I looked a gift duck in the beak.
Yesterday was a glorious eighty degree day! In the spring, when we get one of these early warm days, it's like the great ball of burning gas in the sky knows that throwing a little extra heat our way inspires all manner of work to get completed, and yesterday was one for the annals of excessive activity.
To start with, about a month ago 
That said, we have about a half acre orchard. It's already fenced and deer netted, and the discussion had occurred that we should throw some ducks in there for reasons, but we weren't in a big hurry to make the duck orchard thing happen. Then T happened along.
"How many?" I inquired as I flipped a story point for a reason that I can't remember now.
"Oh, there's fifteen." T replied casually.
FIFTEEN! Egads! That's not a few ducks, that's a whole flock, a duck hunter's dream! I wasn't sure I wanted that many ducks and voiced the sentiment. But then I found out that they were all Khaki Campbell/Runner crosses, were laying quite well, and my new friend only had a 1/3 of an acre and that many ducks.
I'm a sucker.
I'm also the proud owner of 15 new ducks. A couple of days ago T messaged me and said the ducks had hatched five babies, and I promptly spit out my iced tea. That problem nicely solved itself as one of our weekend teenagers said his mom was going to buy some ducks, and I quacked, "No she ain't!"
So yesterday, after cross fencing my orchard with my hubs and the teens, the ducks arrived. They all were good little quackers and hopped out of the back of the truck and right into their massive pen. They then squeezed right through the field fencing surrounding 3 sides of the pen, so after I herded half of them back into the orchard enclosure, we spent a bit of time tacking up a ton of 2X2 fencing.
They haven't gotten out since.
And this morning they surprised me with two beautiful light blue eggs! I thought for sure that their laying would be disrupted by the trauma of the move, but maybe my nanny-like ministrations of welcoming goodwill helped. They really do seem to enjoy their kiddie pool and multiple feeders of grain.
The duck's arrival alone would have been exciting, but yesterday was just far too nice to have but one to-do chore get done. We also installed my son's new flooring. He and the duckling recipient heathen tore out my boy's bedroom carpet, removed the tack strips, used pliers to get out any staples, and vacuumed all the detritus in order to prep the floor. People who complain about teens being lazy confuse me, all I had to do to get them to work was let them have a sleep over, turn cheap pizzas into lasagna, and giggle at them waking up the unfortunate soul who slept in with a face full of whipped cream. Pieces of cake, those seagulls worked like an up and coming entrepreneur!
While the floor installation was happening I tackled the front flower bed. I have neglected it the past couple of years and it was full of turf between the purple bell flowers, colored yarrow, snow-in-summer, and hyssop. By the time I really was removing clumps of grass roots it had hit the heat peak of the day. Let me tell you, the first eighty degree day when it has been in the forties really roasts you. I had to take a break once and down about a gallon of iced tea.
The flooring operation was still ongoing, so after cleaning out the flower bed, I hopped on my lawnmower and drove around with my new lawn sweeper picking up needles, sticks, and pinecones. I love that apparatus, I might have sang about it at the top of my lungs to the tune of Mickey.
And at the end of it all, when my phone chirped that I had walked almost 12,000 steps, I stopped and clicked a picture. Spring has definitely sprung and I have a feeling that yesterday's warm day was a harbinger of more warm, let's work ourselves into a sweaty, dirt covered state, days to come.
But at least I now have ducks to enjoy!
And as most of the time, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's needs a dusting and still isn't combusting iPhone