As I read it , it brought a smile to my lips and tears to my eyes. It is just too sweet a story for me to pass up sharing with all of you. Please forgive me if it is upsetting to you that I would post this rather than PX related news or information. However, I believe that the signs of our humanity are as important , if not more so as we get closer and closer to what is to come.
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Ok, I have reposted in html, in hopes that the photos will load. They are just too precious not to be able to see their beautiful little faces.....:D
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A Duck Story You'll Never Forget!
A True Duck Story
Something really cute happened in downtown San Antonio this week. Michael R. is
an accounting clerk at Frost Bank and works there in a second story
office. Several weeks ago, he watched a mother duck choose the concrete
awning outside his window as the unlikely place to build a nest above
the sidewalk. The mallard laid ten eggs in a nest in the corner of the
planter that is perched over 10 feet in the air. She dutifully kept the
eggs warm for weeks, and Monday afternoon all of her ten ducklings
hatched.
Something really cute happened in downtown San Antonio this week. Michael R. is
an accounting clerk at Frost Bank and works there in a second story
office. Several weeks ago, he watched a mother duck choose the concrete
awning outside his window as the unlikely place to build a nest above
the sidewalk. The mallard laid ten eggs in a nest in the corner of the
planter that is perched over 10 feet in the air. She dutifully kept the
eggs warm for weeks, and Monday afternoon all of her ten ducklings
hatched.
Michael worried all night how the momma duck was going to get those babies safely off
their perch in a busy, downtown, urban environment to take to water,
which typically happens in the first 48 hours of a duck hatching.
Tuesday morning, Michael watched the mother duck encourage her babies
to the edge of the perch with the intent to show them how to jump off.
Office work came to a standstill as everyone gathered to watch.
The mother flew down below and started quacking to her babies above. In
disbelief Michael watched as the first fuzzy newborn trustingly toddled
to the edge and astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the
cement below. Michael couldn't stand to watch this risky effort nine
more times! He dashed out of his office and ran down the stairs to the
sidewalk where the first obedient duckling, near its mother, was
resting in a stupor after the near-fatal fall. Michael stood out of
sight under the awning-planter, ready to help.
As the second one took the plunge, Michael jumped forward and caught it
with his bare hands before it hit the concrete. Safe and sound, he set
it down it by its momma and the other stunned sibling, still recovering
from that painful leap. (The momma must have sensed that Michael was
trying to help her babies.)
One by one the babies continued to jump. Each time Michael hid under the
awning just to reach out in the nick of time as the duckling made its
free fall. At the scene the busy downtown sidewalk traffic came to a
standstill. Time after time, Michael was able to catch the remaining
eight and set them by their approving mother.
At this point Michael realized the duck family had only made part of its
dangerous journey. They had two full blocks to walk across traffic,
crosswalks, curbs and past pedestrians to get to the closest open
water, the San Antonio River, site of the famed "River Walk." The
on-looking office secretaries and several San Antonio police officers
joined in. An empty copy-paper box was brought to collect the babies.
They carefully corralled them, with the mother's approval, and loaded
them in the container. Michael held the box low enough for the mom to
see her brood. He then slowly navigated through the downtown streets
toward the San Antonio River. The mother waddled behind and kept her
babies in sight, all the way.
As they reached the river, the mother took over and passed him, jumping in
the river and quacking loudly. At the water's edge, Michael tipped the
box and helped shepherd the babies toward the water and to the waiting
mother after their adventurous ride.
All ten darling ducklings safely made it into the water and paddled up
snugly to momma. Michael said the mom swam in circles, looking back
toward the beaming bank bookkeeper, and proudly quacking.
At last, all present and accounted for: "We're all together again. We're here! We're here!"
And here's a family portrait before they head outward to further adventures...
Like all of us in the big times of our life, they never could have made it
alone without lots of helping hands. I think it gives the name of San
Antonio's famous "River Walk" a whole new meaning!
Big Hugs to All of you from me !!
Comments
D, your gift with animals is like a soul calling, every life in the universe, from as large as a galaxy, to as small as the tinest microbe, are precious and valuable. Minnie didn't look at all like she had problems. She is beautiful, she'll probably greet you when it is time to leave your present body and relax in the in-between.
T, Ozzy just sounds so cool. Big Daddy OZ!!!!
These were great happy stories.....
Thank you for sharing the story about your precious Ozzy , it means so much to me. :D
I suppose the reason I am the way I am with animals is because all of the ones that are damaged and people don;t want end up with me. They are my special babies and worthy of all the love and attention I can give t hem.
I had one little one who was born with a congenital deformity. Her skull was divided into 4 sections a nd the vets wanted to put her down. They said she would not live past 9 months. I asked if she was in pain , they said not that they were aware of . I asked what will cause her early death. They said seizures due to her deformity. I asked if it could be controlled with medication, they said no. I again asked for conformation that she was not in pain. They verified she was not in any visible pain. I took her home. She had her bouts with seizures , yes, she eventually became paralyzed and we adapted with her as her condition progressed.
She was such a happy little thing. She would yap at me from her soft cushy bed when she needed to go , when she wanted food or simply wanted attention.
My kids would play a game with her and make believe they were ignoring her and she would rear her head back open her eyes really wide and loudly demand attention. Until they relented and picked her up to cuddle her. She knew when it was time for me to come home because she would crawl out of her bad and wait for me at the door. She lived in my room where I had plush carpeting that led from her little bed to the door so she would always have something soft to crawl along on.
She was such a happy and loving little baby. She lived to the age of 9 years (human years not doggie). She was sleeping and woke up with just a whimper. She slept next to my bed when she wasn;t under the covers with me. I reache d over and picked her up and her last breath was taken in my arms. She was so very precious to me.
All my babies are special cases that no one wanted to deal with or care for. Doggies and birdies alike. They are my special angels and my love helps them thrive! I thank the Creator everyday for them!.
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