Had to See a Man
About a Duck
So I finally had some luck finding a duck.
Took off yesterday morning and headed for Mt. Hope auction as I needed parts
for the greenhouse. I needed to pick up some more wiggle wire. It is the wire
that locks the plastic into a channel to keep it the plastic from flopping in
the breeze, much like it is now. When I was installing the plastic and not
knowing the difference between greenhouse plastics. I thought that for the end
walls I could just run to Lowes and pick up a big box of plastic and it would work
to finish the ends of the greenhouse. It worked and actually was quite nice
until it has been up there awhile.
Now it is
starting to show wear and I find it isn’t very flexible or impervious to UV
rays, ultra violet rays, and has become a problem when it tears as it
disintegrates into tiny pieces after just one year. As it goes bad I have been
replacing the plastic with regular greenhouse plastic designed against ultra
violet rays and designed to remain flexible for 6 years at least. This is something
I had not planned to do but still needs done. Thankfully the greenhouse is made
of a two layer system including the end walls. This allows me to force air in
between the layers of plastic creating an insulating layer of air that helps
keep the hot in or the cold out of the greenhouse. It is getting that time to
start plants and I have a box of seeds in the Magnolia post office to pick up. So
I need to get things going in the greenhouse to be ready for this year’s garden
season.
I also had to
pick up a new blower to inflate the air space between the plastic to conserve
heat. It was nice walking into my greenhouse supply place as things were busy
and seeds were being counted and placed in envelopes by young Amish girls. Activity of all sorts associated with the thaw
was seen on my trip up to the store as I went along from the sale barn to the
greenhouse store. People fixing greenhouses, loads of manure being spread on
the snow as barns now close to overflowing from a long hard winter are now being
emptied and spread on the snow to release their nutrients to support the growth
of crops in the next year. To see the white of the snow peppered with manure
from the barns is a sure sign of a passing winter in Amish country. As well fresh washed clothes hung from Amish
houses on clothes lines attached to pulleys as they were taking advantage of a warm drying wind
and a sun that was able to provide enough energy to dry the clothes and they
appeared as bright colored flags as you drive along on the back roads.
Buggies going here
and there, some headed to the same sale barn as I. They were ever present to make my trip a
little longer, but still a pleasant trip. At a hitching post outside the Mt.
Hope auction I noticed a horse in particular who took an interest in me as he
turned and scolded me for his owner’s ignorance in making him wait, instead
wanting to be home in the barn wading through what was left of last summer’s
hay. I sympathized with him and almost caught myself talking to him but doubted
the Amish who are quite hard in their approach to animals, treating them more
like tools, or an investment would understand my willingness to try and start a
conversation with a horse. But it seemed as if the horse understood my silence anyhow,
and gave me a nod of his head and a look as if he understood my plight. I
surely understood his, being tied for hours to a pole while his owner would sit
and discuss the world problems. The farmer content in making the horse wait as this
may be one the few chances he may have to get out of the house and come to town
in a while.
Now back to my luck
with a duck story as I stood and looked at the rows of ducks placed under the
rows of chickens whose poop would come down and cover their heads. I could just
imagine trying to pull those ducks out of their cages and what a mess that
would be. Imagine they do that as ducks have a tendency to clean things up as compared
to a chicken. Always grooming themselves and soon any crap landing on them
would soon be worked off or ate depending on how it tasted. I was quizzed once or twice about a certain
duck I intended to buy. It was only one, the right amount I needed no more no
less; although he was a bit small he was colorful being almost black with a
green head. Nothing spectacular I guess except I wanted him.
Now I am sure to
the Yoder’s and the Millers over there I kinda stood out , although I have been
a farmer longer than most in the room , I am certain I appeared as a novice in
the duck buying market. I didn’t fondle them, try to pick him up, or examine
his bill to see how old he was. That last item I just made up in case you were
wondering how to tell the age of duck. Ducks are usually ageless and all seem
the same age. They do this in case it is time for the chopping block, then they
can look at each other and point with their wings and say take him he is
younger. Usually there is a lot of camaraderie within the ranks of fellow ducks
except when they know humans are going to get them. Then it is every man for
himself or duck as the case may be.
At one point a
man came over close to me and dug me for information as to what I was after.
Well considering I had drove quite a ways to get over there; a duck was coming
back with me one way or another. I think this was the same guy I was bidding
against and probably the owner of the duck, as ducks for the most part would go
for 3.50 / duck on the average. But when the bidding started on this duck the
auctioneer almost spitted out sold as fast as he said 2 dollars to start the
bid. It was over almost as quick as I could bid. And very soon I set the record
of having paid the most for the smallest duck. After paying for my newest duck
and acquiring papers as to his ownership I was soon grabbing him out of cage
and whisking him away to the safety of our farm. Well after finishing some
errands and then driving almost 50 miles to the house. Assuring he would not
have the ability to fly to his old home after being set free. Now thoughts like this are original and I
haven’t heard of a duck flying home after being auctioned off, but I am sure if
it could happen, then it would or could happen to me. The reason I drove so far
away as there was no other ducks to be found. Maybe they all went south to Myrtle
Beach or somewhere warm.
Anyhow I brought
him home and introduced him to the other duck and changed her water in her pan
and soon the two of them were following each other. With my duck teaching the
new one all the tricks of dealing with humans, she will have a couple of days, or
for that matter both will to learn while in the greenhouse or till we lose some
of this snow and ice. There is still not enough open pond area to give the
ducks much of a chance to escape a predator if one happened upon them. The safety of the greenhouse will offer them
some protection till it thaws.
The moral to the
story can be summed up with a short limerick:
So wtf
I saw a man about duck
And he made me
spend a tenbuck
To get the duck
I said wtf,
Ten bucks for a duck,
Seems I have no luck with f------- ducks
So wtf.
So I put the duck in
the truck.
Don’t this all suck
ten bucks for a duck,
As I drove off in my
truck.
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