bed early. I put them up at 8. That will show them. Unless of course, that is what they were after all along. Who knows the mind of a duck?

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