Back away from the pool!

Many people ask me how the duck and the dog get along...my answer is "they tolerate each other." They would never be left alone together that is for sure! They are together most of the day but Peeps is in her protective ducky duplex and is not allowed out without supervision. If Terra gets too close to Peeps' cage then Peeps will let her know it by quacking at her or trying to nip at her thru the wire and then Terra will bark at her because she thinks it is a game. it is kind of funny to watch them interact this way BUT ONLY THRU THE WIRE! This picture was taken a few days ago when Peeps was trying out her new pool and Terra went in for a sniff. Bill to noggin they were about 4 inches apart but there was no nipping on Peeps' part and no barking on Terra's part so all was well with our world. :-) Eventually I would like to get them to the point where they can be better friends but I will never trust them both together completely, they are still a dog (hunter) and duck (hunted) afterall!!!!!! Even though we all know that Peeps is the alpha female! :-)

Very cool experience...

When I got home yesterday it was still warm so I let Peeps swim in the big pool for a bit while I cleaned out her ducky duplex. The neighbors behind us have this tree/bush thing that hangs over our wall a little and it has these very pretty purple flowers on it. The flowers attract hummingbirds and large carpenter bees and while cleaning her cage my back is to this plant. So I am cleaning and I hear this buzzing behind me...I automatically assume that it is one of the bees...swell! So I turn around to see this hummingbird no more than 6 inches from my head...COOL! I very slowly grab my phone to snap this picture...hopefully you can see the bird in the middle just above the wall. I put my phone away and just watched the bird go about his/her business. Then I decide to test out what Nic says about me being Jen Doolittle...I broke off a piece of branch with flowers on it and I held it out. The hummingbird came right to it and began to feed!!!!!

I HANDFED A HUMMINGBIRD...HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!

Feisty or Frisky?

So this past weekend was a "work on the house" weekend so we were home most of the time...which both Terra and Peeps thoroughly enjoyed! It was a beautiful weekend and I decided to fill Peeps' new pool and let her try it out before I bulid the enclosure for it. I think she really likes it because it is deep enough that she can't touch the bottom so she actually floats, hmmm what a concept! So she is swimming, doing her thing and I go over and pick her up and toss her to the other end of the pool and she swims right back over to me and I do it again and she swims right back to me all the while doing "flat duck." So we do this tossing/swimming routine 5 or 6 times and then I go back to my yard work. If you don't know what flat duck is - she is basically frisky and wants to be mated with, yes, as much as I don't think of her as a duck, she is still a duck :) Later on, Nic is over by the pool and I tell her to try it. So Nic picks Peeps up and tosses her and she does not come back over to Nic like she does to me. So Nic starts playing with her and next thing I know Nic is yelling "OUCH!" and has this nasty mark on her arm...Peeps nipped her good. Apparently Nic was trying to play with Peeps' feet while she was swimming and Peeps was having none of that!!!

Have you hugged your duck today?

Woo hoo, today is Friday and what better way to start off your day than getting a hug from a duck first thing in the morning!!!!!! Oh how I love Peeps' hugs, they make me feel special :) i wish everyone could experience a duck hug...I think I am going to make it a requirement that everyone that comes over to the house has to get a duck hug. Geez, if everyone in the world got to experience a hug from a duck it just could be the start of world peace...of course in Peeps case it is whirled peas! Oh I crack myself up! :) But seriously, next time you are over at our house say, "I am here for my duck hug" and I am sure that Peeps would be happy to hug you.

Peeps' new pool...

So I went back to the feed store and picked up that 70 gallon water trough for Peeps. She has checked it out dry and approves so far. It is very roomy and I think she will LOVE it once it is filled with water and added on to her pen. Now I just have to build the extension off her current pen and then I want to put a drain valve in the new pool to make it easier to drain and eventually her dirty pool water will drain into the vegetable garden that only exists in my mind :-)

Peeps is definitley a people duck...heck she might as well be a "people" herself! This is a leftover picture from Easter in Ojai and Peeps is quite content to look for treats in Lauren's shoe as people are loading the truck behind her.

PSA

** A Public Service Announcement from Peeps
When wild ducks are fed human food (especially bread, popcorn or crackers) their organs become engorged and fatty, which can cause them to suffer from heart disease, liver problems and other health complications. Bread also has very few nutrients, and can get compacted in a bird's crop. Many rehabilitators see "bread-impacted crop" in sick and distressed park ducks. Although ducks seem to love bread, it is not nutritious. White bread in particular is made from refined flour and is not proper for avian nutrition. Many ducks suffer from degenerative liver disease because they eat too much bread. Also, leftover bread and duck droppings pollute the water. The uneaten bread turns into a deadly mold called Aspergillus, which is fatal to ducks, fish and other animals. Rotting bread can also breed other deadly diseases and parasites, particularly a duck virus Enteritis, which with a single outbreak will kill all the ducks of that area. So if you like to go to the park to feed the ducks please take them something nutritious like frozen peas or corn or go buy real duck food at a feed store. Thank you! **

Funny shot...

Pretty duck...

I may be biased but I don't care...Peeps is a good looking duck...and I think she knows it. And after this molt that she is currently going through she will be even more beautiful. I swear that everytime I go out to her ducky duplex after work it looks like a duck exploded...THERE ARE FEATHERS EVERYWHERE!!!!! Maybe I should make a pillow :)
I went to the feed store yesterday to price some horse watering troughs to make Peeps her new pool and I think I may have found the perfect one. It is 70 gallons and rectangle which is just what I was looking for. I am going to mull it over for a day or so and then probably think about going back to get it. I am excited to expand her ducky duplex to include her own "pond" that she can actually swim in!
*IMPORTANT - Peeps and the rest of her flock want everyone to think good thoughts today as our friend Jon Wilhite goes in for his 1st surgery this afternoon to repair the damage done to his neck during that horrible car accident that killed our friend Henry Pearson, CSUF student Courtney Stewart & Angels' pitcher Nick Adenhart. Be strong Jon - ONCE A TITAN, ALWAYS A TITAN!

White birds can jump!

So Peeps may not be able to fly but she can jump...for food that is! We tried for about 10 minutes to get this shot of Peeps in mid-air going after a treat. She's got mad skills...lookout Michael Jordon it is is AIR PEEPS!!!!!

Peeps' 1st Easter...

So this was Peep's 1st Easter and she had a good one. Of course Saturday we made the road trip up to Grandma's house to celebrate Easter and the whole family was there so she got lots of attention...which I think she likes just a little :) Then on Sunday she laid her very first REAL Easter egg at home!

Happy Easter

Peeps and the paparazzi...

Well Peeps was quite the celebrity last night. We went on our first walk with the OC Hiking and Backpacking Club. The walk was from Newport Pier to Balboa Pier and back. We ended up getting to the meeting place late (Jen's fault this time!) and the group had already left but we geared up the kids and headed out. It is funny watching people's reaction when they hear a quack coming out of a stroller that they thought a baby was in :) "OH MY GOSH IT'S A DUCK! A REAL DUCK!" Yep she is real and seemed to really enjoy her first trip down to the beach and of course enjoys the attention...look at how she posed for this picture that one of the walkers took!

Orange County Hiking and Backpacking Club...

Well tonight we all (me, Nic, Peeps & Terra) get to go on our first official club hike! I have been wanting to get out and walk/hike on a regular basis but we just never do so I found this club and joined and tonight is our first walk with them. We are walking (Peeps is rolling) from Newport Pier to Balboa Pier and back. Not a long walk but it is something and I think we will all enjoy it. I will bring the camera and post pictures tomorrow. TTFN!

Maxing and Relaxing...

(photo is from a while ago, when me and Peeps lived in Gardena. Forgot to snap a new pic this weekend)

What a beautiful weekend to be a duck huh?!?!?!? Saturday I cleaned out the ducky duplex and then filled the big pool so Peeps could swim while Tres Leches (me, Nic & Candice) and Terra soaked up some sun "around the pool." It is good to be us :)

Peeps camping outside...

Since the weather has warmed up a bit and we are painting inside the kitchen/dining room area Peeps has spent the last 2 nights outside in her duplex. It doesn't seem to have phased her since I got a nice egg present this morning :-) I think she will stay out there thru the weekend unless the weather takes a turn.

Duck: The Movie

I LOVED this movie and for obvious reasons...it is a must see if you have the chance!!

SYNOPSIS: A man and a duck search for the means to live, and some meaning in life, in Los Angeles 2009. Written and directed by Nic Bettauer, "DUCK" stars Philip Baker Hall as a retired widower in a dystopian Los Angeles where social services have gone the way of social graces, and another Bush occupies the White House. Forced from his home with only a duck named JOE to accompany him, Hall’s character ARTHUR embarks on a quest for purpose and community across the urban desert of Los Angeles. Interacting with a host of strangers – some helpful, some harmful, some heroic – Arthur learns that saving the life of this duck may have led to the salvation of his own. In a duck who believes him to be its mother, an old man discovers dignity and the will to live on...
http://www.duckthemovie.com/duck.html

Sisters...

Terra and Peeps may not be close in species but they are technically sisters in this crazy mixed-up family and they have their differences but one thing they can both agree on is the beauty of a nice log nap in the sun. Of course Peeps prefers her nap to be in the sun AND water at the same time :-)