Yes or Duh!

Duh - used derisively to indicate that something just stated is all too obvious or self-evident.
Merriam-Webster

I have received my fair share of "Duh". It is one of those responses that when aimed at you, or at a question or statement you may have just made, instantly makes you want to crawl under a rock.

So I finally have my chance to answer with a big - "Duh"


Its like asking the boy, would you like 17 chocolate chip cookies for breakfast?

Sometimes there really is no need to ask certain questions.

Would you like that to be a winning Powerball ticket sir?
Jordan would like to go buy a dozen new pairs of shoes?
Would you like pizza for supper?
Honey would you like me to remove all the snakes from the house?
Kopper would you like to eat some fresh cat poop?

Obviously, YES - would always be the answer, except the boy might say,"lets round it off to twenty".

It is the end of the school year and Jordan came to me with one of those questions when she asked if she could bring home Snapper and Davey, the 2 small snapping turtles she brought into school at the beginning of the year.

Like I would ever say no?

When I suggested that maybe we should release Snapper, the bigger of the 2 into the river, tears started to well up in her eyes and it was at that moment I realized we now have 2 pet snapping turtles.

So for now Snapper and Davey enjoy the beautiful 55 gallon tank that someone recently gave me.


Snapper


Davey and Friend

Sweeney Ducks

Do I intervene or not?

When Momma duck showed up with 12 babies that she hatched out somewhere on the river I had to make a choice. Do I pen them up for a few weeks until they are a bit larger. When they are this small there are just to many wild creatures that are looking to snatch up a quick meal.

Or do I let them loose to fend for themselves. This is almost always sad when each day their numbers drop. First we have 12 then today we have 9, then 7-4-2 and when all is said and done, maybe 1 or 2 avoid the teeth, claws, talons, beaks and stomachs of all that consider them a tasty morsel.

So for now, Momma and her 12 little ones will spend some time behind some chicken wire and when the time is right we will set them free to play on the river.

They earned the name "Sweeney Ducks" because Momma duck was raised by our Summertime neighbors over at Camp Sweeneyland after I had recommended that they get some baby ducks for Easter last year.


Proud Papa checking on his family.

Scar Stories

In the 1975 movie "Jaws", Hooper and Quint compare scars and attempt to one up each other with their stories.

If I took a tape measure to my scars the visible scars would exceed 15 inches and of coarse, everyone was acquired saving a damsel in distress or perhaps I was saving the planet from an evil entity. Being shy and humble I will not discuss my scars.

Kopper-our beloved Yellow Dog recently acquired his very own set of scars and I have decided to embellish his story for him a bit.

It was just after dark when Kopper and the kids made their night rounds feeding and locking up the animals, when without warning. out of the dark thick woods came a viscous hungry pack of blood thirsty coyotes. With foam and blood dripping from their razor sharp teeth, and yellow eyes that glowed in the lack of daylight, they set their sites on the kids thinking this would be an easy meal.

The kids screamed and ran to a tree they knew they could climb but the pack of rabid mangy killers would easily out run the children. As they approached the tree the boy first helped his sister up into the safety of a out of reach branch and as he reached for the tree six of the coyotes lunged into the air and sailed straight at him where he froze waiting to be hit by this group of flea bitten canines. .

When all hope was gone and their fangs neared the boy, out of nowhere came a flash of yellow as Kopper plowed his body into all 6 varmints at once. When they all came to their feet the fight that followed filled the dark with flesh ripping sounds of horror. When the dust settled 4 of the ugly beast lay dead, while 2 crawled away so badly mangled they would most likely end up as vulture food
And Kopper, our heroic yellow dog escorted the children back to the safety of the house and it was not until we turned on the porch light that we saw the damage the pack of deadly coyotes had done to this brave dog.

With the flesh from under his right eye ripped open and blood staining his yellow fur, and his eye swollen shut he gallantly escorted the children to safety before collapsing in pain.

Thirteen stitches, a night in the hospital, and except for the degrading plastic funnel he needs to wear around his neck, he is doing really well.

Kopper is a great dog and wants nothing more than to be a part of this family. It is his devotion to this family, his sweet gentle personality towards all the critters that call this place home, along with his protective instincts especially when it comes to the kids,(just ask Uncle Johnny)and the love that he shares everyday, it is all of he above reasons that I refuse to tell a story about a yellow dog that decided to chase a squirrel with his head close to the ground and proceeded to run smack into a cinder block.

That would be a very undignified way to acquire a scar.