Mail Order Bride

Our household has been selected for couples. Three female and three male cats all indoors, besides my husband and I. Outdoors, we have 1 male and 1 female cat, however, we have had 1 muscovy duck for the past 3 years. He actually showed up and fell in love with our pond and hasn't wanted to leave since. He had belonged to the neighbor up the road and Ronnie had to move and said if he couldn't catch the duck, he was just going to shoot him! Well we grew very fond of this ugly species of bird and would even take the bullet for him. lol My husband named him Elmer, (since I wasn't quick enough to decide.) He has been happy go lucky, wags his tail like a dog and will even eat the cat food put out for the other cats, despite his own corn feed! He occasionally pecks at the cats as if to tell them, "my food!" He has chased many a dog that has entered our yard. In the summer, he beats it down to the pond when he sees a heron land, and carries on with this threatening ritual dance, hoping the Heron will leave. As soon as I pop the door open, it scares the heron off and Elmer gets credit for his maucho duck ritual. He's quite proud of him self, actually. We never told him anything different and would wait until we see him waddle as fast as he could across the yard to repeat the scene all over again. He loves protecting his territory and I am sure not many people can say that they have a guard duck!




Poor Elmer has been alone all of these years. I often thought he would leave the area especially when the pond would about dry up this past summer, but it was his home to him. He would stay underneath our back porch amongst the Ivy and felt pretty safe.

Last night I had a knock on the door. It's pretty unusual for us as most people call before they drop over, but to my surprise, it was our old neighbor that had moved and he was carrying a cat carrier and said he had a present for us. Well, that's one thing I really didn't need was another cat! He picked up the carrier to reveal he had a "mail order bride" for Elmer! What a surprise! So Ronnie takes the carrier over to the pond and lets the female out. 3 years was a long time and I wasn't so sure if they would get along. We would have to wait and see if she stayed or took off. Well, it didn't take long before Elmer was jumping her bones! Talk about one happy camper! It was almost dark at this point, so had to wait until morning after their honeymoon to see if it was a great evening. As I left, I was imagining them under a blanket of snow having a cigarette,with Elmer asking, "was it as good for you as it was for me?" When I got up this morning, I saw the happy couple on the porch next door at the retreat house, so I finished up my email and would walk over to serve them breakfast in bed! By the time I walked over there, neither one of them were in site!!! It had been snowing harder and I noticed duck tracks in the snow and followed it over to the neighbor's garage. (Don't they just quack you up?)



Ah ha!!! I caught the two love birds! He was taking her to see the sites and all of his favorite spots! Good thing the neighbor doesn't mind!





I talked to the newly weds a bit and told them I had a nice cracked corn dish prepared for them so out they came and followed me back. I couldn't but help but to share their newly wed pictures! lol



As you can see by this photo, the honey moon is over. Notice that she is getting the last word in? LOL (ironically muscovy's don't have a voice), but rest assured she is nagging him already.