Sunday, November 27, 2022

Mr. & Mrs. Mallard's Annual Visit

 


In going through some of my photos recently, I came across this one, and it made me smile. 
 
When you have a swimming pool in the desert, all sorts of critters seem to beat a path to your door. Every year in March, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard stop by for a little rest and relaxation on their way to their summer home. (Please don't ask me where that is; they refuse to tell me.) They paddle around for awhile before and after taking naps on the pool deck. Occasionally, they bring along a teenage son who tends to be much jumpier about me going in and out of the laundry room. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard? They don't care a bit because we've become old friends.
 
How many of you noticed the Siamese cat in the upper portion of the photo? This cat was enjoying its first and last taste of freedom, but what was funny was everyone's reaction to a feline presence. The cat was extremely interested in the ducks but didn't know what to do about it. The ducks didn't seem to be worried in the slightest. In fact, Mr. Mallard swam back and forth close to the edge of the pool as if he were taunting the cat. Me? I kept a close eye on the cat but took my cue from the ducks. If they weren't overly concerned, I wasn't going to be either.
 
I still would love to know their destination. Maybe they'll tell me next March.

12 comments:

  1. How nice that you get those visits from the Mallards, Cathy. Perhaps they're just private people and would rather not go on and on about where they live and where they're headed. It's nice that they drop in on you, cat or no cat. And the son? Probably teenage grumpiness...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hope they get to come by this next year, Cathy! I love that picture and love the idea of Mr. Mallard taunting the kitty. Ha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If ducks can smile, Mr. mallard was. He seemed to be having fun with that cat, and the cat was completely befuddled.

      Delete
  3. What a great picture! I hope they come again in 2023. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So do I. They're such regulars that I'm really going to miss them if they don't show up.

      Delete


  4. What lovely visitors. And they leave the place as they found it. Why is it the cat's last visit? Is it moving or just becoming an indoor cat? An old friend lives on the Mystic River Loop near Boston. She has posted photos of a mama duck with her ducklings resting near the shore a block from her house. One thing about living in a big city is one misses scenes like this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Siamese was an expensive purebred that had escaped the house. The owners did a very good job making sure it didn't escape again.

      Delete
  5. I have a feeling that's why they brought along one of their sons a time or two-- to make sure the family kept our house on their route.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!