Deborah and the Duck

At one time we lived across from a pond. We were accustomed to the ducks and geese in our area. Many times we would have a yard full of geese.

One day a strange looking little duck came into our yard. He soon made his way up onto our porch. Even when we were relaxing on the porch he would come sit on the rail.

We, of course, were loving this and to entice him to return we would give him bread and crackers. He would even take bread that I would hold in my mouth. (We even put up with the mess he made on the porch. Larry would hose the porch off every evening after our fowl friend left.) He would come into our screened-in back porch and sit on our outdoor table. We named him Forrest because he was so daffy sometimes, but so loving, friendly and open.

Sometimes I would pick him up and hold him and he didn’t seem to mind at all. Often we would walk over to visit him at the pond where he spent a lot of time.

For two years this strange duck came to our home to be fed and talked to and just to hang out. He became part of our family and I truly believe he felt like he was ours. He was very personable and not afraid at all. You can see in the picture a piece of bread in my mouth and the little fellow taking it.

With a pond across the road, there were several geese and ducks - but none like this one. (We later found out that he was a Muscovy Duck). We were used to seeing geese fly over in formation. That’s a beautiful site. But what we watched for was our friend. We could see him flying in the distance, then he would circle over our home and we knew it was "our" duck. We would call out to him. He circled a couple more times, then he would come down for a visit. He would fly in, making a most graceful landing. He would visit for awhile, then off he would go to the pond across the road. It was a most glorious thing to see him landing and taking off. He would stand just at our feet before leaving. We could feel the breeze from his wings as he left. Building began at the pond and he disappeared. We searched for him, but to no avail. We would sit on the porch and watch the skies. I was so afraid he had been injured or worse. He didn't return.

One spring day two years later, we heard a knocking on our front door - I opened the door. Not seeing anyone, I looked down only to see our friend prancing past me into the house! It was like he had never been away! He walked right into the house! He spent that spring and summer with us - then left again as before. We searched and searched for him but we never saw our feathered friend again. Forrest was part of our family and we miss him.


Joining me today in posting a favorite family photo is:

DAWN at Dawn's Daybreak

DIANE at A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

JEANNE at Backyard Neighbor

CAROLYN at Wings of Eagles

VANESSA at Vanilla Lavender


Please visit their Favorite Family Foto post and leave a comment.