Remember when your friend in 5th grade told you her rabbit just had babies and that she would give you one for FREE because you were her friend and you were special and bunnies are so sweet and soft and wasn't it great that you were going to have your very own bunny to hold and cuddle and love and maybe even sleep with in your bed!? You ran off the bus and into the house and to your parents where your hopes were immediately extinguished with a firm and definite "NO WAY."
You want an explanation? Okay. "What are you going to do with a bunny?"
You want to talk about it? Sure. "You'll understand when you're older."
Well, I am a lot older but I don't understand. Or didn't understand until I found myself bidding on 2 ducks at the ward auction last week. The auction was mostly service but someone had donated 2 baby ducks to see if anyone wanted them. Funny, it didn't strike me as odd I was the only one bidding. (Woohoo, less I had to pay!) So I won the ducks for $10 measly bucks. Brock asked me what the heck I just did and what was I going to do with ducks. But that was all easy to ignore. I just won 2 ducks!
Happy and on my way to to pay the cashier I was now inundated by ward members with that same irking question: "What are you going to do with a pair of ducks?" Amazing how such a pointless query from your parents or husband can have a deep and penetrating impact when someone else asks it. The wheels finally started to turn. Then I started to panic. What WAS I going to do with a pair of ducks?!!
After some deep breathing I decided my only option was to take it one step at a time. So, first thing I did was take them home. Then I gave them some water and some food. I let the kids play with them until bedtime. Then I took them outside for the night. (And for good--They are much too smelly to ever let back in the house.)
I'm happy to report the ducks are now doing well and growing fast. They roam around our backyard living a leisurely life (except for when Karlee goes out to chase them). I've since concluded that baby ducks are the perfect pet. You only need to take care of them for a few weeks, they grow their wings and then you say goodbye and take them to a pond to live free or die. Taking care of a pet is no thing when it's only temporary.
