… or maybe not?
Things are just ducky again now that my morning meanders are back at Council Point Park. During the one-month hiatus in May when I took to the City streets for my daily walks, I discovered there was one advantage regarding the many folks working from home, or just plain laid off for now, and that was that I didn’t have to watch for drivers zipping down the street, or backing up out of the driveway without looking first because they hit the snooze bar too many times and were running late. That’s a real problem, especially during the school year, as drivers often aren’t paying attention to pedestrians.
Although I was not studying homeowners’ trash every Monday on garbage day, I WAS observant. Those folks who were not working from home, just laid off, certainly were industrious … they were not going to log lots of hours in front of the TV, nor were they going to eat or snack all day and end up gaining that dreaded “quarantine 15” – nope, they were doing home improvements. I never saw so many brown Amazon boxes for home improvement products, or paint-splattered trays and used paint cans, ripped-and-splintered paneling and baseboards, or rolled-up old carpeting and padding, just to name a few items. Most significant were the piles of discarded items from the basement or garage – old TVs and VCRs. Perhaps people finally had time to go through and try one more time to make that weed whacker work properly, or tweak the hedge trimmers so they sheared perfectly and were not out of alignment because they ran them into the wall or the chain-link fence (yes, I did that once, into the fence when I stayed outside too long and sweat got into my eyes – oops!) It seemed like lots of folks were cleaning out old toy boxes too, as each week there were stuffed animals poking out of trash bins, discarded dolls or wagons that had seen better days.
On one such garbage day trek, I spotted this rubber ducky in the mud near a homeowner’s driveway.
In 2019, there was construction on Pagel Avenue the last six months of the year; the street and sidewalk replacement project was such a large ordeal that I was forced to find a new route to Council Point Park. The City has since replaced the grass which they tore up during this massive undertaking, but before doing so, I discovered this yellow rubber duck. It looked a little forlorn, and I had to take a photo of it since I have a few oddball images in my picture folders and why not add this one? Alas, I have a blog post spot for this rubber ducky photo.
Unlike Sesame Street’s Ernie, who is pictured in this video, I never had a rubber ducky in my bathtub when I was a little nipper. That’s because Mom was no-nonsense when it was bath time. No fun and games for me, no gimmicky water toys or Mr. Bubble” bubble bath … I just got into the tub, scrubbed up and was out again in a flash, then in my PJs for bed. Oh well, I guess it was not a bad childhood, just because of those minor fun bath time details.
Birdie bath time.
I’ve mentioned before that if you want to be amused sometime, just watch a bird, any type, enjoying a bath, whether they indulge themselves at the Detroit River, the birdbath in your backyard, or hopping through the sprinkler.
Ducks are no different – they’ll splish-splash in the water, all year around. So, here are a few ducks performing their morning ablution at the Ecorse Creek in Council Point Park. This feathery guy and gal are not as fancy as that old-fashioned word for washing themselves – they are just about the dippin’ and divin’, spreadin’ their wings and shakin’ their tail feathers.
They might be playing games when submerging beneath the Ecorse Creek, disappearing into a whirlpool for a few minutes.
Watch them begin the drying off (or maybe showing off) process for their plumage.
All spiffed up and good as new. Yep, there is a whole art to it and when they are done, they are squeaky clean, so they can preen and distribute the oil throughout their feathers, keeping them waterproof – you never saw a duck with an umbrella did you?
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
They sure do love showing off…. itself fun to see. The picture without the duck when the mallard is underwater is cool.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, he looks bewildered a bit doesn’t he? I thought it was cool too Ellie … the water turns into a whirlpool effect after going down into the water, then a minute later, the other one comes back again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awesome photos Linda, you got the blue feathers on almost every shot. Terrific photos. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you liked them Sandra – yes, that blue streak on the female was really prominent, (more so than the other female mallards I pointed out to you in the past). They sure were enjoying their bathtime.
LikeLiked by 2 people
A fun duck post! Your photos are always so good.
Once we stayed at a motel that had a small plastic duck in the bathroom. The note said to take it with you if you want it. I took it and put it in my bathroom at home. Several times Logan spent the night with us when his mother was having her knees replaced. He chose to use my bathroom. When he saw the little duck, he said, “Is that the only toy you have???”
LikeLiked by 4 people
Glad you liked the post and the pictures Anne – those ducks looked to be having such a good time splashing around. That’s a funny story what Logan said – he was feeling sorry for you.
I bought the pink rubber duck and Mr. Bubble bubble bath to put in the pictures in the 2010 garden slideshow as I had the slates made that said “Baths 5 cents, Drinks for Free” – I thought it would look funny for the picture. Where I go for my hair, the salon owners are husband and wife. Jim buys slate pieces and repurposed wood and paints them, then does quotes and sayings on them, so I had him do the two pink slate signs and the blue “Plant Flowers” sign in the garden slideshow. He thought it was funny that I wanted to do that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jim did a great job.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He does some wonderful work Anne – every time I go into the shop, he has them hanging all over the place, some inspirational, some fun, I have three in the yard – I have another one I forgot to take a photo of the other day. He usually has a booth at all the art fairs and Wyandotte Street Fair, but they are all cancelled this year – he’ll have an overload of them now.
LikeLike
Poor Jim!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, he does well with those. Hopefully 2021 will be normal all the way around. Good thing your long road trip and visits with relatives was last year and not this year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You should have given that rubber ducky a nice home!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, didn’t it look forlorn with the mud on it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember charities having rubber ducky races awhile back and it was always fun to watch in the bay. A fun post Linda! They sure do a lot of preening for the camera!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That sounds like an interesting way to raise money for charity Joni. Glad you liked the post Joni – those ducks sure were cooperative while posing for the camera while splashing and preening and were fun to watch.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No Mr. Bubble? Oh you poor deprived child. It was fun. I don’t remember why, but it was.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Funny you say that Ally because a fellow blogger has a blog about recipes, posting a new recipe nearly daily. About a week ago, Diane posted how to make S’Mores. I told her I’d never had them, even at day camp and being in Brownies and Pioneer Girls (like Girl Scouts). I was feeling deprived then too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting observations Linda. Our traffic really seems to have picked up again but I suppose there is still not as much because the schools are still closed. I’m not near a school and not really out around that time though. We love watching the different birds who come to take a bath in our pond or sometime a mud puddle is all they need. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I should have mentioned a mud puddle too Ruth. Our houses in the neighborhood are very close and years ago before my neighbor got leaf gutter guards/filters, she would always have maple seeds or elm seeds, even leaves trapped in her gutters, So if it rained, the water just sat there as she rarely cleaned them out. My mom would look out the kitchen window and see birds using the gutters as a birdbath to drink, bathe and even squirrels perched on the roof and put their heads into the gutter to drink. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Miss Linda……………………………….your mom sure was a good mom!………………………………..I sure like the little “rubber ducky”……………………………………………yes it is amusing to watch ducks and geese take a bath…………………………………………………
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, they sure kick up the water Ann Marie – I think this is the third time I have done a post on ducks bathing in the last year, but every time seems funnier than the last time.
LikeLike
you were peeking while they bathed! The Duck Police will be out looking for you! Your not a peeking Tom but a peeking Linda!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha – the things I saw and did not tell about in this post Wayne! 🙂
LikeLike
as long as you had fun,it’s all Kosher!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I told them the photos were for me and no one would see them (while crossing my fingers). 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow Linda those pictures are so good. You really do take fantastic pictures.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Diane – in this case I was in the right place at the right time … I arrived just as they were gearing up for “bath time” … I like how they disappear into the water and dive deep and don’t surface for about a minute. They are fun to watch.
LikeLike
Linda, these are some great photos! Their dialogue is hilarious and gives them personality.
I tried observing ducks the other day when visiting a park but I think it’s an learned process. Just a cursory observation doesn’t give you the full story of what’s going on. The mama geese was gathering up her ducklings and moving them towards tall grasses as it was becoming evening. My camera setting was working slowly so I missed getting a picture of them following their mama. However, I finally got a little part of a duckling reluctant to say good night. bush.
I read that local thrift shops will get inundated with donations soon. People have been decluttering, organizing, and probably finally getting to hoe projects that’s been ignored for years. I’m in that camp too. I got rid of piles of paper that I was so sure I would read again. Once I organize I realize that I’m terrible at organizing. Gives me headaches! lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tomorrow the duckling post will publish with those cutie pies and today at Heritage Park, if I didn’t see more ducklings after saying all these years I’d never seen ducklings. They were just adorable to watch around their Mom. I must get myself organized … blogging is seriously taken a toll on my organizational skills.
LikeLike
Maybe it’s a lucky year with the ducklings. Our baby ducklings too in CA were little bit bigger than tiny babies. So cute! Any animal babies are adorable, even the newborn ones that are red, wrinkly, and hairless.
I hear ya, blogging takes time and lots of attention. For me, I realize that I think about my blogger friends often and constantly think about my next blog topic.
Linda, you’re doing great as a blogger!! Keep going and I appreciate how you show so much care in your comments.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, the ducklings I saw yesterday were bigger, but still sticking close to Mom and it was heartwarming to see. The 10 ducklings walking behind Mom in today’s blog post were so cute. I spend a lot of time on blogging, walking and taking pictures now (I didn’t take pictures in the beginning of my walking regimen and rarely in the beginning of the blog and I used stock photos many times). Now I took several pictures that were a little unusual over the weekend, and I walked away thinking of those as to potential “Wordless Wednesday” posts (I just started doing WW about three months ago.) Sometimes I’m thinking about a blog title as I walk away.
Thank you Esther … blogging does take time to devote to this labor of love. Thank you for your nice comments – they are appreciated.
LikeLike
My pleasure! I’m happy to share encouragement with you. You do the same for me and it’s so appreciated.
Blogging takes some getting used to and comfortable in sharing your thoughts in a very public forum. When I first started, it would take me days to write one post. I didn’t know who I was writing for or how readers would respond. It takes time and learning!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We all need a little encouragement to carry on sometimes. I had my blog from February 2013 until November 2017 and just two people following and they were a neighbor and a friend. And technically the neighbor passed away in August 2017, so only one friend, a fellow walker at the Park, continued to comment. Then someone found my blog on WordPress and that blogger followed, then more people. It was a long process and I told my neighbor I started a blog, but that was because she kept sending me links to a blog she was following about a woman who lived in Scotland and she would say “you should write a blog – how hard could it be and how much time could it take up?” She had no idea, but then … neither did I.
LikeLike
As a runner, I notice the increase in traffic lately too. I miss the good old days of the shutdown when there was hardly any traffic on the road. Sigh!
I noticed a lot of homeowners doing home improvement projects lately too – including us! Now that everyone is spending so much more time at home, we notice all the areas that could use a little TLC.
And now I will be singing “Rubber Ducky” in my head for the rest of the evening! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
The news keeps saying that stores that sell pools, both in-ground and above ground, no matter the size, are selling them like crazy … people figure if they’re going to hunker down at home, might as well be cool and not worry about going to public pools.
I did that outside for two weeks and have to get crackin’ inside now … I took this weekend for myself as it was gorgeous weather, but I have to hunker down and get some things done inside.
That was such a cute video – I wonder how many people never heard of the song before? It is catchy in its own way. 🙂
LikeLike
I have not thought of Mr. Bubble in a long time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope they were fond memories for yourself (or children) JP. I recently told a fellow blogger I’d never had S’Mores after she featured the recipe on her blogging site and she was incredulous.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ducks are so beautiful ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wait til you return and see the little ducklings from today’s post Zena – you’d better not let Munch catch you oohing and awing over them as for sure he’ll be jealous. 🙂
LikeLike
😂 you know him so well. Looking forward to reading it ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
I definitely would have taken that little ducky home with me. I have its pal already in our guest bathroom so it would feel right at home. Years ago, there used to be a big rubber ducky race at the bay. There were all sorts of different rubber duckies with various hats and costumes and the race was always a hoot (or, maybe I should say “it quacked everyone up”) to watch.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds like it is fun Janis – sure to “quack you up” (you clever girl you). 🙂 Another blogger, Joni, mentioned they have a rubber ducky race for charity every year where she lives in Canada. Year’s ago I made a slideshow of my garden and I had garden slates made up with sayings … where I go for my hair, it is a husband/wife who own the salon. Jim likes to get pieces of slate and repurposed wood and he paints the front and does quotes and some artwork. I had him do two for the birdbaths out back: “Drinks Free” and “Baths 5 cents” … I wanted to make the slideshow funny, so I got some Mr. Bubble and a pink rubber ducky to match the pink painted slates and posed them nearby.
LikeLiked by 1 person