Duck, Duck, Duck, Goose!!

Every so often, the kids and I grab the old bread out of the pantry and head to a murky, marshy pond in a neighboring community to feed the ducks.  While the kids wouldn’t rate it up there with rollercoasters and waterparks, I love the simplicity and the tradition of these outings, and hope the kids one day have fond memories of these little breaks from the usual hustle and bustle of our daily lives.

Every morning, when his brother and sister board the school bus, a look of disappointment washes over Trey’s face.  I can tell he feels left behind, and because his English is so limited, it is impossible for me to explain that he’ll be able to join them someday.  In an attempt to give Trey something to look forward to after the bus pulls away, we’ve been heading out on our own little adventures – a wagon ride by the lake or a walk through the woods.  On Thursday, I proposed that we take a trip to feed  the ducks.


Typically, the ducks already on the water come hustling in the minute you arrive, while others start descending with splash landings from various directions.  This day, however, there was not a single duck in sight.  While Trey was quite happy to run freely up and down the winding wooden dock that wraps around the pond,  he was clearly confused about the bag of bread we had brought along and probably was doubting his understanding of the word duck.  We waited patiently for quite a while, and just as I was concluding it was time to head home, along came…


…and the little ones who followed behind in her wake.



Moments later, another mama approached us…


…who was shortly followed by...



Trey was delighted to hurl the chunks of bread over the railing and laughed hysterically as the birds competed for their share.  Every so often, he would pause and pop a piece into his own mouth.  You just can’t plan for things to work out so perfectly. 


I’m a lucky duck to be able to share these simple traditions with this silly goose.