Hope Springs Eternal

Every spring since we have moved to Lexington we find more and more things to love about our house.  The trees are popping now and it is a beautiful sight.  The flowers that grow- flowers we had nothing to do with, yet every year they welcome back the warmer weather and make our house look more like a home.  The rose bushes that, on their own, give us a few dozen roses every season.  This house is really at its prettiest right about now, when its a warm spring day outside.  Well, every year since we have been here we have also come to adopt two ducks.  A "Mommy Duck" and a "Daddy Duck."  Every March the fly back from wherever they were and nest somewhere around our house.  With that we have come to accept them as part of our family, the girls LOVE them.  During this season we get them their own loaf of bread from the store.  Every morning I can hear them in our front yard honking at us to come out and feed them breakfast. If they arent waking us up like some farm rooster, they are laying in wait for us to come out on the porch and look for them.  When they see us the waddle and honk over from whereever they were hiding to get breakfast. They have gone so far as to tap on the front door with their beaks if the actual door is open and they can see through the storm door.  They are as pushy as dogs.  Yet, every morning, and sometimes for dinner, we feed them.  They take the food right out of my hand.  It is kindof neat to know that these "wild" animals trust us enough to know that on our front yard they have nothing to fear.  Now I have three helpers that wad up pieces of bread and throw them as hard as they can for the ducks to eat.  I'd like to think that we are helping Mommy Duck fatten up so that she can sit on her nest and bring a few new ducklings into this world. It is funny because this year I have thrown the Daddy Duck's world into a tailspin.  Since he was here last I bought a new truck.  The new truck has the chrome package.  As a result, Daddy Duck can see himself in my wheels and along my running boards.  So, Daddy Duck spins half of his time with his head literally in one of my truck tires.  The other half he walks up and down the truck staring at himself on the step up bars.  He is either extremely threatened by "this other duck," or extremely vain.  Either way, it is hilarious.  I have to inspect under my car and around the wheels every time we get into the truck, not for a bomb, but for a Mallard who likes to hang out at my truck. 

We come to expect our feathery visitors every year, yet we sort of take it for granted.  Any number of things can happen over the course of the year, yet somehow some way, they end up back here.  And every time they do, we get so excited.  Some of our neighbors walk around and make comments about how we feed them.  Normally its a "better your yard then ours," type of thing.  I shrug it off and continue throwing them bread with glee.  They are always welcome to dine at my place.  We are hoping to sell the house and if we do, I will leave a note for whomever buys the house. 

To who it may concern:
I sincerely hope that you enjoy this house as much as we did.  So much so that when I think of a home this is almost a perfect setting.  Please know that 3 babies learned to walk on these floors, learned to eat like big girls in this dining area, and play properly on this front yard.  If these walls could talk, I hope they would tell you about all the love that was grown and shared in our time here.  These walls are yours now, enjoy.  I hope you make your own beautiful memories as we did.

P.S.  Don't forget to feed the ducks.