OH Ducky...

Happy Easter Every One

This would have been our 15th Annual Easter Dinner..

which I decided not to host this year. As we really didn't know for sure if we would be traveling soon. Those of you who have attended our annual Easter dinner I'm sure can understand why I stepped down this year. Weeks of preparation usually go into it. From decorating the house both inside and out to preparing the perfect 8 course meal.

Hosting the annual Easter Egg hunt for the nieces and nephews and setting a unique table theme every year. Yes it is a sit down. From 13 to ... I believe the largest table was in 2000 when we had 26 people. That was the year I decided to take espresso and cappuccino off the menu. lol. Did you ever make 26 cups in a row? Eeek... not a good idea. Especially once our guests started asking for refills.

Fresh flowers every where. It takes time... a lot of it.

In some ways it was sad to break the tradition. When I think back over the years the good times we had. The friends and relatives that had attended. And when I think of the themes I picked. LOL... Anyone remember the LIVE Pom Pom ducks I bought? Yes... I had the brilliant idea that I would buy a small flock of Pom Pom ducklings as an Easter prop. So I called around and found out Jersey law I have to buy 6 ducklings and pick them up the day after they hatch. Why 6 you wonder? Well I was told that they're social birds and needed friends.

So anyway... My thinking was that I would display them in the house in a pearl encrusted bridal bird cage. After all they were so cute and tiny .. surely they would fit. So I brought them home stopped off at Walmart and purchased a small animal cage, heat lamp and some baby duck food. They were to live in our guest bath until the big day. Little did I know these little ones would grow rapidly in the two weeks before Easter. A daily swim in the bath tub, a quick blow dry and back in the cage under a heat lamp. Within a week they tripled in size. Under protest Bruce agreed to go with me and pick up a bigger cage as they were rapidly out growing the small animal cage. So we bought a bunny hutch. The hutch was placed in the basement by the door so they could enjoy the view. Still under a heat lamp. Bathing at this point was not possible in the tub but they had their own tub which needed fresh water after each of the six took a bath. Did I mention how messy ducks are? Anyway... my thinking and I use that term loosely when telling this story was that they would be a cute Easter decoration and that surely my little nieces and nephews would want one when they saw them. Well Easter came and the kids were thrilled with our Pom Poms for a whopping 5 minutes. Yes... they all remained with us.

So after Easter .. Bruce.. good sport that he is build them a duck coop out side. A 4 X 8 screened home with a sheltered area so they wouldn't get wet when it rained.

Yes I know they're ducks. ;o)

So anyway... now they had a house they needed a place to swim so we bought them a kiddie pool complete with ramp. It was late Spring Summer and I'd let the ducks out every morning and call them back at sun down. Yes they were trainable. But why weren't they flying? Surely they would fly south for the winter? So we had flying lessons.. to no avail. They couldn't stay up for more then 15-20 feet before a crash landing. A very humorous site especially watching Bruce flap his arms running full throttle down hill with all six chasing after him.

Like I said a very good sport. lol . I think he would have done anything to make these guys fly away.

It wasn't until late Fall that I ran into the young man who sold me the ducks and it was his Dad that told me that our ducks would never fly. Their wings were clipped at birth? Grrrr.

What happen to our flock of special needs ducks? I found a local farmer that wanted them for eggs and swore that they would never be eaten.

So that's just an example of what can happen when you think too far out of the box.

To this day I can't get myself to eat duck :o(

OK.. back to reality... Mom & Dad hosted Easter Dinner this year.

Thanks Mom for getting me off the hook. Dinner was of course wonderful and fun was had by all.

Hopefully Tamara will like socializing and once she's adjusted we can resume our entertaining schedule. I know many of you have expressed an interest in our Easter Dinner as well as our Holiday House Warming.

~~~

Paper work ... Still Waiting