#DuckyAdventures -- It's Finally Up!

One weekend + two excruciating sunburns later, we have ENCLOSURE.
(Sounded nice & dramatic with the suspenseful, yet booming movie voice in my head.)

(Has been a touch windy lately, so just ignore the filthy water, please & thank you!)

The ducklings are in Heaven now that they get to enjoy 24/7 unsupervised swim sessions on the pond!  And I do mean 24/7.  They're all about the night swim especially, and cheep so sweetly as they're splashing around making it difficult for our 3 Koi to sleep (Lasik is bright yellow with brown spectacles, Phantom is pure silvery white, and Cheddar is white with a bright blast of orange on its forehead).

We also planted two Weeping Willow trees in the yard.  Mini-Me is ecstatic and said she can't wait to watch her kids swinging on those branches when they all come to visit Grandma & Grandpa.  Normally I'd cringe at the thought of her ever being old enough to bring grandkids over to play, but I didn't this time.  Maybe because I could see the same vision in those lovely trees.  :)

Next project on the list is the Duck House, but that'll have to wait until graduation week is finished.

Happy #DuckyAdventures to you!

#DuckyAdventures Continue: New-ish Digs

The pond is coming along.
It now has a filter and a fountain.

And since it was Friday...

+ it's been long overdue to move their brooder out of doors...

+ they are much too big for that tiny brooder anyhow...

+ we had a spare dog crate that has gone unused for the last 18 months...

I got out the old deck brush & Dawn dish soap and dismantled the dog crate hard wear.  Scrubbing bubbles would've been no match for all the filth & spider nests (AND wasp's nest).  I was extremely grateful for the "10 foot pole" handle attached to the scrub brush and a high pressured garden hose.

I'm can't stress just HOW extremely!

While that dried, I caulked the seam between the two pond liners, and dammed up the sides a bit while sealing in a couple rocks on either edge.  This way we'll have no washouts thanks to their splashing about.  (We had no black or clear caulking to use, so please don't judge the gray too harshly.  All I care about really is functionality, so no plans on alerting BHG.com or anything here.)  From there I "planted" a lilypad & two mini cattails, for some variety & for eventual shade for the koi we plan to introduce.

Then I transitioned them into the dog crate that had their waterer & feed.

At first the bigger space was pretty overwhelming.  But then they seemed to be quite at home and decided to christen the new digs with an all out mud bath party!

So cute.
So glad those parties don't happen in my house anymore.
No longer in Mini-Me's room, to be specific.
You should see the muddied state of her mirrored closet doors.
On second-thought, no you shouldn't.  Their mess is embarrassing.
(Running for the Windex)

They were so content in their new crate, that even with the door wide open it took a bit of coaxing to get them to come out and discover how close they now are to the pond, not to mention the new amenities.  But once they did, man were they happy!

Obviously they've been in the pond before, but it had been several days, simply because I can't catch them all by myself.  And by the time Mr LKP & Mini-Me are home from their days, it's too late + too chilly for a dip.  However, today brought with it loads of diving + dabbling, and a new discovery: THE waterfall.



Once we've got their house & enclosure built, I will be more at peace with them being able to pond hop without supervision.  I'm sure they'll be in Heaven, but until then guess I've no choice but to be a worry wart of a Mama.  Might be different if we didn't have coyotes in our yard every night & hawks in the air and trees every day.

While they played for hours today, I planted Alyssum along the cracks in the rocks.  We purchased some Irish Moss, however its not made for full sun & considering the only shade we have is the north side of our house Alyssum will have to do for now.  Luckily it's safe to be around ducks, which is a relief.

So there's our progress.

I'm sure before too long there'll be another update.  :)

So....It's a Long Story

And I don't have a lot of time.
However, let's just say Mother's Day came & went.

There was an MIA mother who's 4 little children were lost, searching for her in a busy shopping center parking lot.  Lots of big engines & BIG tires everywhere!

So we gathered them up.  Searched the nearby bushes for their mom and/or their nest.  Nothing.

And no water for miles, mind you.

So *this* mother adopted 4 new babies.

They've been keeping me busy daily with swim sessions & diving lessons & bottom feeding lessons.  They are precious. And have already grown a great deal!

We're trying to keep them as wild as possible.  So a pond & house is in the process of being constructed.  We're only planning on them being here a few months, until all their feathers are good & fit, and they are able to fend for themselves.

They'll we'll take them to their new home on the campus of a local college that has a lovely creek & pond area right in the middle of the lush grounds.  :)

But the time in between has been pretty fun.
Never realized how soothing watching them swim around is for my soul.

Madly in love.

May have to get some domestic ones after they grow up and leave us.