"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."~Anatole France
When I was a little girl, my parents gave me a duckling for Easter. I was so excited to finally have a pet to call my own! I, affectionately, named him Ducky Lucky and we were very close. He grew to be a large duck almost overnight. I can vividly remember standing at the screen door in our kitchen and seeing Ducky Lucky on the other side quacking frantically for me to come out. He loved for me to toss him saltine crackers. Sometimes, he'd chase after me all over our yard when he saw that I had a few in my hand. He frightened me a few times because he was so aggressive...he wanted his crackers right then and there!!! Sometimes, I'd be in my little plastic pool in our backyard, and Ducky Lucky would hop in with me! The fun soon came to a screeching halt because he'd do his business in it and I would leap out in a panic! Not fun!
Here I am with my "quacky" friend. He was like my shadow...everywhere I went, he was right beside me!
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Here we are with my cousin, Lance. We were so close growing up. Our families lived just a few hours away and we'd, often, get together on the weekends and have the best time! We're exactly one month apart in age, which makes us both 26! LOL!.jpg)
My dad is trying his best to contain Ducky Lucky, but he had a mind of his own! My dad's brother, Bob, is standing beside him. Those were back in the good ol' days when life was much simpler. .jpg)
I can't remember exactly how long I had Ducky Lucky. All I know is that Dad told me he released him in a creek by my Granny and Grandpa's house in north Arkansas so he could be free and happy. He weaved a dreamy tale about how Ducky Lucky floated happily away to live with all the other duckies. Why, then, do I seem to recall our chicken tasting a little "funny" that night at dinner? Oh, I can't bear the thought!!! :) "Go out into the world today and love the people you meet. Let your presence light new light in the hearts of people."~ MOTHER TERESA
62 comments:
Awww... Ducky Lucky was so cute! What a sweet story. Thanks for sharing.
This was sweet, you were so cute.
Awwww, that is such a sweet post!! Both you and ducky Lucky were adorable...
Don't want to even think that you may have eaten you best pal :(
Great photos!
that is such a great story!!! and very cute photos, too!
You looked so cute w/ your duck! Laughing about him chasing you for crackers! (My grandpa gave me a duck too when I was about 4 years old - never knew what happened to that one either.... hmmmmm!!)
You were such a beautiful child (and still are a beautiful woman)! I love those pictures. They took me back to my childhood because I always got baby ducklings or baby chicks for Easter as a child. I never knew what happened to them after they got bigger ... hmmm. You've got me wondering now. lol
Thank you for sharing those beautiful photos!
Love,
Beth
oh how sweet...except for the end...please tell me lucky ducky did not have his name changed to dinner...ack!
i also want to invite you to follow my blog. every month i will do a drawing for fun prizes from my list of followers. you don't even need to stop by everyday (though i would so love that) just follow...cool right?!
How stinkin' cute were you?!?!?! Soooo cute! What a sweet story about you and ducky lucky...love it! And love the pictures!!
Adorable. Those pictures take me back in time too! I bet yall didn't eat that duck!
You were so sweet, and so was ducky lucy.
Great pictures.
Wib.
Swell story - not sure about the ending though! I hope Ducky Lucky really did float away into the sunset! Have a great day!
I live on a lake, and I can attest that duck doo is the most unpleasant stuff!
aw, I liked that story right up til the very last part and then I thought this is a sad story!
That is the cutest little story! I think Kaishon would LOVE a duck : ). Maybe I will ask my parents if we can get one and keep it at their house. They have a little pond. We won't ever eat it...
I thought my husband was the only one with a duck-as-a-pet story!!! His dad bought the kids one after an evening of heavy drinking, and my mother-in-law was not happy to say the least. She had five kids, a Great Dane, and now a duck living in about 900 square feet...Now it is funny, but then, I hear, the stuff hit the fan...
Glad someone has a good story about pets today-because if I wasn't a believer, I would have killed our puppy yesterday-she ran away from me and it took 45 min, and three (!) neighbors to help me. UGH! (If anyone needs a cute, but rascally puppy-I have one!!)
These pictures are so cute! love playing with ducks.
April, I LOVE Ducky Lucky. Your photos and story is priceless. Thanks for sharing a sweet part of your life.
Hugs...Jeanne
Look at those cherib cheeks! :) AND the little red shoes.
*sigh*... sweet childhood pics.
oh my goodness. the picture of you and ducky lucky is adorable! i can just picture you two playing together! so cute!!
Love the story & pictures!!! My brother & I had little chicks too growing up - we had a covered wagon for them to ride in & little fun things for them to play on... until the neighbors cat got them... I'm still traumatized!!!
But man, I agree - those were simple times, weren't they - great times!
Hi!
Thanks for sharing your story today! Wonderful photos and memories! Have a great day!!
Sherrie
Awww what a sweet story! My dad had a pet duck as a kid and the duck followed him everywhere. The duck walked with him to town, on paper routes, etc. The local paper did an article on him and his duck. They were well known in his town. Ducks appear to be very loyal friends.
Have a great weekend!!!
Kim
You know, ducks have always scared me. They are aggressive and I don't like to be chased. However, your Ducky Lucky must have thought you were his mom! You were an adorable little girl! Aren't memories of cousins and uncles wonderful!? Seems like cousins used to visit more than they do now...everyone is so busy! That is really too bad. We need to make time for family too! I have just one question: have you ever eaten duck since then? Proabably not.
Malisa
What a cute story. I would have never thought about a duck being a pet! Cute pictures!
Cute story and cute pictures!
Oh dear,I loved the story until the end.I had aneaster chicken.Same senerio,we moved,my Roo ROO couldn't go.(From country to city).I had to give him to a neighbor.I'm sure they had chicken and dumplings.How gross is that.
I always swore I would have another IF I ever had any land.
Well we moved here 2 yrs ago,in the country.I got an Easter chick,2 yrs ago Easter.He,in case your haven't been to my blog,is one of the loves of my life.He's even house broken.He is awesome.They can be pets like a dog or cat,when given the chance...Ann
Oh, I can't bear the thought of Ducky being your dinner! I will choose to believe the fairy tale!
Hope things are good with you! Have a great weekend! :)
Carrie
Thanks for sharing your story of Ducky Lucky! It brought back memories of a pet rabbit. I was told that it ran away but now that I'm older I have been told that we ate him for dinner! I don't know how one could do that to a pet! I know I couldn't. I also had a pet chicken that was murdered by our jealous chihuahua. Those were the days! lol
hugs,
Angela
Hi April
The picture of you and Lucky Ducky is gorgeous. What a great pet to have splash around with you in your plastic pool! Sounds like your Lucky Ducky was no better off in the end than the Lucky Ducky in the story books who was eaten by Foxy Loxy! How Jessica cried when someone read that story to her years ago.
Have a great weekend.
Lindsay
Mr. Ducky Lucky is sure cute - but you are an absolute doll in those photos! A girl and her duckie...so sweet!
Read yesterday's posts and my kuddos go all out to you - I can't bring myself to ride the coasters no matter how cool of a mom I would...and somehow, losing my lunch in public would most likely not make me too cool!!
Thanks for stopping by today - I might just pop all this in the crock pot, too! I love it when soups simmer all day...and you can just eat on it all along the way!
Have a great weekend!
April,
Thanks so much for your kind words. I feel the exact same way about you.
You have a great weekend too!
Send the Family our Love,
Tim, Carey, Taylor, and Will
That first photo is one of the sweetest I've ever seen. Ducky Lucky was so cute. Those are some sweet memories you have too.
have a beautiful weekend,
Teresa
Okay..that is truly the sweetest thing ever..a duck...how sweet is that! sandy toe
You had a pet duck!? You are so lucky!
I had a duck named Daisy when I was a teenager, she lived in the house till she got to big so I had to take her to a pond and let her go.
How cool!!! Always love your old photos!
Such great photos!
ah.. makes me think of mine too! you know what, actually pretty similar.. except that i was terrified to my wits!
Enjoyed visiting you today. Will be coming back to visit again..later!
smiles,
Silver
from One Day at a Time/Reflections
April,
You sure have the best stories to tell from your past! I ALWAYS enjoy hearing/reading about them. This was great! Thanks for sharing! You and Ducky Lucky looked soooooooooo cute together!
Have a great weekend friend!
What a precious little girl you were with a cute Ducky Lucky! I love these pictures, April. These are just darling pictures of all of you. Made me smile.
Like you, I hope Ducky Lucky did get released to the pond with his ducky friends. Love the fact that they wove a wonderful story about him and his new life. That's what I choose to believe, too. :-)
XO,
Sheila
Ducks make awesome pets!!! They are just as loyal as dogs. I loved your pictures soooo much - thanks for sharing them!
What a cute post!
Stopping by from SITS. =)
Have a great weekend!
I love the picture of you with your duck-so cute!! Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving such a sweet comment.
What a fun post--you were such a sweet little girl. My husband Len had a duck for a pet as a child too. You need to write a children's book titled Ducky Lucky!
:) :) What an askew ending to a delightful story! LOL LOL
Poor poor gal...LOL LOL
What a fun post! I loved it. You and that duck... too cute!!
The photo of you and your duck is simply beautiful. What a darling little girl your were... you still are!!!;) I hope you have that picture up somewhere for all to see - it's just delightful... I have a rule though, and I have to be very tough with my Dad about this, because he's of the old school; But, if you raise an animal as a pet, it should never end up on a plate. Just my view, but I will be forever saddened by the story of my first boyfriend when he was only 5, and he was given a pet piglet. He named him Pork Snorker and the two of them were best buddies. Then just before Christmas day he was told to fetch him... well, I know I don't have to go on. Suffice it to say, the poor boy was still suffering many years later because of what his dad made him endure... Glad your Daddy looked after your sweet heart, even if you worked it out later...:)
I wasn't ready for the end to the Ducky Lucky story, considering I just came back from seeing Marley and Me! What a cute kiddo you were. :o)
What a fun story and the pictures are darling!
You got me there, April!!! Although, I'm glad it wasn't true. I KNEW your Dad was a Sweetheart, after all the lovely stories you've told about him... I'll get used to your mad humour one day... ;)
How darling you were with your little friend. Your family has done a wonderful job of retaining it's history through photography. I just love all of your pix!
Ducky Lucky was so precious!
What a cute story! :)
I choose to believe he went on to live a wonderful life with his other ducky friends and family. And he lived happily ever after...
Your story reminds me of my very first pet - a brown calf. I was about 3 or 4 years old so she is one of my first memories. I named her Brownie (very original!) and she followed me everywhere I went in the yard. When I sat down on the ground she would come lie down beside me and put her head in my lap. Oh, she was a sweetie!! I loved Brownie with all my heart. I'm so dumb I was in college before I figured out that we ate Brownie. Daddy had told me he sent her to a milk farm where she would be a really good milk cow for many years! If I think about Brownie I just can't eat a bite of beef. I try not to think of her very much. Thanks for the post.
Thanks for your sweet comment and prayers. N x
Oh April...when I saw the picture of that precious little girl so well dressed, I wanted to grab her & run away...not knowing that was YOU! What happy times those were...
;-)Bo
What a great story, April. I love seeing those old pictures - you were so cute. They would never eat your duck - I'm sure it was released. Just sure of it! (I hope);-)
Oh what a cute picture and story April! I love those pictures of you in the little dress with the red tennis shoes - so cute!
My Dad used to bring us little chicks in the Spring as pets. It was so much fun!
XOXOXO
Jen
That is just so sweet AND funny... I can just imagine you playing tag with Ducky Lucky! Oh dear.. I hope he really *did* get to float away to live with the other duckies.. the alternative would just be too awful! Those pictures are priceless.. thanks for sharing such a special memory!
and hey.. did you get snow today?
I remember getting ducklings for Easter but for some reason they never grew as large as Ducky Lucky. My duckies weren't so lucky.
Hi April! Thanks so much for visiting my blog and being a great SITSta. I'm new at this and really enjoying it.
I enjoyed seeing your photos. You have a beautiful family. It looks like we might be neighboring states. I'm in Alabama. We have just recently moved into a more rural area to have room for our animals. It has be so nice and peaceful. Much better than the suburbs!
Good luck on that contest, if you entered. I thought it was a really nice and personal thing to giveaway. Maybe you can make it by my giveaway blog sometime and enter a few. http://ultimategiveaways.net
I have a good one ending today, but another is coming up very soon. In fact, it is for digital photography!
Thanks again for the visit and the comment! - Teresa Jane
Very sweet story!
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